There’s little doubt that if you are hitting gnarly terrain, riding on your trail bike or doing anything other than a cross country jaunt, knee pads are always a requirement. Most of us will don them on every ride especially if we are dragging out a long travel trail bike. We took a look at Aussie brand Sendy’s knee pad offering and put it to the test for two months in the Queensland sun, here’s our two cents worth….
By Mike Branch
Product: Sendy Saver MTB Knee pad (kids and adult sizes available)
RRP: $74.95 AUD (Kids sizes) $79.95 AUD (Adults Sizes)
Available at: www.sendygear.com, MTB Direct, Pushys and all good bike stores
Sendy are a mountain bike gear brand that has been born out of the passion for mountain biking and a need for kid-focused gear. With a big gap in the market, Sendy have aimed themselves squarely at the family market and specialize in youth and child sized gear; with a range of gear available to adults as well. Hailing from the Snowy Mountains in NSW, the brand has tested and developed their products in some of the best riding conditions in Australia. We tested their adult sized knee pads which are the same as the kids range and have penned our thoughts on their all round offering.
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The Nitty Gritty
These pads are light weight and a slip on design with silicone upper cuff lining, lower leg strap and made from a mix of cotton and other synthetic materials. They are stretchy to assist with the fit and Kevlar coated for increased protection. Designed for XC and Enduro riding these pads come in sizes to fit children from age 5, through to adults.
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Test Results
With over 2 months of testing on these knee pads in a variety of conditions and in some warm and wet environments, we have to say that they are a super comfortable set of knee pads. The soft and stretchy fit slides on well and feels comfortable on the trail, making pedaling up hill and on flatter terrain not an issue. The lower strap is a great inclusion as it seems to keep the knee pads up properly, unlike other slip on knee pads we have tried in the past.
The vast majority of the testing was on regular all mountain or enduro style trail riding and the knee pads held up to the punishment of over 200km of riding a month. The pads still look and feel good and the form hasn’t changed, with no stretching or loose fit issues. It was a little different switching them out for the other branded set of pads we had been using as all of a sudden they felt lighter, there was more movement and the comfort factor was raised considerably.
These aren’t the burliest pads to tackle the biggest features that Red Bull Rampage can throw at you, but they are the set of pads that you feel comfortable wearing all the time. One of the biggest draw backs to wearing pads is the lack of movement, reduced flexibility and increased resistance on your knees. The best way to get us all wearing knee pads all the time is to make them super comfy and that’s what the crew at Sendy Gear have done here.
The Final Word
We took our fair share of spills in these pads and they did their job protecting us from any injury and keeping us ripping up the trails. They’re light weight and suitable for every day use meaning that our kids can wear them everyday, with no excuse. In fact we are so impressed with the Sendy Saver Knee Pads, that we will be wearing these ones for a while. The team at Sendy have brought us a great set of knee pads at a super affordable price and one we would certainly recommend.
