Fox Enduro Pro Knee Guards Review

Last summer, I was riding a skinny feature – a long, halved log about 3 feet off the ground – when I lost balance and somehow landed on my knee in the resulting tumble. At the time, I didn’t see the point of knee guards, so there was nothing between me and the rock I knocked into. Ultimately, I got away with a heavy bruise and a crunchy feeling for the following week. That was lucky. Having reflected on that crash and numerous others over the past year, I’ve decided to protect this ultra-critical joint of mine. A broken kneecap would be debilitating, and it’s not too hard to stack the deck in your own favor. There are plenty of good options on the market, but I’ve been enjoying the Fox Enduro Pro Knee Guards for the past couple months.

Fox Enduro Pro Knee Guards Features:

• Lightweight, minimal sleeve-style construction for increased comfort and flexibility while on the bike
• Koroyd inserts for world-leading impact protection and flexibility
• Large elastic gripper panels with silicone print keep the guards in place while riding or during impact
• Antimicrobial treatment reduces odor-causing microbes
• Sold as a pair
• EN1621-1 Level 1 CE Certification
• MSRP: $115

The Bee’s Knees

At the heart of the Fox Enduro Pro Knee Guards is a flexible insert made by Koroyd. Many folks will know Koroyd for the rather honeycomb-looking inserts they produce for Smith and Endura helmets (and Klim and Thor in the moto space). Effectively, these helmet inserts serve as a functional replacement to EPS foam and operate as a crumple zone, if you will. They reduce impact more thoroughly than EPS and are more consistent in their performance across temperature bands.

For the Enduro Pro Knee Guard though, Koroyd highlights their new body protection line, the foundation of which is a cushy, auxetic polymer open-cell insert. Or, more humanly put, a squishy grid of a pad. The insert is very flexible, both due to its cut, with reliefs at the edges where the knee bends, and due to its nature. The almost peanut-shaped grid pattern of the insert happily stretches and compresses when you move it, and it really doesn’t put up much of a fight in the process.

Practically, that translates to easy, unimpeded pedaling when I was testing the Enduro Pro Knee Guards. Many years ago, I was a skater, and for a brief period of that time, I owned hard-plated knee pads. They had no flex whatsoever, and they were not movement-friendly in any respect. These knee guards stand in stark contrast. Wearing the Enduro Pros, I can pop into a deep squat, then bounce back up to fully extended legs without any material restriction. They’re happy to move.

On the ups, of course, they see quite a lot of movement. They also have to breathe, and they do that decently well. It helps a whole lot that the Koroyd inserts’ structure is so open-celled (noticeably moreso than D30’s equivalent LP1 inserts). It also helps that Fox employed such light, breathable fabrics. The main body of the knee pad is a thin, stretchy synthetic blend, and the Koroyd insert’s sleeve is a thin, but durable cordura. My rides always involve riding up, then sending down (no chair lifts, no shuttles), and I don’t like stopping at the top for more than a moment. It matters to me that I can ride all day with my knee guards on, and the breathability of the Enduro Pros enables that.

They also sit tight, another point towards their general comfort score. A 3” silicon-beaded elastic panel at the top of the knee guard locks it into one place on the leg. It’s quite effective towards that end. No wandering going on even when you’re moving a lot. One notable thing about that heavily siliconed band is that it must be turned inside out when you’re putting on or taking off the knee guards. Otherwise, you may be treated to a low-grade complimentary leg waxing. That hair-tugging pain is easily avoided though.

In the colder climes of the PNW, another consideration for knee guards is how compatible they are with pants. In the winter, it’s a rare occurrence to see a be-shorted mountain biker, so any knee guards have to live under that extra layer for the rainy, cold seasons. All pants are different, so this statement is far from all-inclusive, but I found the Enduro Pros to be fairly pants-friendly. They’re low profile, so they fit well at the knee of all my riding pants. Depending on the pair of pants and how tight their ankles are though, you may need to put on the knee guards, then the pants… Again, it depends. All in all though, they are as low-bulk as I’ve seen in the world of knee guards, so I’m ready to call it a win.

A couple final notes here: Firstly, impact protection. I never did take a knee-capper fall while testing. What I did do was intentionally drop to my knees a couple times on cement, just to get a feel for the effectiveness of the insert. I also gave them a few good punches while wearing them. Silly tests and far from exact, I know, but I can say that they very effectively minimized the force that made it to my knees. A more meaningful note on impact protection is supplied by their EN1621-1 Level 1 CE Certification, which is in line with D30’s equivalent inserts’ performance. Do you trust CE certifications more than my random knee punches? Good. You should.

Secondly, pricing. $115 is on the high end for MTB knee guards. With their breathability, mobility, efficient profile, and impact cert, I believe that pricing makes sense. If there’s any question as to whether or not your knees are worth that much… please reconsider. Knee mobility is the cornerstone of our sport. It’s not just our melons that are worth preserving with high tech helmets. If you’re riding hard, the knees need a savior too. The Enduro Pros are, by my experience, a very good option.

Fit: I’m a 5’11”, 170lb guy with a lean build who typically wears 31”x32” pants. I tested a size Large based on Fox’s sizing chart recommendation, and they fit well.

Buy Now: Available at REI