Purpose:

The Pro-Tec Pinner LT Knee Shin guard combo provide hard shell full length leg protection best suited for gravity mountain biking. The Pinner LT guards provide as much protection for the legs that you could ever want. Safe from pedal slips, flying rocks and anything else that might end up between your legs.

Materials and Procedure:

These pads were tested for a few days in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park and Vancouver’s famous North Shore trail network. They were compared with various other pads including the Pro-Tec Gravity Knee and other knee and shin combo pads.

Data:

• 3 velcro straps wrapping around the back of the leg.
• 2 separate hard plastic shells
• 12 one inch long vents in plastic shells
• MSRP $69.95

Observations:

After years of wearing various knee, shin and leg guards, these full length leg guards felt to be one of the most comfortable full length protectives I have worn.

The the way the straps are laid out makes the back of the leg comfortable and non-irritated as many other pads have. Instead of crossing two straps in an ‘X’ behind the knee, the Pinner LT’s use one above and one below the knee, as well as a thin, stretchy material backing to keep the back of the knee comfortable. The top strap holds the whole guard up while the lower strap keeps the guard snug around the leg. There is also a bottom strap to keep the lower half of the pad snug and in place.

Pro-Tec didn’t forget about ventilation either. Perforation remains throughout the leg guards from the plastic hard shell, through the soft padding to a mesh material which holds the guards together. This keeps the legs surprisingly cool even during hot bike park days. With the exception of the knee and straps, the back of the leg is uncovered keeping it cool. This does however expose the back of the legs to impact, scratches, cuts etc. but impacts like these don’t typically cause any significant injury in this region.

One issue I had fairly quickly is the exposed hard Velcro on the top of the pad. This Velcro rubs along with the bottom of my shorts and has the potential to catch if worn with a softer fabric short.  It may have made more sense to have the soft side of the plastic facing outwards on the pad and the hard plastic on the strap.

Compared to a good fitting knee, these pads do restrict leg movement to some extent, but not by much. This restriction in movement in not enough to justify the lack in protection a knee only pad would provide.

Conclusion:

These guards are a solid product for anyone looking to maximize their leg protection. Typically the “Weekend Warrior” style leg protection, the full length guard is worm mostly by those looking more for protection and less for maximum mobility. These are the most comfortable full length knee guards I have worn and definitely justify the price from the most basic run-of-the-mill $40 pads around. Those who are looking for a long lasting leg guard that provides a significant amount of knee and shin protection should look no further.

Are the Pinner-LT Knee and Shin Guards right for you? Try them now for 25% off the regular price at the Pro-Tec online store right here with the Coupon Code: CBPINNER