Give your kids and youth padded protection. Bike pads help prevent injury, minimising the scrapes and bruises when they fall. This helps them to get back up and give it another go.
There are lots of ways to protect yourself when riding a bike. Gloves, a helmet and padding at your knees and elbows. Kids often feel more confident about their riding if you can protect both their knee joints and their elbow joints with Knee Pads and Elbow Pads…
Why use Knee or Elbow Pads?
What do they offer kids who are learning to ride, who are trying to learn new biking skills, or riding on technical trails?
Padding for protection when they fall. Padding will help minimise any injury. Pads prevent scraps and grazes, and help to reduce bruises for recreation riding or kids learning to ride. This type of protection for the skin and boney structures is more important the faster they go and when the tracks get more technical.
Padding to support & give confidence. Adding protection allows kids to give biking a go, to keep trying, learning or progressing on a bike. They can give your timid child the confidence to give things a go, to be a little more adventurous. For young riders on technical trails it allows them to relax and not be so concerned about falling.
Padding to know they are safe to try again. Falls that cause scraps and bruises may holt your child’s progression as they become concerned about their injury. They don’t want to give it another go or for some kids they can be put off biking completely. If they have padding when they fall they are much more likely to get up and get back onto their bike without too much fuss. For more advanced riders, using protection will mean no time off as they allow an injury to heal.
Learning new biking skills with some protection.
Type of protection – soft versus hard
One of the key differences in the design of protective padding is the choice of a soft or hard pad over the joint.
Soft Pads
Soft pad protection is made from foam. The foam provides cushioning and a barrier to the structures that lie underneath – knees and elbows. The density and depth of the foam will vary between brands.
Soft pads are more comfortable to wear and support more movement and agility than hard pads or shells. They will offer protection to soft tissues and skin from scratches, grazing and bruising. They will provide some protection to boney structures. A thicker more dense foam will offer greater protection to boney structures than a thin layer of foam.
Best suited to: recreation riding on smooth or graded surfaces – roads, bike paths, cycle trails, pump tracks, groomed beginner to intermediate mountain bike trails, scootering and skateboarding.
Offers best protection from: skin damage, grazing, sliding injury.
Hard Pads
Hard pad protection or inserts will be made from a compressed rubber or hard plastic shell. They are more rigid than soft pads so it can be difficult to move/pedal for too long in them. They are generally designed for the more risky part of a ride, the downhill sections, so most riders choose to carry them or wear the knee pads lower on the leg while climbing or cruising and pull them up for the downhill sections.
Hard pads offer a higher level of protection from connection with hard, sharp and protruding objects. They provide a much greater level of protection to boney structures than soft pads do. They have a greater price point due to the more complex design.
Best suited to: adventurous kids, regular mountain bike riding, riding at speed, riding downhill, technical trails.
Offers best protection from: impact injuries, splitting, deep cuts, bruising on or around the joints
Other Things to Consider
Fit: For kids who are growing having adjustable straps is a great idea so you can get longer use out of the pads you have brought. Adjustability also means you can get a great fit so the pads will be secure and held in place.
Ease of Use and Comfort: Consider how the pads get put on – slip on vs strapped on. Will this be easy for you and your kid? If the pad covers a lot of the leg or arm how easy will it be for them to move and how hot will they be? Most padding is made from some form of neoprene which can be very warm in summer.
What is the protective padding solution for you? Your success is different to others… use our stories and support, get the right solutions
Protective Padding
Enjoy all our stories on protecttve padding on one easy to navigate page
Kids Protective Padding Buying Guide
Read goRides Protective padding Buying guide so you can get the right knee and elbow pads for your child
Kids and Youth Pads - Soft versus Hard
Understand the purpose of protection. As well as what different features & materials used will offer.
Protective Padding Buying Guide
Read goRides Protective padding Buying guide so you can get the right knee and elbow pads for your child
Kids/Youth Protective Padding Sizing Guide
Use our sizing guide page to understand fit of Kids/Youth Knee and Elbow pads
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