I always ride in knee pads, and feel really exposed without them. For me, the best knee pads are light and flexible, so they don’t intrude on my ride. Until now, the best knee pad I’ve found in that regard is the Scott Mission Evo. It’s extremely light at just 125g a pair, so it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything. But the elasticated hems can fold over sometimes, and the padding doesn’t really do much on anything more than a tumble on smooth dirt. I have Rapha’s amazing Trail Knee Pad for alpine trips and bike park laps, and now my Scott Mission Evos have been replaced by Fox’s Enduro D30 Knee Pads for casual local rides. Here’s why…

The D30 pad is light and much more breathable than the old solid orange designs.

Design and specifications

There’s nothing revolutionary about the Fox Enduro D30 Knee Pads. No crazy materials or futuristic patterns. It uses a simple stretchy Lycra sleeve design that pulls on over the leg (take your shoes off first). The front panel is solid, while the back panel uses a nylon mesh to promote breathability and airflow.

Ventilated panels at the rear also aid cooling.

Under the abrasion resistant kneecap panel is the D30 pad, giving flexibility and freedom of movement in normal conditions, but hardening on impact. There are no perforations in the pad itself, but it is removable from the Lycra sleeve for washing. The D30 is pre-shaped to better fit over the knee, and I like the fact that Fox has cut slits in the circumference to allow it to bend more easily, as well as adding a non-slip layer to the outer face to stop it sliding around inside its pocket.

Unlike older D30 pads, this one feels more like high-density foam than rubber. The pad alone weighs 45g.

The silicone dimples are not intrusive but keep the pads perfectly stable.

To keep the pad in place, Fox has added an elasticated hem at the top, lined with little silicone dimples. These are flatter than the ones on the Scott Mission Evo pads, and the band is narrower, but the Fox Enduro pads stay absolutely locked in place. Fox says there are silicone grippers on the bottom hem, but I couldn’t find any.

Little orange D30 tags make it easy to see which pad goes on which leg (tags to the outside), but if that’s confusing, there’s also a big L and R printed inside the top of each leg.

Extended sections above the knee help reduce the chances of unsightly pad gaps appearing when wearing shorts, and in terms of fit, my medium samples were perfect for my twig legs. With two smaller size options, and three larger, no one should be left out in the cold.

The Fox Enduro D30 knee pads are a good length, with a nice bit of extra shin protection.

Performance

Although there’s a slight weight penalty with the Fox Enduro pads over the Scott Mission Evo, I can’t say I noticed it while riding. They are still extremely light at just 200g a pair, so I completely forgot I was wearing them once I’d started riding.

Extended Lycra sleeves reduce the chance of a pad gap developing.

But what I did notice is that they don’t move. Not even a micron. Even on a full day’s pedalling, they finished the ride in exactly the same position as the start when I came to take them off. And I didn’t suffer any blotchy skin, pressure points, or abrasion from any part of the sleeve or the silicone grippers. Which is something that I have noticed occasionally with the Scott pads.

They’re breathable enough to wear in summer, even under pants, and the protection is much better than the Scott pads, with a proper knee pad and a little extra coverage over the shin.