This 7iDP knee guard is a semi-rigid, hardshell knee protector that's biased towards all-day riding over out-and-out descending. The knee pads have a classy, minimalistic look that hints at performance.
The Controls are very lightweight, at 180g, and ventilated, which makes them easy to wear for long periods. After a long day in the sun your knees don’t feel sore, which is always a bonus.
The back of the pads is elasticated and shapes to your legs' contours nicely to help keep them secure. Two adjustable straps – one on your thigh and one above your calf – keep each pad in place. The two straps do their job well, but we did find it was a case of finding a compromise between comfort and stability when in use.
The rigid, pre-shaped knee cup is designed to give a close fit around your knee, but the lack of flex does cause problems. Bending your knee while pedalling causes the top or bottom of the pad to lift which not only causes irritation, but allows grime in and under the pad. You can cinch the pads tighter to stop this but this does affect comfort considerably.
The pads are good enough if you’re looking for something light with a hard protective knee cup. But they’re not cheap and not really as pedal friendly as we’d ideally like.
