The RaceFace flank is a bulky knee and shin pad meant for those who take their protection seriously. It features three main padded areas: The knee, the side of the knee, and the shin. The main knee part of the pad uses D30 whereas the side and shin are basic EVA foam. These beefy pads are strapped to your legs using four different velcros.
The Pads: Knee AND Shin Pads
Why do you buy pads? Rhetorical question. To pad yourself! These RaceFace flanks do an excellent job at that. The main pad and side pad have prevented any knee scratches or pain in the ~5 real crashes I’ve had wearing this. I haven’t had any bad knee-on-rock collisions yet to truly test how well the D30 pad works, but I can say these pads have stopped me from bleeding and bruising in crashes where my Leatt Airflex Pros would not.
My favorite feature is probably the shin guard, which has saved me countless times. These pads cover a good amount of the shin. I have scarring where I’ve received a couple of bad shin scratches in the past, and these pads cover that. With that being said, the shin coverage does not cover ALL of the shin, but I’ve never had an issue with getting shin scratches wearing these. Keep in mind these are an open back design, so your calves are exposed to the pedals. I don’t know any pads that really protect your calf, though.
Comfort and Ventilation:
These pads aren’t light. They’re made of thick foam to… well… protect you in a crash. The thick foam and D30 will cause you to sweat more than other lighter knee pads. That’s a compromise you’ll have to make when buying a knee pad this big. However, these pads are fairly comfortable for the protection they offer. the velcro system lets you adjust the fit of these in each area of the leg. If you have big calves, make the calf velcro looser. Big Quads? Make that one looser. One quick note on size, though; Definitely size up on these if you’re in between sizes. I sized up and the quad is still just a little bit tight on me, but they’ve loosened up over time.
The size of these makes them pretty uncomfortable for long pedals. To get around this, I’ll frequently strap these to my bars for the pedal up, then put them on for the descent. This works great for the enduro races I do since they’re pretty much a straight climb up and a straight descent down. For lighter use trail riding, I’d probably recommend a lighter knee pad unless you want or need a lot of protection.
I’ve also noticed that these consistently slide down my knee while riding. They still protect my knee, but they sit lower than expected and bunch up right on my knee cap. It doesn’t bother me too much because I take them off for the uphills, but I definitely find myself readjusting them throughout the day at the bike park. I don’t know how they’d fit on someone skinnier; I have fairly big quads that might cause these to slide down. Regarding adjusting these; It’s fairly easy and I’d consider the multiple velcros a net positive compared to a slide-on pad. However the velcro system CAN be finicky and chafe you if you don’t get it right. I’ve ironed out how to put these on “right” though so it doesn’t bother me.
The Verdict:
These are my go to race pads for a reason: I can take them off easily for the climbs and strap them on for the descents. They offer outstanding protection and make me feel confident descending; I’m not overly worried about my knees if I fall in these. They fit better than the other “enduro” knee and shin pads I’ve tried, and they offer much better protection than the myriad of “trail” knee pads on the market right now. I would highly recommend these for someone looking for near-ultimate protection at the expense of a little comfort.