Leatt 3DF Airflex Elbow and Knee Guards - Review
Comfortable, lightweight and adequate protection for the intended use.
There's such a variety of riding out there that most folks know one bike doesn’t cut it for all types of terrain and ride conditions. The same can be said for armour. Full coverage hard shells are great if you 'only ride park' or shuttle all day, but it can be bulky, hot, and uncomfortable, especially if you face an uphill pedal. The minimalist 3DF Airflex is another type of armour. Lightweight and flexible, it's suited for those cross country style rides that still test your technical skills and wits.
Leatt, originally a maker of motorcycle gear has tried to established itself as more than a maker of neck braces in the mountain bike scene. The South African company started up around 2001 after the owner was witness to a fatal neck injury at the motorbike track. Leatt promotes the fact that the testing lab is a big part of their product development and offers various models of leg and arm guards, each with its own level of protection. The model we tested is the 3DF Airflex model for elbows and knees. The elbows sell for $79USD while the knees are $99USD. www.leatt.com
The full set of knee and arm guards weigh under 1.0 lb.
Product Features:
• CE certified for impact protection EN1621-1
• Weighs only 100 grams each
• Armourgel ultra slim impact absorbing gel
• MoistureCool wicking fabric
• Colour: Black
• Sizes: S-M / L-XL / XXL
• Machine washable
Materials and Construction
Both the arm and knee guards consist of a front and rear fabric panel, a protective insert sewn in, and upper and lower elastics.The front panel is made of a Spandex Nylon fabric while a lightweight moisture wicking material is used for the back. Although the shape difference is rather subtle there are designated right and left sides for each guard. Fabric covers the back of the protective insert and a laminated silicone pattern is designed to grip the knee-cap and elbow to help keep the pads in position.
The protective insert is a soft, flexible and slightly stretchy non-Newtonian gel known as Armourgel. In a nutshell non-Newtonian implies the coefficient of viscosity is not consistent and can be stress or time dependant. In theory the pads should stay soft and flexible to move in, but will become stiff and hard if a sudden impact occurs. The 0.25 inch thick Amourgel pad provides a good area of coverage around the knee-cap and elbow. The front side has moulded channels and numerous holes that help keep the insert lightweight and potentially adds a shock absorbing feature. The guards weigh in around 100g per elbow and 110g per knee, making the full kit add just under a pound of body weight to your ride.
Non-Newtonian Armourgel is light, flexible, and seems to work.
Both arms and legs are right and left specific.
Silicone leg grip.
Internal knee grip.
The knees worked well, but tight fitting forearms didn't stretch out, and likely lead to stress on the fabric.
Fit and Function
I decided to put these pads on pre-ride and save myself the minor hassle of putting the Airflex knees on while out on the trail. The heel of your foot can sometimes snag the hole when they initially slide on. The one inch wide silicone type elastic is similar to what you’d find on a high end knee warmer. It grips well but can sometimes hold better with a spandex short or jersey tucked over the top. The back side of the knees and arms have three inch diameter holes that one can assume is for articulation and venting. I found the venting is more noticeable than the movement feature and generally liked the look of the pads but am not sure about the look of the holes. Test rides were done in winter rain and spring like conditions, but these guards are likely not unbearable for long hot summer rides. I like that they are compact, can fit in a jersey's back pocket, and have no cumbersome straps.
The knee pads fit well, stayed in position and were very comfortable even on long rides that involved a lot of pedalling and climbing. The knee guards didn’t cause any chafing and provided some real impact protection from the dirt and the dreaded stem-on-knee smack.
During my second ride and wearing the arms under and an extra-large full sleeve jersey, I found the arm guards slipping down due to the extra tight elastic at the fore-arm. I repeatedly had to pull them up while riding and inadvertently stressed the fabric where it's sewn to the top of the Armourgel insert. Something had to give and the fabric itself finally blew out creating a one inch long tear. The stitching and insert still all appeared to be solid. Rider error? Design flaw? Material choice? You be the judge. Leatt provides a sizing chart on the website and I had my correct size.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | I like armour you don't have to think about when you're rolling, and for the most part the Leatt Airflex knee guards performed well. The Amourgel works, the pedalling fit was good, and the construction appears high quality. These knee pads provide a little extra confidence on those rides when I plan to do a lot of pedalling and don't want to use stiff or hot gear. Both elbows guards fit noticeably tight at the fore-arms and this pulled the pads down and out of position. The constant need to be pulling them up likely resulted in the fabric tear found at the top of one insert. Otherwise they provided comfortable, lightweight elbow protection for less extreme riding, and I'll continue to wear them. - Chris Johannes |
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I like the hard plastic vs a padded protector. Lasts longer and stands up to falls much better.
Lighter, very comfortable(like more comfortable than my IXS Flows) and very breathable. I don't even own them, but they were the most comfortable pads, hard or soft, that I tried on.
I'm fairly certain the only reason they switched to perforated foam was for cost reduction.
Troy Knight spent a lot of time sending emails back and forth with me and while I was a little unimpressed with the pads overall, Leatt's customer service more than made up for it.
I've got a plethora of other armor/pads that haven't suffered any abuse (I never seem to be wearing it when I crash) and had similar failures; 661, Fox and Thor could learn from the guys at Leatt. I wasn't a Leatt fanboy before the warranty on the pads, but I am definitely sold now.
Been rocking these since early fall. Top notch flexibility. And cheap! Seems similar to G-form. Have yet to take a big hit with them though...
Moral of the story; unless you are lucky enough to have a body that still works to the factory settings, keep away from intensive fitness programs - they will find weaknesses in your body that you never knew you had and will make them the bane of your life.
If all this means nothing to you then be grateful and ride for your life while you still can!
Ridden dem ones, with two relatively gentle crashes, one of which the pad took a bit of the absorption from, against soft groud.
Giant bruices everywhere, but not a single mark where the pad was. I guess I can say that the pad actually works, but that was a wery easy crach, quite flat on soft earth.
Any crash experiences from other users?
But I rather prefer Bliss minimalist pads.
www.blisscamp.com/en/snow/protection/bliss-arg-minimalist-knee/a-20909
They use the same material and work well.
What are the differences to the recently tested Ion K-Pact? Comfort, intendet use ?