Review: Nukeproof Critical Knee Pads

April 16th, 2012

It wasn’t so long ago that Knee protection was the sole premise of the downhill and big hit set, keeping their body’s intact and protected while risking life and limb in the pursuit of the perfect run. Fast forward to today and the boom in aggressive trail riding has brought us a plethora of light weight protection that’s equally at home smashing big jumps on the big bike as they are slaying trail centers on the little bike. This boom has made designers look long and hard at how joint protection fits and works on the body over prolonged periods of time where fit, comfort and protection bare equally on one another. Enter the Critical Knee guards from Nukeproof…

Words: Olly Forster

Photos: Olly Forster and Nathan Carvell

There’s no denying that they look like quite a few other pads out there? Then again trains, cars and aeroplane’s all look very similar too and that’s because good designs stick around. What separates these beauties from the competition is the fit and the price (plus they look pretty rad in the black on black scheme we tested – yes, there are colour options…)

Knee pads are certainly the one thing that can make or break a day’s ride. I know I can speak for many of us who have suffered the irritation of ill fitting knee pads rubbing away at our poor knees leaving them red and sore and if your miles from your transport home, it can be a miserable end to what should have been a great day.

The tried and trusted hard plastic shell under lycra combined with strategically placed softer mini pads makes for a solid performer when things get a little sketchy on the trail. Restrictive armour is just that, restrictive and in doing so affects how you ride and how you fall. Armour that maintains the body’s ability to move will undoubtedly help make your riding more fluid and natural, but also help you roll out of a fall.

With a total of 8 individual pads, the Critical Knee’s certainly provide a full spectrum of protection and more importantly, where it’s needed. They’ve also included a silicone gripper strip at both the top and bottom to stop unwanted slippage, but buying the right size from the off and using the straps correctly should keep these where they need to be. It’s also worth noting that these come up a little on the large side, but in all honesty, I found them perfect. A fluke maybe, but trying before you buy is always the way to go.

There will always be size differences between both manufacturers and indeed between individual models from the same manufacturer – this is down to the individual vendors manufacturing the products for the brand, but something to take into consideration when scratching your head wondering why things never have uniform sizing.

I don’t know what’s worse, rubbing on the knee itself or behind it in the crease; either way it sucks! Thankfully the designers at Nukeproof incorporated a cut out section at the rear and an internal cup at the front that supports and suspends the knee within the knee cup area.

You’ve got three choices on the logo colour. I went for the black on black scheme, but there’s factory yellow and a white option in there too so if your mates all start buying them, you can at least pick a different colour.

Velco straps top and bottom keep things where they should be and the perforated fabric helps keep the weight down and breath-ability high. These are quite long for knee only pads, but the length gives them a great fit and increases the level of protection. The extra length also adds to the pads ability to stay put: more material = more coverage.

Conclusion.

After nearly three months of using these every week end, and from DH to full on getting lost in the woods for hours, the Critical Knee’s have been there every step of the way and without any irritation to mention. I know we are talking about protection here and that I might be overdoing it on the comfort issue, but today’s pads are all of such a high standard when it comes to resisting impacts, that it really does come down to the ones which don’t rub.

I think it goes without saying that these were designed around DH riding first and foremost, and will possibly be OTT for many trail riders, but the fit and feel of these pads really offers them a high degree of versatility. The only downside I can see is that as summer approaches they might be a tad on the warm side due to their substantial size and coverage.

Construction wise, I’m pretty impressed. They’ve been machine washed at 30 after every ride and abused as much as possible without deliberately crashing my brains out in the name of product testing. I have managed to stretch one seam in the perforated outer section on one pad by repeatedly taking them on and off without un-doing the straps, but even so, they’ve held up incredibly well and show no signs of giving up any time soon.

So they’re comfy and thanks to a tried and trusted design coupled with a cool logo colour option, look pretty smart too, but the other thing that makes these pads stand out is the price; £45GBP. With some manufacturers producing similar products for twice the price, it makes you think? Are you really getting twice the product with twice the protection and fit? I very much doubt it.

All in all the Nukeproof Critical Knee’s have been nothing more than impressive, ticking all the right box’s. Great pads at a good price and my only criticism would be that they come up a little large compared to the competition, but in all fairness, this size indifference may also explain why they’ve been so comfy and a pleasure to use. Highly recommended and a product you need to acquaint yourself with. Happy trails!