AVISION GUARDIAN KNEE PAD REVIEW

Words & Photos by Travis Reill

Avision hails from the uplands and mountains of New Hampshire, where it is committed to creating high-quality protective gear for mountain biking. The Guardian Kneepad is Avision’s introduction to the mountain bike protective space, with quite a bit packed into their take on knee protection. For some time now, the Guardian Knee Pads have been covering my knees from trail rides and bike park laps. Here’s what I thought.

ABOUT THE AVISION GUARDIAN KNEE PAD

Avision broke onto the mountain bike scene with its Guardian Knee Pad. The Guardian keeps it simple, with a standard size range of small to X-large and one color offering — black. Avision may have kept it simple with some things, but they spiced up other areas, such as design. For the Guardian Knee Pad, Avision walked away from the knee sleeves that have become commonplace over the last several years, and went back to a buckle and clasp style pad.

Two layers of IMPAX molded foam are used in the construction of the Guardian. Both pads are fairly bendable, allowing for easy movement and articulation of your knee, and can be removed from their neoprene and Nomex material housing for washing. The shock-absorbing double layer of IMPAX foam gives a CE Certified Level-1 nod to the Guardian Knee Pads.

Similar to pretty much all knee pads, Avision’s Guardian Knee Pads use a silicon strip, which wraps around the top and bottom of the pad to help keep them in place. However, the silicon strip only does part of the job, as Avision has used Fidlock V-Buckles above and below the knee on each pad to facilitate easy closure and removal. To adjust how loose or tight the Guardians are on each leg, Avision partnered Velcro straps to the Fidlock buckles — one Velcro strap on the buckle above the knee, and two on the buckle at the calf.

Aside from the removable main IMPAX knee pad, smaller, non-removable pads surround the knee. These pads are also found on the side of the pads, most notably around the buckle areas, likely to help prevent pushing a buckle into your leg if you should crash. I found they were effective when I laid my bike over in a turn and put the side of my knee into the ground.

THE DIRT

There were applications where the Avision Guardian Knee Pads I had on test shined bright, and applications where they didn’t. Unfortunately, the everyday trail ride is a place where I would most likely be reaching for a different kneepad.

It is hard to beat the comfort of the sleeve-style knee pads. With the strap-style Avision Guardian Knee Pads, pedaling wasn’t the most comfortable activity. On longer rides, the straps going behind my legs were too close to the back of my knees. The pads seemed to fit well, but after a few miles of pedaling, the straps began to rub. The straps didn’t move — in fact, one of the things the Guardian pads did really well was stay in place — but there was no adjusting the straps to a different spot behind my leg. They fell where they fell, and unfortunately that was an uncomfortable spot when I pedaled.

That said, my leg is different than yours, so the straps may fall in a different spot on you. I’m 5’8” and can do a medium or a large in most pads. The medium Avision Guardians fit me well, and I wouldn’t have wanted to size up.

Where I thought the Avision Guardian Knee Pads shone was at bike parks — I would absolutely wear them for lift/shuttle park laps. I recently had them for touring four bike parks in Idaho, and thought they did great. No pedaling, no problem. The neoprene and Nomex material felt very comfortable against my skin and smelled like a wetsuit (neoprene) when they got sweaty.

I especially liked the use of the Fidlock V-Buckle. Putting on the Avision Guardians was super easy, and I especially enjoyed not having to take my shoes off to do so. I would leave the velcro straps loose, that way the Fidlock buckle could easily clasp closed. It literally does it on its own, in true Fidlock style. The silicone gripper held the pad in place while I used the velcro straps to adjust how tight I wanted them. When I was done riding, it was as easy as pulling my pants down (I had a chamois on, relax) and pulling the tab on the V-Buckle to release the pads.

Once they were on and tight, they didn’t move. This meant the pads would somewhat bunch together when I extended my knee straight, but I would rather have that than constantly adjusting the pads because it is shifting around. Plus, the Guardian pads were underneath my pants as I rode bike park, so it didn’t bother me much.

Since I only found myself wearing the Avision Guardian Knee Pads at the bike park, I would have liked to see Level-2 protection. Since these aren’t the pads I would use to pedal in, it would be cool to see these with a stiffer Level-2 pad insert. Bumping up to Level-2 protection may also take some of the sting out of the price. I love supporting a small business, especially mountain biking, but at $130, the Guardians are amongst the most expensive pads I’ve used.

The Wolf’s Last Word

The Avision Guardian Knee Pad served as an excellent bike park pad, but it’s worth considering if their Level 1 protection is adequate for your needs. They were easy to get on and off, stayed put, and they fit under my pants well. My pedaling experience in the Guardians was a bit uncomfortable, but who wants to pedal anyway?!

Price: $130
Website: Avisionmtb.com

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