Dainese’s 2020 mountain bike apparel and protection range includes a very clever pair of knee guards.
Nothing robs confidence and stalls riding progression more than a nasty knee gash when you have pushed beyond the limit through a berm or over some roots or rocks.
Knee guards are a vital protection feature for riders who are going to busy themselves with black rated mountain bike trails. The issue is that most knee guards remain an uncomfortable compromise between form and function.
Dainese’s new Trail Skins Pro knee guards have been designed to provide excellent impact protection when you need it - and feel like you aren’t even wearing protectors most of your riding time.
A great knee guard must be comfortable enough to not constrain your pedal stroke. It should also have adequate ventilation properties. If both these qualities are present in the design, chances are you will be more likely to wear it on most rides, increasing its effectiveness when things do go awry.
Featuring a structure of Velcro and elastics to provide fit and adjustability, Dainese’s used sophisticated mapping of the knee shape and joint movement for its product evolution. These parameters have guided the industrial design team to fashion a knee guard which is secure in its fit, without being bothersome to wear.
Ventilation is excellent, with 55 per cent of the Trail Skins Pro knee guard’s surface being open to airflow. Best of all, this breathability has not come at a sacrifice to its core protection properties.
When these knee guards are called to duty, they work. With Dainese’s ribbed impact absorption structure, the Trail Skins Pro protectors have excellent impact dissipation properties. The primary structure can absorb 83 per cent of impact energy, which spills only 17 per cent of residual energy into lateral areas.
For riders who can’t deal with the restriction and annoyance of a hard shell knee guard, but want the confidence that a lower leg protector can offer, Dainese’s 2020 Trail Skins Pro’s look like a great option. Recommended retail is $84.99.
