YT INDUSTRIES TRAIL KNEE PADS REVIEW

ULTRA LIGHT KNEE PADS

Words and Photos by Travis Reill

To accompany their lineup of mountain bikes, YT Industries has been adding a line of apparel and protection at similarly impressive price points. The YT Trail Knee Pads are one example of this, providing a healthy dose of performance at a competitive price.

QUICK SPECS

• Lightweight, stretchy, breathable fabric
• 4 sizes: S–XL
• Removable D3O® Ghost™ pad with CE Level 1 Certification
• Non-slip silicone cuffs

WE DIG

WE DON’T

ABOUT THE YT INDUSTRIES TRAIL KNEE PADS

With the Trail Knee Pads, YT Industries wanted to deliver quality knee protection in a pad you’ll happily wear all day. The result is a nylon, polyester, and elastane material mashup with their knee sleeve covering a good portion of the leg, from mid-thigh to just below your calf muscle. Silicone grippers around the top and bottom cuffs hold the knee sleeve in place, and an additional strap around the calf secures the bottom of the sleeve. The pads are lightweight and breathable, with mesh running the length of the back of the pad and a more robust abrasion-resistant material covering where the pad will most likely contact the earth.

YT’s Trail Knee Pads feature the new D3O® Ghost™ pad. D3O says that Ghost “is the thinnest and most flexible limb protector range from D3O, exceeding CE Level 1 certification.” And while it may exceed a Level 1 certification, it doesn’t jump higher. Thin and flexible, it is absolutely an accurate representation of D3O’s Ghost pad. Although the pad lays flat, a geometric triangular pattern allows it to bend and conform to the curvature of your leg and knee. It can also be removed relatively easily, and the sleeve can be thrown in the wash to keep the stink down. For the D3O pad itself, they recommend cleaning it by wiping it down with a damp cloth.

The knee pads only come in black, with very subtle black YT branding. The S–XL size range is intended to be unisex, perhaps part of why I was comfortably wearing a size medium. Retail pricing is a competitive $59.99.

THE DIRT

There are certain brands of knee pads that I couldn’t get a size medium over my calf. Despite spending my testing time in a size medium for the YT Trail Knee Pads, they worked fine with the material stretching well. I had no problem fitting them in place on my leg, above and below my knee, with the silicone cuffs and elastic strap around the calf helping lock the pads in place. While the sleeve was tight, it never felt like it was compressing my leg. In fact, after putting the Trail Knee Pad on, it felt like it nearly disappeared, and, for the most part, I didn’t notice it was there.

“All-day comfort” can be a very gimmicky catchphrase, but I’d say it can safely be applied to YT’s Trail Knee Pad. I’m not someone who wears pads around their ankles during the climbs. If I’m going to wear knee pads, they need to be comfortable enough for me to spend the entirety of a ride in them, and the YT’s tick that box. Part of that comfort comes from the breathable material of the Trail Pads. I caught a handful of warm spring days riding in them, and never felt uncomfortable or overheated.

It is insignificant as far as performance goes, but I also liked the overall look of these knee pads. It was nice to wear something that didn’t have a giant logo across it, drawing attention to my knees, of all places. The subtle black-on-black YT branding was clean and could only be noticed from close-up, leaving a nice overall aesthetic.

While I didn’t spend too much time with my knees in the dirt, I like the mental edge wearing a technology like D3O gives you. Just watch those videos of D3O employees covering their hands with the raw material and smacking it with a hammer. The D3O Ghost pad in the Trail Knee Pads is incredibly flexible and moved with me well, but it still had a flat overall profile. This resulted in some bunching when bending my knee—not as much as other pads, but certainly more than pads that are contoured to fit around your knee. This is my only gripe with these pads, and I’d still happily recommend a friend to part with their $60 for them regardless.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Unless I’m testing other knee pads, you will find me wearing the new offerings by YT Industries on my mellower rides this summer. With high levels of comfort and some reassuring yet “barely there” protection, YT has knocked it out the park with these relatively affordable pads.

Price: $59.99
Website: YT-Industries.com