EVOC is best known for making some of the most popular bike travel bags, hydration vests, and backpacks on the market. All the way back at Eurobike 2024, the brand introduced a small lineup of knee and elbow protectors to its growing product range. These new limb protectors complement the existing lineup of protection backpacks and vests. They also leverage EVOC’s Liteshield protector technology, but with a new version called Liteshield Flex. As the name suggests, this padding is meant to provide good impact protection while being breathable, lightweight, and flexible to adapt to the body while riding.
Evoc’s current lineup of arm and leg protectors includes one set of elbow pads and two models of knee pads. Both sets of knee guards offer Level 2 protection, but appear to be aimed at slightly different end-users. The LS Flex Enduro appears to be the burlier of the two knee protectors, featuring adjustable straps and “Direct Lash Loops” for an extra-secure and shift-free fit. The LS Flex Lite provides roughly the same padding and protection for the knee, but with a lighter, non-adjustable sleeve design.
I’ve been testing the EVOC LS Flex Lite knee pads for the past month or so. The fall weather has been serving up primo trail conditions, and I’ve been taking full advantage. I’ve been wearing them riding my non-electric and electric mountain bikes while racking up miles and vertical on everything from machine-built flow and hand-built skidders to good old-fashioned cross-country trails. Considering their Level 2 protection rating, I’ve been thoroughly impressed by their comfort and pedal-friendliness.
- MSRP: $100
- Protection level: Level 2 CE Certification (Type A)
- Pad type: Liteshield Flex
- Sleeve length: Moderately long
- Weight (pair): 395 grams (size M)
- Sizes: S – XL
Pros
- Lightweight for Level 2 protection
- Relatively low-profile
- Stable on the leg
- Pedal-friendly — no chafing
- Fair price
Cons
- Not the most breathable
- Pad is a little tough to remove/replace for cleaning
EVOC LS Flex Lite Details
Interestingly, details about EVOC’s limb protectors are sparse at best. The brand’s U.S. website essentially only provides information on price, available sizes, protection level, and color, and that’s about it. There’s virtually no mention of the materials used or even the Liteshield Flex pad. The information we have on the pads comes from the press materials we received back in April 2024, and fortunately, the international EVOC site has a few more details.
EVOC describes the LS Flex Lite as being “comfortable and lightweight, with lateral protection: our knee protector with Level 2 protection class boasts optimum ventilation, maximum safety, and great wearing comfort.” Providing the bulk of the protection for the LS Flex Lite knee pads is the namesake Liteshield Flex pad. This pad is made from a flexible thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compound, a fairly firm black rubber material with a complex pattern of raised crosses and circles, featuring numerous holes for ventilation. The pad is pre-curved to match the shape of the knee and upper shin, and it has cutouts to allow it to flex with your knee.
Adding to the protection are small pads bordering the main pad on both the lateral and medial sides of the knee. These pads are somewhat thin, but they are flexible and offer a bit more protection for the often-neglected yet still vulnerable areas of the knee joint.
The Liteshield Flex pad is topped with an “abrasion-resistant, tearproof fabric” for durability. The remainder of the front of the sleeve is made from a lighter, slightly stretchy, but still robust-feeling fabric. Behind the knee, two large, stretchy mesh panels are intended to promote breathability. The upper portion of the sleeve extends ~5 inches above the pad and up toward the mid-thigh. The 1.5-inch-wide elastic upper gripper features three strips of silicone to hold them in place on the thigh. At the bottom of the sleeve, a thinner elastic gripper has two silicone strips for grip around the upper calf.
In terms of total leg coverage, I’d call them moderately long. The upper portion of the sleeve stops just below the mid thigh, while the lower portion ends just below the pad around the upper part of the shin. The LS Flex knee guards are available in four sizes, ranging from S to XL. I couldn’t find a size chart on the EVOC website, but based on my experience, the sizing seems to align with that of other brands. The size medium LS Flex Lite fit me perfectly, matching the fit of the Fox Enduro Pro that I tested earlier this year. My size medium test pair weighs 395 grams on my scale — just 26 grams more than the lighter duty Fox pads.
Knee Pad Protection Levels
If you are unfamiliar with the protection levels in mountain bike pads, here’s a quick and dirty explanation. Level 1 pads are generally lighter, thinner, and more flexible, typically providing light to moderate protection and enhanced pedal friendliness. Level 2 pads are usually burlier, bulkier, and more robust, to provide greater protection and are aimed more toward gravity riding.
These protection levels are determined through impact testing, where the force transmitted through the pad, and to your knee underneath, separates Level 1 and Level 2. In terms of numbers, Level 1 pads must have a force transmission of less than 35 kN, while Level 2 pads reduce this threshold to 20 kN.
Within the different protection levels, there is considerable variance. While the EVOC LS Flex Lite pads are rated Level 2 for protection, they are less protective than some of the more robust options, such as the Endura MT500 Hard Shell, for example. That said, these EVOC pads feel much more substantial than the Level 1-rated Fox Enduro Pro. Given the fit, design, and thickness of the pad, the LS Flex Lite strikes me as falling roughly around the middle of those two extremes in terms of protection.
