Soft and comfortable, the Flow Knee Pads are a great option for lightweight protection on the trails.
I’ve been giving the IXS Flow Knee Pads a whirl over the summer months and I’ve been delighted with them!
Impressions were good from the get go. The pads have a clean, streamlined look and at around 300g, are very lightweight. Designed for trail and enduro riding, the pads are so comfortable and versatile they’d suit many kinds of adventure. In fact, I liked them so much that they’ve become my new favorites.
The pads are unisex and the medium pair that I tried fitted really well. My legs are approximately 43.5 cm around the thigh where the top of the pad sits, and 32cm round the bottom, and this does seem to match up more or less to IXS size guide. The shape is just right; the pads were a snug fit and didn’t dig into my legs at all. A variety of lightweight materials keep the weight down and keep your pins cool in the summer.
Lycra mesh around the back of the knee is very soft, allows plenty of ventilation and most importantly, doesn’t bunch up uncomfortably in the bend of the knee.
Though at first I was concerned that the pads might not stay in place, my fears were unfounded – the Velcro strap, silicon strip around the top, soft mesh back and ergonomic design were enough to keep the pads in position. For me that’s the single best thing about these pads- no uncomfortable straps digging in around the back of your knee.
The Velcro itself held up well over the summer and didn’t degrade and go fuzzy and useless. It’s also very stretchy and allows for plenty of movement.
‘Aeromesh’ around the sides of the pad feels soft and is light, moisture wicking, breathable and anti-bacterial. It seemed to dry fairly quickly and remain fresh compared to some of my other pads.
Protection comes from a ‘X-Matter’ slow rebound foam compound inside a tear resistant Kevlar cover. The ‘X-Matter’ feels a little like memory foam – it’s very bendy and soft so your movement isn’t restricted like with pads reinforced with plastic, but when it’s struck, it’s very tough.
These aren’t really DH pads – there isn’t any protection around the side of the knee and padding is on the slim side, but depending on what kind of riding you’ll be doing, this may not be a problem. I was riding a mixture of singletrack, enduro and bike parks and found these to be spot on.
VERDICT
If you’re looking for a comfortable, lightweight pair of pads that you won’t notice wearing then these could be the answer; they were for me! Perfect for singletrack and enduro riding, and just generally biking about.
PROS
– Lightweight
– Very comfortable
– Not Bulky
CONS
– None spring to mind
Price: £54.99
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
More information: IXS
Available from: Hotlines UK (2014 version now in stock), Life Cycles
Like the look of the knee pads and fancy checking out some more impact protection from IXS? If you need some protection for the hips, lower back and rump then have a look at our review of the IXS Skid Pants Evo-I impact shorts.
What IXS say about the Flow Knee Pads:
– FlowCountry, a Hans “NoWay” Rey development of a new trail riding style ideal for Trail and Enduro riding
– Super light weight and super compact design
– “X-Matter TM” – high impact absorption, energy absorbing, open cell, slow rebound foam compound
– 360° all around breathable “AeroMesh TM”, moisture wicking, anti bacterial – does not stink!^
– Tear resistant and stetchable Keflar knee cover
– “KneeGusset TM” integrated horse shoe formed pad to prevent from rolling and to spread impact force
– “LoopLock TM” – fasteners. maximum security and adjustability, decompression Silicone – non slip, no creep
– +/-300g (pair)
– EN1621-1
