Knee Pads
Browse BMX knee pads for sale from riders across the UK. The category covers slip-on sleeve pads with soft, rate-sensitive armour and heavier hard-cap pads that strap around the leg, in youth and adult sizes from roughly a 30cm to a 50cm thigh circumference. It is aimed at park and street riders learning tricks on concrete, and racers who want coverage that fits under trousers.
What is the difference between sleeve pads and hard-cap knee pads?
Sleeve pads pull on over the foot and hold a pad of soft armour such as D3O or SAS-TEC, which stays flexible while you pedal and stiffens on impact. They breathe well and disappear under trousers, but they slide across a concrete transition rather than skating over it. Hard-cap pads bolt a plastic shell over foam and take repeated hits on the same spot, which is what ramp riding does to a knee. Names that come up include Fox Launch, 661, TSG, G-Form, Leatt and POC.
Which knee pads suit street, park or race riding?
For street, a low-profile sleeve pad is the pad you will still be wearing at the end of a session, and one you can actually pedal to the spot in. For park and ramps, a hard cap earns its bulk because you land on the same point of the knee again and again and slide down the transition. Race riders often run a thin sleeve under long trousers, where the pad handles gate crashes and pedal strikes rather than sliding.
How should knee pads fit?
Measure the leg about 15cm above and 15cm below the centre of the kneecap: pads are sized on those two circumferences, not on trouser size. The cap should sit centred on the kneecap with your leg bent at the bottom of a pedal stroke, because a pad fitted standing up rides high once you are on the bike. Silicone grippers at the top and bottom of the sleeve do most of the work of keeping it there; straps over the top are for adjustment, not retention.
How do knee pads compare with elbow pads and body armour?
Knees take more hits than elbows on a bike because the bars and frame come up to meet them, and a pedal to the shin or knee is the most common contact injury in park riding. Elbow pads matter more once you are going over the bars. If you want both plus back and chest coverage in a single garment, a pressure suit from the body armour section covers more ground, though it runs hotter than separate pads and is harder to pedal in.
How long do knee pads last?
Impact foam compresses over time and takes a set at the point you keep landing on, so a pad that has flattened where the kneecap sits is done even if the fabric is intact. Sleeve elastic and the silicone gripper are the other consumables: once the sleeve stretches, the pad walks down the leg mid-run. Soft armours such as D3O recover after each hit, but the fabric carrier around them abrades on concrete.
How much should you spend on knee pads?
Cheap slip-on pads are enough for occasional riding on smooth park surfaces. Riding concrete weekly is where a hard cap and better sleeve fabric pay back, because that is what stops the pad rolling off in a slide. If your budget is fixed, spend on a helmet first and add pads afterwards, and browse the rest of the BMX kit to see where the gaps are.