With enduro racing taking the MTB world by storm, riders are pushing their limits more than ever on technical descents. With higher speeds comes a need for better protection, so Dainese has created the new Enduro Knee Guards.
Their “most advanced knee pad ever” features a hybrid construction; Two ABS plates are surrounded by Dainese’s Pro-Armor and Crash Absorb pads to ensure a high level of impact protection from all angles. Of course, Enduro racing includes a lot of pedaling so these pads were designed to allow for a full range of motion, not to mention breathability thanks to the clever Pro-Armor padding.
For the most severe crashes, the Enduro Knee Guards feature two ABS plates on the kneecap and the upper shinbone. It’s nice to see some protection for the shins, and the hard plates will help riders slide during high-speed crashes.
Behind the ABS plates is a wide layer of Dainese’s fractal-inspired Pro-Armour protection. This layer extends around the outside of the knee to offer protection to delicate areas of the knee and again, to promote sliding. As I’m just wrapping up a review of Dainese’s Trail Skins 2 knee pads, I can tell you the brand’s Pro-Armor padding is excellent. The heavily cut-out pad not only allows air to flow through its entire surface, it’s also very flexible, lightweight and still provides a lot of impact resistance.
While the Pro-Armor padding wraps around the outside of the knee, three of Dainese’s Crash Absorb pads are placed on the inside of the leg to reduce impacts from your frame or seat. Since pads need to be in the right place at the right time, Dainese carefully designed the Enduro Knee Guards to provide proper coverage regardless of whether your legs are bent, twisted or extended.
To ensure good mobility and keep the pads securely in position, Dainese built the Enduro knee guards with a pre-curved construction, and they’ve redesigned their elastic bands so they better match the shape of a rider’s leg. You’ll also notice they’ve placed large relief cuts on the outside (and smaller ones at the top) of the already flexible Pro-Armor padding to further improve the Enduro Knee Guard’s pedalling mobility.
While trying out the Trail Skins 2 knees I found Dainese’s Pro-Armor padding offers impressive ventilation, so despite the two ABS caps I’d bet the Enduro knees will feel fairly cool as well. Inside, they’ve sewn in an Airnet sleeve with a jersey hole mesh backing that creates a little space for air to flow and feels comfortable against your skin.
The Enduro knee guards will retail for $129.99 USD, in Black only. Details are posted on Dainese’s website, but the new knees won’t be available until October.
