TSG Dermis A knee pads £59.99

As their skin-derived name suggests, the Dermis ‘knee sleeves’ don’t offer a deep cushion of padding. The protection they do offer is positioned well to cover the knee cap, though. This takes the form of an impact-hardening foam layer, which, while not pre-shaped, is flexible enough to bend comfortably. When your leg is fully flexed, the sides of the pad fold out a bit and can rub on your bike’s top tube, but this is only a minor niggle. A Lycra sleeve secures each pad to your leg. This has ‘Powerbands’ (polyurethane strips) to limit stretch in certain areas and silicone gripper around the top. We had no issues with slippage, but the lack of straps means it’s critical to get the right size. What the pads lack in protection, they make up for with their lack of bulk and minimal weight (232g, M/L). They’re easy to stuff in a pack, but so comfy that you may as well leave them on. Ed www.ison-distribution.com