Despite their ‘yellow turtle’ appearance (they come in black too), we like these pads. Within minutes of putting them on bare arms we forgot we were wearing them, they’re so comfy. The articulated design means they flex perfectly with your elbows, and stay put thanks to the rubber grip in the top hem.
The thin nylon/Spandex compression material is cool enough not to irritate on warm days, yet when the temperature dips they double up as arm warmers because the fabric arms are fairly lengthy. Worn over a long-sleeve base layer they did slip a little, and obviously they can’t be worn over bulky sleeves because they’re tight fitting.
The protective exoskeleton is lightweight and very low profile: just 6mm at the thickest part. They’re designed to take repeated knocks/impacts, so are just the thing if you’re a regular cross-country crasher. They certainly save you from grazes and bruises, but aren’t designed to prevent broken bones.
They come in eight sizes (as do the kneepads) so you can tailor the fit perfectly. Measure around your elbow to determine your size. They have a one-year warranty too, and you can just bung them in the washing machine when they get muddy or sweaty.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.