My review of the Knox Gross Guard Knee Guards after nearly three years with the same pair. They have held up pretty well to the use and abuse I've given them. I have not crash tested them - sorry, I am just not willing to take it that far for a review.
I use this armor primarily when I want to wear jeans while riding. Because they strap directly to your body, they are much better than the armor in mesh and textile pants, so I have also on ocassion removed the armor in my riding pants and used the Knox Cross Guard armor instead. They are great for commuting, as I can wear jeans with the armor and just remove the armor once I get to work without having to carry a change of clothes. While I still do recommend wearing proper riding pants or leathers instead of jeans, I realize that sometimes it's not practical, or we just don't want to. For those times, this type of armor reduces the amount of risk you are taking.
They come in two sizes, long and short. If you wear race boots while riding, the long armor should tuck down into the top of your boots. They act as shin guards as well, and with race boots the front of your legs are protected from just above the knees all the way to your toes. The short armor is really just knee armor, and is great for shorter people. When I bought my pair of long knee guards, I also got a short pair to try out, and found the longer pair to be better for me. The short pair was perfect for a friend who is several inches shorter than me.
This armor is surprisingly comfortable. The thick, cushioned fabric backing extends out beyond the actual armor, making it feel like there is only padding attached to your legs. The straps are somewhat thick and very stretchy. For short rides of two to four hours, there is no issue with the straps rubbing your skin. But for longer rides, six to eight hours I have experienced mild irritation on the back of my knees from the middle strap. This is easily resolved by wearing underarmor.
The only signs of visible wear on the armor in nearly three years is a bit of stitching coming undone, and normal wear to the velcro. But these things haven't affected the performance of the armor at all. I could most likely have the stitching repaired, and if it gets any worse I probably will, but it's not that bad yet.
Overall I extremely pleased with them, and they remain at the top of my list of indispensable gear. They are easy to carry and store in the very nice tote bag that was provided.
Knox Cross Guard Knee Guards can be purchased from
Sportbiketrackgear.com
Armor in tote bag
Lined with thick padding
Padding spread out to show coverage
Length of straps (not stretched)
Length of long guards
Width of guards at the knee, there is some room to stretch and conform
Long armor fits into the top of race boots
Stitches coming loose - this began after about a year and a half of use
Being worn
The back of guards while worn
And this is what they look like under my jeans (me on the left). Guys obviously would be wearing much less form fitting jeans, so they would be less noticeable.