EVOC LS Flex Lite Performance
Earlier this year, I spent quite a bit of time wearing Fox’s latest Enduro Pro knee guards. Those got me into the habit of wearing knee pads for more of my rides because they were so comfortable and pedal-friendly that it almost felt silly not to. Given my renewed interest in protecting my knees, I was eager to try the new EVOC pads. I’ve found most of the EVOC products I’ve used to be well-designed and high quality, so I assumed the pads would be too. But I’ve heard almost nothing about them since their launch, so I’ve been curious to learn more.
As mentioned above, I got the LS Flex Lite pads in a size medium, and it was the perfect fit. I typically wear a size medium knee pad, but it was a bit of a guess without a size chart to go by — I have since learned that a size chart is available on the general evocsports.com site. Fortunately, the circumference of the sleeve, as well as the elastic grippers at both the top and bottom, is a good match for my leg dimensions. The pads are plenty snug around the knee joint without being too tight or causing any discomfort whatsoever.
The leg grippers squeeze my thigh and calf with just enough tension to keep them from slipping. The silicone strips and the elastic grippers themselves have been comfortable against the skin and have a nice level of tension that leaves just the slightest impression in the leg. The lower leg gripper appears to be doing the bulk of the work, as the upper gripper has slipped down on a few occasions; yet, the pads have remained perfectly in place regardless.
The stability of these pads has honestly been pretty remarkable. I’ve been doing fast-paced 20-mile XC rides and other days logging 5,000 vertical feet of climbing, and these things haven’t budged. I have seriously not needed to make a single mid-ride adjustment. And while there is some stitching around the back of the knee, it lies perfectly flat and is well-placed, and I’ve experienced absolutely no chafing or discomfort while pedaling.
The shape of the Liteshield Flex pad matches my knee’s shape fairly well, but it is slightly firmer and more noticeable than the softer, more flexible pad in the Fox Enduro Pro. And while this makes them slightly less comfortable overall than the Fox pads, they are definitely not uncomfortable. Again, I’ve been going for pretty long and pedal-heavy rides and have had zero issues.
In terms of protection, the Liteshield Flex pad is quite thick and dense, and it covers more of the knee than most lighter-duty Level 1 pads that I’m more accustomed to wearing. They don’t feel like full-on hard-shell DH pads, but my knees feel very well protected. I’ve taken some minor spills while testing, but nothing that has directly impacted my knees. For the sake of comparison, I’ve done a few side-by-side impact tests with the Fox Enduro Pro pads on the concrete floor in my garage, and the difference is very noticeable. I don’t have the equipment to quantify it, but the impact force feels significantly lessened in the EVOC pads, which is to be expected.
Wearing knee pads will always be hotter than not wearing them, and that is certainly true of the LS Flex Lite. While it seems that EVOC put some effort into making the pad itself breathable, that seems to be mostly negated by the tough, tear-resistant material covering it. The mesh panels on the back of the knee aid in ventilation, but these pads have felt pretty warm on my knees. The temperatures have been pretty cool lately, and my knees have been very sweaty. The same is true of other pads as well, so I can’t say definitively if the breathability is actually any better or worse.
Either way, they get very sweaty and will need to be washed. Thankfully, the Liteshield Flex pad is removable, and the fabric sleeve is machine washable. I found that due to the stiffness of the pad material and the size of the opening, the pads are a little annoying to remove and replace. It’s doable, but just a little more time-consuming than some other pads I’ve tried.
Comparatively, the Liteshield Flex pad is a bit thicker and larger than the pad in the Fox Enduro Pro knee guards, and that is reflected in the bulkier shape on the leg. While these pads are definitely lower-profile than many other Level 2 options, they aren’t quite as sleek or streamlined as most lighter-duty Level 1 pads. That said, I’ve mostly been wearing them with pants, and they have fit easily under models from Velocio, Race Face, 7Mesh, and Mons Royale. Shorts haven’t really been in play lately, but I’ve tried them on with several different pairs, and there are no fit issues as far as I can tell.
EVOC LS Flex Lite: My Takeaway
This may be EVOC’s first foray into knee protection, but I’ve been and continue to be pleasantly surprised by the excellent combination of comfort and protection they provide. The LS Flex Lite pads fit me very well, don’t shift at all while riding, and have given me zero comfort-related complaints. The Liteshield Flex pad is robust and offers Level 2 protection, yet I’ve found these pads to be as pedal-friendly as most less protective options.
In the past, I’ve felt like pedal-friendliness comes at the cost of protection, or vice versa, and I’ve generally had to choose one over the other. In my opinion, the EVOC LS Flex Lite pads demonstrate that the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. So, if you’re looking for knee pads that hit the middle ground and combine the best attributes of the lighter-duty Level 1 options and the burlier Level 2 models, the LS Flex Lite are worth serious consideration.
