These super-thin knee pads from G-Form comprise a Lycra sleeve and a thin, bright yellow padding that’s moulded in place. The padding is made from a new material called Poron-XRD, which is light, flexible and relatively soft until an impact occurs, when it becomes solid to absorb the force. The padding has shallow gaps to allow unrestricted knee movement too.
After months of riding the G-Form pads on everything from cross-country jaunts to pump track sessions, they’ve held up extremely well, absorbing the impact of some big crashes without slipping or turning on the leg. The thin Lycra sleeve is more breathable than we thought it would be and helps stop your knees getting too hot while out on the trail.
The yellow padding is a bit bright, but the pads are great under jeans – even dirt-jumper-spec skinny ones – and they’re comfortable to wear even on relatively long cross-country rides. They're ideal to carry in your pack and easy to whip on when you want to loosen things up down the hills. The price is good, but if you live in the UK you’ll need to factor in delivery charges (approx £12.50) when comparing the cost to that of other pads.
This article is compiled from reviews originally published in Mountain Biking UK and What Mountain Bike magazines.