O’Neal have worked alongside World Champion Greg Minnaar to tweak their famed Sinner knee pad, making it lighter and more breathable.
Sas-Tec shock-absorbing padding covers the knee cap with a bit extra above and a generous amount below too, while foam filled neoprene pads articulate at the inside and outside of the knee.
An extra, non-adjustable elasticated strap runs around the circumference of the pad just below the knee cap, sewn inside the pad to help them stay in place. The only downside we’ve found is that on longer, non-downhill rides this strap can start to feel too tight and dig in a little. Although, that aside, the pads are still comfy.
The Sas-Tec padding has proved to be a worthy impact absorber, and although we found some of the stitching uncomfortable when the pads were new, they’ve worn in nicely. The extra length of the main pad provides a good amount of upper shin coverage too.
This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.