Reviewed: 6 of the Best Lightweight Elbow Pads for 2024
By Henry Quinney for Pinkbike
Link to Original Article
I'm Fed Up With Crusty Elbows
If you've gone mountain biking recently, you might have noticed riding past a litany of things you don't want to drag your skin along or smash your body into. For years I've just ridden in a t-shirt, knee pads and then changed between an open or full face helmet depending on whether I was riding something uplifted or not. Even then, more often than not unless I was on a downhill bike I wouldn't bother with a full face helmet.
I don't know whether it's from getting older but I've made a conscious effort to wear more body protection and pads in recent years. It started with getting some larger knee pads that weren't a thin slice of foam in a sleeve, and then I started trying to wear thicker gloves, downhill-rated helmets, chest-protection and long sleeves. There was one final level that I never quite got to, though - elbow pads.
My experience with elbow pads when I tried them for the first and only time was that they were massive, looked awful, ran hot and either slipped down or caused arm pump. In the decade since though, surely they must have changed?
When conducting this review, I looked for the lightest and most comfortable pads a particular brand offers. Although bruising and breakages shouldn't be dismissed, it's the constant loss of skin during bike park season that irks me. I tested these pads during the hot months and into fall to find out whether there are finally options for something discrete, comfortable, and secure.
For reference, my forearms have a circumference of 28cm at their middle, and my biceps measure 36cm.
G-Form Pro X3 Elbow
G-Form Pro-X3 Elbow
• Smartflex pad hardens on impact
• Silicone grippers
• Weight: 120 grams
• MSRP: $59.99
• g-form.com
G-Form makes pads as light as they are distinctive. The exoskeleton look is a little strange, and all the labels of NFL this or that, aren't going to help. Let us be honest, no elbow pads look particularly good but I think the G-Forms fly even closer to the sun than most. On the flipside, these Pro X3 pads can be nearly hidden under a long-sleeved jersey.
Their pads are typically light, with an emphasis on flexibility and comfort. While this might not be what I want for my knee protection, for elbow pads it all begins to add up. The light, shape-hugging fit means that not only was this the most flexible pad on test but also the best fitting. The medium pads have a suggested size of 32-34.5 cm and 21.5-24cm at the bicep and forearm respectively and fit me very well.
The longer grippers help with comfort around the bicep and stop the pads from feeling like they're cutting into my arms. The way the sleeve holds your arm also means that it doesn't need to be particularly tight in any one place; instead, there's a reasonable tension all over. The forearm uses a dotted-silcone surface to provide grip without being restrictive. The pads were secure, comfortable, and breathe well.
The pad grippers are very effective, meaning they can rotate the pad over time if they're out of joint, but they were also probably the best at hugging the shape of your arm on the test while also being easy to get on and off.
+ Very comfortable
+ Secure and stayed in place
+ Light and breathable
+ Very discreet
- Looks are divisive, should you care
Fox D3O Enduro Elbow
Fox D3O Enduro
• D3O padding
• Silicone grippers
• Weight: 160 grams (set M)
• MSRP: $74.95
• foxracing.com
The Fox D3O Enduro features a removable pad for easy washing, a wide silicone gripper on the upper and a slightly looser fitting forearm piece. The size medium on test had a suggested size of 27.9-30.5 cm at the bicep and 26.7-27.9 cm at the forearm, so they should have provided a snug fit. They're some of the bigger pads in the test, and are probably alongside the Leatt as the bulkiest, even if the Fox does just edge it out as the slightly bigger. However, they were also very comfortable, and offered decent moisture wicking.
While they are a nice pad, I would say that Enduro doesn't really fit their application. Although the moisture is wicked well, the pads cover a lot of real estate. They felt secure around my bicep but would fall down on long-sweaty runs in the bike park. Not only did they look the worst through a jersey thanks to their size, but I also didn't like how much they moved, and didn't appreciate the constant hoisting up required to keep them where you want them.
Overall, these are a pad of seemingly good quality and might offer more protection than some of the lighter thinner ones thanks to their D3O padding. I would, however, definitely try before you buy and consider sizing down.
+ Great coverage
+ Flexible pad and stretchy material made removal very easy
+ Flexible pad and stretchy material made removal very easy
- The least secure pad in terms of fit
ION E-Sleeve AMP Elbow
ION E-Sleeve AMP Elbow
• 3-directional pad
• Weight: 182 grams
• No sew abrasion
• MSRP: $85USD
• ion-products.com
The Ion pads use inserts to make washing easy, and a mesh material throughout. The size chart suggests 28-30cm and 21-23cm at the bicep and forearm respectively. I tested the medium size and although they were comfortable they left some things to be desired.
These are good pads, and the way they fit is pretty good. They did shuffle around a little but largely stayed in place. ION's problem is not getting the pad to stay on though, largely it's getting it off again. The material of the sleeve is just too inflexible. You find yourself rolling, and sliding it as you try and get a purchase. Throw in some of the creak-tick of threads snapping and it becomes a frustrating experience. Every time I removed them I thought I would tear them. I was above the size chart recommendation, which shouldn't be ignored, but I also wouldn't have wanted these pads looser while riding.
