The T-Bone knee guards from Troy Lee Designs are some of the most celebrated knee guards on the market and have earned a lot of praise since they first popped up in the TLD catalogue a good five years ago. So why are the T-Bones so good? Is it just because they’ve got ‘that’ all important logo or is it because a certain young Australian has championed them for years? The T-Bones are so good because they were designed from the ground up to exceed the demands of the rider. When you do that and do it properly you get a product that not only stands the test of time but also becomes a product many would consider a benchmark.

Still looking good after a year of abuse and countless trips through the washing machine.

Firstly, the most important feature of any piece of protective gear is the fit, even more important than the functionality of the products intended purpose. If the fit isn’t right and if the product fails to be comfortable, then it’s not going to be popular let alone make it into your kit bag. The T-Bone’s  have a breathable ‘air-prene’ construction which really helps stop the build up of heat and sweat inside your pads. Downhill, cross country, dirt jumping, it doesn’t matter, these pads are so comfy you won’t use anything else for anything else.

So are the T-Bones comfy? If and thats a big if, you get the right size, these are some of the most comfortable pads you’ll ever slip on. Getting the right size is crucial, I spent almost 4 years in the wrong size! When I went to the size above I had a revelation and I’m yet to take them off or consider any other pads out there. I originally had the Large and although I never thought they were tight when riding, I did notice they needed some persuasion coming off. A second pair came my way in XL and to be honest I did think “I’m no XL”, after all I’m only 5’10”, medium to stocky build, 32 and medium in my civvies and not a ‘Mr XL’ in anything, but these fit and what a joy they have been to wear ever since.

Getting the right size is crucial so try and find a dealer where you can try them on and don’t settle for the wrong size after a mail order booboo. Functionality wise, these are amazing, aside from the superb fit, I’ve come off my bike more times than I care to mention and I’ve never had any issues with my knees, or srangely my shins either. The T-Bones come down quite far and in doing they seem to help deflect on coming danger from your entire leg.

Getting the right size for any body armor is crucial for it to perform as it should and knee guards are no different. If you get the wrong size, especially in the larger direction, you could end up having pads moving in an impact rather than staying put and doing there job and there’s nothing worse than pads swinging by your ankles. This goes back to the comfort issue, try before you buy and you’ll be a happy camper!

The pads themselves consist of several smaller pads containing dense foam and the larger pad on the front contains a plastic insert with a central fold for excellent knee movement. The guards are held in place with by an upper and lower velcro tab and the whole thing sits on a large lycra sock and like I said, get the right size and you won’t know your wearing them.

If you ride XC a bit on the wild side, knee pads are essential and they’ve got to be comfortable too, especially if your favorite loop is a few hours in the saddle!

Another great thing about these pads is there profile on the knee and around your leg. Being extremely streamlined you can easily wear these under your jeans or race pants (trousers!) with no issues, at least in Troy Lee’s pants which are seemingly designed with these in mind and work perfectly together. These pads have accompanied me on many adventures both local and further affield, there great for aggro XC jaunts as they are for racing the clock. If you need one pair of knee guards and one pair for everything, I’d strongly recommend the T-Bones by Troy Lee Designs. For us these pads represent a benchmark in knee protection and with an RRP of £54.99 they’re bang on for value too.

Troy Lee Designs bicycle products are exclusively distributed in the UK by Fisher Outdoor and for everything TLD, tap the big logo below! Happy trails, Olly.

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