All of the latest Dainese Trail Skins pads are available now, direct from Dainese or through their international dealer network. Our personal suggestion is to find a shop where you can try them on, as a close and secure fit seems critical to get the most out of their comfort and flexibility while riding. Ok, thanks all. I think I do appreciate the sliding quality that the hardshell pads provide but good to know these do not rip apart. The neoprene of my iXS Dagger pads is starting to rip in places and even though it is no urgent reason to replace them, I'm already looking ahead at what to get next should they suddenly rip. Enduro-mtb.com/en did a big kneepad test a while ago (hardshell and softshell tests separately) and even though it seems the softer stuff is good, I still don't quite trust it. You only know when you go down, after all. The typical car-park test doesn't tell the full story. I recently got a Kali helmet and the people at Kali are really responsive and eager to discuss what's best and what's not. So I might need to drop them a line and hear their thoughts. The Trail Skins Air elbow guard is also constructed around the Pro-Shape 2.0 protector and shares the features of the knee guard. The elbow guard remains stable, even during intense activity, thanks to a very long transparent sleeve that extends to the bicep and a practical elastic at forearm height. XS - XL, €59,95 The structure of the Pro-Shape 2.0 protector allows for maximum flexibility and adaptability whatever the elbow position, tracing its movements throughout all phases of activity. It absorbs 83% of the force of an impact, rather than transmitting this to the elbow. 55% of its surface area is completely open, ensuring ventilation and greater heat exchange during both the uphill and downhill phase. An ideal feature for riders who plan to take on long rides, even on the hottest of days. I’d recommend trying the Trail Skins Pro before you buy them rather than just relying on Dainese’s size chart.

Combined with the use of highly breathable fabric, the structure, open across 55% of the area of coverage, ensures lightness and greater ventilation during every stage of the ride, even on the hottest of days. They feature similar mesh sleeve construction, but use the thinner but less vented Pro-Shape 2.0 pad ( at right above) which is foldable. photo by Luigi Sestili BCA Self-preservation makes crash testing knee pads particularly difficult and whether or not a tester crashes in them is a roll of the dice rather than a scientifically controlled procedure. The ventilated front sections worked well at keeping air flowing across my knees and proved to be significantly cooler than knee pads with solid front protection panels. This was most noticeable on cooler days when it was possible to feel the cold air.For now the Lite line only includes the 60€ Trail Skins Lite Knee Guards, that take an even more simplified approach. Dainese Trail Skins Lite Knee Guards Each of the molded viscoelastic pads designed to move with your joints – knees, elbows & shoulders – use the same ‘Auxagon’ tech pads like we saw in the debut of the Trail Skins family last year at Crankworx. Thin and open on the outside, they are able to flex in multiple directions with your body… The Trail Skins Lite line is designed to minimize bulk and ensure lightness as well as the utmost portability. Ideal for riders who always want a protector with no tangible weight. It is suitable for all types of riding activity. The flexible main padding that Dainese calls PRO SHAPE 2.0 is made of more holes than solids, allowing a massive amount of air through for warm rides. The pad conforms to the shape of your knee, to achieve the brand’s pedal-ready objective. I have yet to crash in these pads, but the protective material feels like it will sufficiently protect my tendons and bones once I do.

The Trail Skins Lite knee guard is constructed around the Pro-Shape 2.0 protector, in a compound version that is even softer so that it can be folded in on itself, taking up minimal space. The structure of the Pro-Shape 2.0 protector allows for maximum flexibility and adaptability whatever the knee position, tracing its movements throughout all phases of activity. It absorbs 83% of the force of an impact, rather than transmitting this to the knee. 55% of its surface area is completely open, ensuring ventilation and greater heat exchange during both the uphill and downhill phase. An ideal feature for riders who plan to take on long rides, even on the hottest of days. This inverts the hooked section so a part of it points outwards and snags onto the inside of riding trousers, shorts and bibs. The Trail Skins Air knee guard is constructed around the Pro-Shape 2.0 protector, inspired by the geometry of auxetic materials present in nature that, following an impact or stress, expand in all directions simultaneously, increasing the area of coverage. Dainese is dedicated to producing the most effective safety solutions in every arena where athletes continually push the human body and mind to surpass their prior achievements. From our motorcycle racing origins to alpine skiing, mountain biking, competitive sailing and outer space’Their tighter-fitting style feels different from bulkier knee pads such as G-Form’s Pro Rugged Knee Guards and they are significantly more flexible than pads such as the Alpinestars Paragon, which means they can get away with being a little more snug. The family of Dainese Trail Skins protectors represents the perfect balance between rideability and protection, allowing the rider to take on any discipline with maximum freedom of movement and in accordance with the highest international safety standards. The ideal choice for riders who plan to take on long uphill and downhill sections when out riding. Now, a similarly constructed 75€ pair of Trail Skins Pro Elbow Guards offers the exact same protection tech for your arms. Pro-Shape 2.0 is inspired by the geometry of auxetic materials present in nature that, following an impact or stress, expand in all directions simultaneously, increasing the area of coverage. That is, for their way of testing. I'm not sure whether that's the complete story for me as it doesn't cover two (perceived) advantages that hard shell gives you. That is, they distribute that residual force over a larger area and the slide better (which for me is a good deal of what I want protection for). I think my pads take loads of crashes and replacement after 4 or 5 crashes, that could in some cases imply a single ride so that isn't feasible. Yet most of these crashes aren't big, mostly sliding out sessioning corners. Trying to hit them faster and faster up til failure.

The 70€ Trail Skins Air Knee Guards share the same Pro-Shape 2.0 knee pad & side skid plate, but feature a simplified fit. Held in place with a simple extended sleeve design – essentially a long lightweight mesh knee warmer, elastic grippers at the top and bottom hold the knee guards in place, likely reaching up under the grippers from a pair of padded cycling shorts. The Trail Skins Air elbow guard is constructed around the Pro-Shape 2.0 protector, inspired by the geometry of auxetic materials present in nature that, following an impact or stress, expand in all directions simultaneously, increasing the area of coverage. mollow: Yeah, lbs vs online is a bit of a compromise either way. Online gets you more options, the lbs allow you to fit what they have available. Knee protection has progressed significantly since the days when I borrowed my sister’s Bike brand volleyball pads to ride down logging roads. The marshmallow-shaped pillows didn’t stay in place whether crashing or pedaling, making them more of a nuisance than they were worth. The new Trail Skins Pro Kneepads from Dainese have more tech woven in than my mountain bike did twenty-some years ago, and the innovations are focused on more than just protection.The knee pads are all available in sizes XS-XL. I was able to fit into sizes S, M & L, generally getting the sense that dropping down one size (from Dainese fit charts) gave me the best overall comfort, although sizing down two time resulted in pads that stayed even better in place. I rode first with the Pro version ( above) but never was super happy with my fit. Sizing down to S kept them from moving at all. But I never really liked the short velcro straps that had to be adjusted behind my leg where I couldn’t see them, preferring the more simple fit of the Air or Lite pads. To get them positioned correctly, I felt like I needed to wear them a little higher than I was expecting, but doing so didn’t appear to impact their stability. I adjusted the Velcro straps to their tightest setting to enhance the secure fit further, too.