They were comfortable, and far more comfortable than you might think from the somewhat stern material, but I think there are better options. While not quite bulky, they're certainly on the verge of it. They do hide under a jersey well and offer good coverage.
+ Stay put
+ Comfortable
+ Good coverage
- Very hard to get off
POC VPD Air Flow Elbow
POC VPD Air Flow Elbow
• Certified to EN1621-1, Level 1
• Concave pad w/ silicone bicep grippers
• Weight: 215 grams
• MSRP: $130 USD
• pocsports.com
The POC VPD M had a size suggesting a bicep of 28-32cm and a forearm of 26-30cm. While these pads felt like a high-quality item with some nice features, getting them to stay up was an issue. They were probably the least secure on test. That's also despite the way the pad cups your elbow, which is both comfortable and supportive. I don't think that the sleeve is too big so much as the grippers seemed somewhat ineffective. Around the bicep, it just didn't feel as if the silicone grippers got any real purchase.
The pads might offer slightly more protection than some and are one of the few to have certification reported in their copy, and you would hope so too for nearly double the weight of something like the G-Form. The pads are very very comfortable, and assuming they stayed up would be the ones I'd happily crash in, but getting them to do so was just too difficult. They're not the most discrete either thanks to the pad extending beyond the elbow quite a bit. That said, they're on par with the Fox pads.
I think that the POC is a nice pad, but if it's going to be bigger and heavier I want it at least to stay up consistently. Thanks to the lack of gripper on the forearm the whole sleeve fits quite tight, and I definitely wouldn't want it any tighter. That said, it makes it a real shame that they wouldn't stay in place on long runs.
+ Very comfortable
+ Certified
- Would fall down
- Heavier than others
Leatt ReaFlex Elbow
Leatt ReaFlex Elbow
• EN1621-1 certified
• Upper gripper
• Weight: 180 grams
• MSRP: $89
• leatt.com
The ReaFlex guards only give a sizing suggestion around the bicep, and it's quite wide too at 24-28cm. The pads feature the same style of padding as the G-Form, however, it's more of a hybrid between the more classic style where the is one large pad compared to the G-Form which seems to be a lots of pads connected together via gel-sections. The pad itself is very concave and hugs the elbow. There is a cutout in the forearm to help both air and blood flow and overall they're a thin material, even if they feel less premium than some other pads due to the absence of a soft-stretchy sleeve.
The pads are very good though, and they stayed up, in place and comfortable over long runs. I like the concave pads as they feel like they're going to stay in place better and rotate less on impact. That's helped further by a textured gripper where your elbow will sit. When riding, they felt like around the joint they fit a bit looser and subsequently ran cooler. All in all, they're a good pad but sadly suffer from the same bad looks as the G-Form, but unlike the G-Form they do without the ability to hide under a jersey seamlessly, should you care.
+ Comfortable and cool running
+ Certified
+ Stayed put
- Slightly bulky
- Lower opening is large and could be tapered more
Troy Lee Designs Speed Elbow
TLD Speed Elbow Guards
• D3O pads
• CE EN 13688:2013 Certified
• Weight: 136 grams
• MSRP: $49USD
• troyleedesigns.com
The Troy Lee pads have a wafer-thin 4mm pad, and looking at them they were very much in line with what I was looking for. Minimalist and discreet, yet with enough coverage to stop the loss of skin. The pads feature a gripper around the bicep and rely on a good deal of stretch to hold the pad securely. The medium pads suggest a lower forearm of 6.5-8 (16.5 - 20 cm) inches and a bicep of 10-12 (25.5 - 30.5 cm). They also give weight recommendations of 63-82 kg. I didn't factor the weight factor in too much, as surely there is just so much more information needed but I suppose it might help somebody.
The pads are the most discreet on test, and also look subtle in short sleeves - they don't look overly different from a base layer. Sadly, I just couldn't get them to stay up. I ended up riding an XS/S pad and, while my arms are by no means big I was disappointed that even that success was hit-and-miss. It wasn't drastic, but over several runs, they would move down. They felt good in terms of fit, but just wouldn't stay where I wanted them.
+ Very thin
+ Discreet
+ Probably the best looking pad
- Fell down occasionally
- Sizing is off
Top Pick
My goal in this test was to find something so comfortable and minimalist that I didn't see any reason not to wear them. With that in mind, the G-Form Pro X3 Elbow is the clear winner. Comfortable, secure, and breathable all while being the most discreet. When working at the World Cups, I'd often see riders wearing these hidden away under their sleeves, despite what the sponsor read on the outside of their jersey, and that's not without good reason. I really liked the pads, and they're the only ones I feel really deliver in every regard.
If this test has shown me one thing is that elbow pads still aren't quite there in terms of fit, and just getting them to stay up was more often than not a difficulty. In fairness, it was on long hot, and sweaty runs of the bikepark. However, that's not to say I wouldn't expect more when spending what can often be a decent chunk of change on protective equipment.
