7iDP Sam Hill Knee Pad: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

The Sam Hill Knee Pad by 7iDP protection is a great medium weight knee pad that offers both protection and comfort. With a removable slip in pad along with leg grippers both on top and on the bottom cuff. If it's good enough for Sam Hill, I'm sure it will be enough Knee Pad for most of us mountain bikers.

Jason's Review:

When I decided to do a full season of Enduro racing this year I knew I wanted more knee protection than my current Fox Enduro pads had to offer. After looking at a lot of options I decided on the 7iDP Sam Hill Knee Pads, I figure if Sam designed them to use on EWS courses they should be plenty good for the likes of an average joe sport class racer like myself.

The front of the pads have extra pads sewn along the sides that protect the knee area and I really have found that useful as I sometimes whack the side of my knee on my top tube mid bailout. The material upfront has proven very durable and is still holding up after a few crashes and months of use. The kneecap inserts are really amazing as far as comfort goes, when you slip the pads on at first you can feel them in there, but once your body heat softens them up it's like they disappear.

The pads extend up pretty high on my thigh, and probably like most MTBers I have large thighs and was concerned at first that it would be uncomfortable, but after a few rides comfort was a non-issue and the extra material up top allows my bib liners to overlap for extra non-slip protection and no unsightly “enduro gap" between the pads and my shorts. The bottom grippers work great as well and I have not experienced the pads shifting during use and they don’t seem to pull my leg hairs out.

The back of the pads are a very light breathable mesh, this feature pretty much makes these pads wearable all day. I’ve worn them in 90 degree, epic all-day XC rides and never gave them a second thought, but here is where we have some issues. After a few months of use, the mesh started to separate from the front of the pad at the seams. I’ve had to sew them up a few times and they seem to be holding up well after my repair job. Also while learning to ride with flats again I tore 3 holes in the back of one (again easy fix with needle and thread) but it just shows that the comfortable rear mesh has its downsides.

Final Thoughts:

All in all, I am still very happy with these pads and when the time comes for a new set they will be top of the list still. They provide great all-day comfort and have done their job protecting my knees and shins from banging on the bike or on the dirt.