Best 5 MTB Knee Pads for 2023: Our Top Picks Reviewed and Rated 

These MTB bike pads are made of durable PE and PP materials to provide toughness. They also feature breathable polyester sleeves to allow an extra measure of comfort, even as it protects.

The bike pad's adjustable straps also offer plenty of room for flexibility. This is an important factor to consider depending on the type of ride you’re planning to enjoy. 

The adjustability also makes them a true "one size fits all" option. This is especially important if these are being bought for a teenage cyclist that hasn't stopped growing quite yet.

The bike pads’ neutral color scheme will also make it easy to match with any other gear you have. This includes helmets, jerseys, and padded bike shorts. 

What’s more, these pads are versatile in the sense that their effectiveness isn’t just limited to cycling. If you also enjoy rollerblading, skateboarding, or other “extreme” sports, these pads can easily be used for those pursuits, too.

The MTB knee and elbow pad’s perforated Hypoallergenic Ariaprene Neoprene chassis provides comfortable, durable knee protection that can withstand all sorts of punishment – both from the rigors of cycling and the elements that you may encounter during a ride.

The pads are ergonomically CE certified and are designed with D30 insert to protect the knee during the full range of pedaling motion. More importantly, they are shaped to help keep your knee stabilized as you cycle, further protecting you from the scourge of injury.

The combination of elastic strapping on the top and bottom of the pad and the silicone gripper behind the knee keeps it firmly in place.

The MTB knee bike pads are built with a fabric that is moisture-wicking and keeps your legs cool and dry in every weather condition.

While these MTB knee pads don’t feature “one-size-fits-all” adjustability, they do make a set of knee pads for children. This is good news for families that enjoy the occasional outing down mountain trails.

The knee pad/shin guard hybrid is also ergonomically designed. This means that the guard will keep your entire lower leg stable, regardless of how rough the terrain of your road may be. Coupled with the material’s breathability, you won’t feel like your leg is engulfed in fabric.

The sleeve will remain locked in place with relative ease, as well. Elastic strapping at the sleeve’s top and bottom will keep the pad in place, as will the silicone gripper that’s located behind the knee.

Before you go out and buy a pair, you must familiarize yourself with Fox’s size chart. Some people have reported inconsistencies with the equipment’s size about their size. If you don’t get to know the size chart, you may run into similar problems.

The bike pad’s mix of polyester, polyurethane, and spandex combine with a breathable stretch mesh knee sock, collectively creating a fit that’s close, yet extremely comfortable.

It also features a pre-shaped ergonomic design that helps keep your knee stable regardless of the level of cycling you perform. This helps protect your knee from going a bit wonky should you hit a rough spot on the road.

The pad is built to slip on your knee, which makes putting the device on more efficient. At the same time, elasticated cuffs and silicone printing provide reinforced stabilization once the pad is set in place.

You won’t have to worry about this pad slipping off your knee at all. Some people have noted that the Alpinestars size guide is just a little bit off.

The consensus is if you find your knee to be in between two sizes, your best bet is to opt for the smaller size for a more agreeable fit.

The two shell types have some shared features that work toward the same goal of protection. Both pads have some sort of soft, flexible sleeve and padding to protect the knee and the area surrounding the joint. These are where the similarities end.

As the name suggests, a hard-shell mountain bike knee pad will be encased in a hard, plastic shell. The shell itself is either riveted or Velcro-ed on to the front of the knee. The shell provides a greater level of protection, and it particularly enhances protection from rocks, trees, and other such foreign objects.

The soft-shell knee pad is small and lighter, making it more comfortable than your typical knee pad. While it doesn’t provide the level of protection that’s afforded by a hard-shell pad, it will have an abrasion-resistant panel for protective purposes.

It should be noted that soft pads aren’t as durable as hard pads.There is a third option available to cyclists; one made from advanced protective materials like VPD or d30. 

This advanced pad is a hybrid between the soft and hard pads. These materials start off as soft and pliable, yet instantly stiffen during an impact. While they’re hard to get now, this may not be the case in a few years.

You also need to consider the type of closure offered by the knee pads. Again, you have two widespread options to consider:

Butterfly closures wrap around the knee and are fastened behind the knee. This makes it possible to put them on or take them off without removing your shoes. You’ll typically see this design corresponding with hard shell pads.

Slip-on pads do indeed slip on – they slide up the leg up to your knee. These are typically associated with soft shell knee pads. They tend to be more affordable mountain bike knee pads compared to their butterfly cousins, which may make them the best option for the budget-conscious.

The design of a knee pad is perhaps the biggest factor to determine because its usage is somewhat predicated on the kind of cycling you plan to enjoy.

The three types of design are:

Lightweight pads are obviously light, but they also tend to be well-ventilated and comfortable. The weight of these pads is designed to allow cyclists to nearly forget their wearing protection. 

While these provide the utmost in comfort, their downside is that they aren’t optimal when it comes to protection.

Trail knee pads have come a long way in the last few years. While they aren’t anywhere near as svelte as a lightweight pad, they aren’t as big and bulky as they used to be. As such, these knee pads have become more popular with MTB trail riders of late. These pads provide solid protection against the hazards of mountain biking

Heavy duty knee pads are big and bulky, so they’re not pretty to look at.

But what they lack in aesthetics they more than make up for in protection. These are still used by racers and those that attack their mountain biking with great vigor. If you’re new to them, be forewarned: they take a while to get used to.

Why Should You Choose Your Knee Pads Carefully?

The main point of getting knee pads is to protect your knee from getting injured as best as possible. However, this does not mean you should solely use protection as your knee-pad buying metric.

The big factor here is comfort.

Your knees act like pistons on a bike, and they’re going to be in a heavy state of stress. Adding extra poundage to your knees may cause a measure of discomfort you may not want to deal with. In turn, this may make you a bit reluctant to hop on the bike and go.

Once you know the size you’re targeting, you’ll next want to determine the material of the pad. There is an abundance of options at your disposal here, including:

Each material has their own benefits that should be considered before making a concrete judgment. For examples, neoprene's rubber-like qualities make them resistant to water and provide greater flexibility.

Plastic, on the other hand, tends to possess better absorption properties during contact. Determining your purpose and style of cycling will go a long way in helping you to determine what material is better suited for you.

As such, you should figure out the impetus of your cycling routine before you reach this step.

Conclusion

Protecting your knees deserves to be a high priority. Failure to do so can cause significant pain, but it can also threaten to mess with your head.

It should be noted that buying a set of knee pads does not guarantee that you won’t get hurt. Accidents do happen, and sometimes even the best equipment can only do so much.

Still, investing in a high-quality knee pad will help mitigate the potential for catastrophe in a significant manner. This alone should be enough to inspire a purchase.