661 Evo Pads

[bagtagley]

I can get a decent deal on the knee pads, so I'm considering them for trail rides and such. Anybody got some good ride/crash time on them? Particle, you have these, right? They end up falling apart completely?

I'd rather not get the Kyle Straits. Mr. AG and TuaDog wear them and those guys are dorks.

[skiergirl]

I was just looking at those... Any comparison on sizing to fox launch or race face/roach pads?

[LaBelle23]

I wear the kyle straits and had to go to a medium even though I wear a small on the race face pads. The size seems more dependant on the size of your leg above the knee.

I have fairly big quads for a girl though.

[ridevt]

I run em for trail and some light DH. Good durability, no slipping, crash protection is adequate but don't mistake them for the protection u get from hard plastic. Great pads as long as you don't have the preconception that they'll protect you as well as any plastic pad.

[Buzzworthy]

JongBuzz here to append onto Bags question.

So for a newb getting back on a bike after a long time, 5" bike, XC and lift assisted DH at Soli if you can call it that, what kind of shin/knee pads would be good?

Bag knows me, never seen me ride, but I am no Bags on a bike, that is for damn sure. Me slow, don't jump much yet, but want to get riding in Moabish stuff and want shin/knee pads that will help keep my skin on. Me fall over easy with these new clipless pedals.

[Particle]

I run em for trail and some light DH. Good durability, no slipping, crash protection is adequate but don't mistake them for the protection u get from hard plastic. Great pads as long as you don't have the preconception that they'll protect you as well as any plastic pad.

What he said. SUPER comfortable, great for trail riding and no-nonsense protection. They are not hard pads though. They've taken some heavy hits though and while the crash hurt, I haven't been too abused. The knee pads stay in place pretty well for me. Elbows have slipped before. As far as durability, I had some threads pull out with the first crash and I thought they'd be goners, but they've lasted a year without problems since then. Pretty much my go-to everyday pad now.

[Arty50]

I'd rather not get the Kyle Straits. Mr. AG and TuaDog wear them and those guys are dorks.

I don't know why I found this so funny, but I almost choked on my sandwich when I read this. Well played.

Keep in mind this is like 10th hand information, but from what I was able to gather on the intertubes they're good but not great. For trail riding, I'd imagine they'll be fine; but not so great for fr/dh. Edit: what particle said.

[TuaDog]

I'd rather not get the Kyle Straits. Mr. AG and TuaDog wear them and those guys are dorks.

Mr. AG wears his with spandex while riding his roadie now, so at least I'm not that bad.

I was never a huge fan of my Kyle Straits. They started tearing at the seems in the rear and the plastic knee cup seemed too soft. My favorite pair before that was the 661 tomcat. While a little bulkier than the Straits, they offered much better protection.

I've since moved onto the O'neal Dirt Guards and these things are the shit. They offer way better protection and coverage than the Straits and are just as comofortable and slim. I highly recommend them. Even at full retail they're probably cheaper than the deal you can get on Evo's. http://www.oneal.com/catalog/product...roducts_id=545

[PeachesN'Cream]

I clicked on the link and all I see is the clearance graphic in the upper right hand...

FWIW the Troy Lee Designs T-Bones are pretty solid too and come in sizes up to XXL chinstrap if you have tree trunk legs.

[TuaDog]

I clicked on the link and all I see is the clearance graphic in the upper right hand...

It works for me. Try this one

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/19018-536_AZODK8-43-Brands-327-Oneal/O'neal-Dirt-Knee-Guard.htm

[bagtagley]

I've since moved onto the O'neal Dirt Guards and these things are the shit. They offer way better protection and coverage than the Straits and are just as comofortable and slim. I highly recommend them. Even at full retail they're probably cheaper than the deal you can get on Evo's. http://www.oneal.com/catalog/product...roducts_id=545

That's all you run when you're doing riptastic type riding, though. Would you wear them on a trail ride?

[TuaDog]

That's all you run when you're doing riptastic type riding, though. Would you wear them on a trail ride?

I have worn them on a trail ride and they were orgasmic.

Seriously though, are the Evo's going to be that much comfier than the Straits or O'Neals cause they have some high tech knee cup? What makes a knee pad trail worthy in my opinion is the back of the sleeve cause that's where the most movement is. I'm willing to bet in that regard that the Evo's are no different than the Strait's.

Does anybody who's had both care to comment?

[bagtagley]

I have worn them on a trail ride and they were orgasmic.

Seriously though, are the Evo's going to be that much comfier than the Straits or O'Neals cause they have some high tech knee cup? What makes a knee pad trail worthy in my opinion is the back of the sleeve cause that's where the most movement is. I'm willing to bet in that regard that the Evo's are no different than the Strait's.

Does anybody who's had both care to comment?

I'm not so concerned about the cup as the perceived lightness. On looks alone, the Evo just looks lighter and more breathable. I mostly just want to look cool while riding uphill and walking downhill.

The O'neals are damn near cheap enough to just say fuck it and trust you, though.

[Mr. Altagirl]

I've never had the Kyle Straits, I got the EVO's as soon as they came out for trail riding or whenever I didn't want full dh pads; love them. They stay in place, very comfortable and offer good protection. You don't want them though as only guys like Tua and I ride them, you wouldn't be able to keep up; you'll just look like a poser.

And Tua is right, the Strait and EVOs are very similar in design, just different material in the EVO. I tried both and liked the EVO's material better. The most important fact for me was that they stay in place while riding without chaffing the crap out of my leg and yet still stay in place during an "incident", which these do very well. Bag should get the one that is most durable though as he is on his knee's a lot.