I want to use my 36" for getting places during my working day, wearing my work clothes, without a long process of getting kitted out with protection each time. However I wouldn’t ride without at least helmet and gloves (easy) and knee pads. I’m thinking strap around knee pads would be good as they can be put on without taking my shoes off or scrunching up my trousers (UK for pants 
) too much. Race Face Ambush seem to be a possibility, and then of course there’s KH Percussion, with free shin protection thrown in (but added trouser scrunching). Any thoughts on these, or experience of others? I seem to have developed quite wide thighs and calves thanks to unicycling, so will probably need larger sizes!
My experience is that wearing knee pads over trousers is usually uncomfortable and also usually leads to sweatmarks on the trousers.
Either way, out of the two options, I’d go with the Race Face ambush, mostly because I think the “free shin protection” on the KH Percussions comes at the expense of not being very good at protecting the knee and the ambushes seem to be popular. Ion k-pact zip (or it’s lighter duty alternatives like k-lite) might be a good alternative.
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I know people really like these, but they seem to be difficult to find in stock…
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Another vote for BD Telekneesis.
Wear 'em under your pants for a nice look but you’ll have to patch your knees many times.
They work great on top of anything. (even a heavy duty kneebrace)
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Until you can find the Black Diamond Telekneesis in stock, these have worked well for me.
I use the Black Diamond Telekneesis under my pants with my pants being loose enough that they can easily by installed by just pulling up my pants leg. Yes, I’ve had to patch my pants knees a few times but the pads do save on tending to holes in my skin.
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Thanks all. Those Telekneesis look great but sadly no stock anywhere in the UK. I don’t mind a bit of discomfort from wearing over my trousers - I’m only expecting 10 minutes rides like this - I already have some POC Airs which are light and comfortable for longer rides - they’re just a bit more trouble to put on. I picked up some used GUL D30 knee pads cheap recently which I guess are for sailing really - the wrap around style works well but they’re a bit bulky, and small for me. Time to save a search for telekneesis on ebay methinks!
I think that for road riding, it is better to consider knee pads with a hard shell that allow sliding in case of a fall.
I’d love to try BD telekinesis, but it seems they are only available in North America.
I have used SEBA zip knee pads a lot for my city commute.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that knee pads with rigid shells are never made for pedaling. They are huge MTB kneepads made for downhill riding, roller/skate kneepads, skiing…
For comfort reasons, I opted for X-country knee pads (Ion K-pact), made to be protected while pedaling. But being able to slide on the asphalt can be a consideration if falls are frequent.
They are in stock here in Norway (I don’t know if you can order from abroad). However, they are made for telemark skiing, and are not recomended for mountain biking. They may still be good enough for unicycling though.
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Okay, I did a quick search, I just saw that it was mostly sold in North America. And I might have been a bit over the top, I like to test the material, but I don’t need it. 
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How are the insides of those pads? Do they have nicer fabric for your sweaty knee to be against? I have a cheapo pair of Triple 8 pads that came in a set with wrist protectors and elbow protectors but the knee pads only have a very thin nylon mesh between your knee and the foam rubber and they are very uncomfortable once you start getting sweaty, especially while pedaling.
Needless to say I’ve been wanting to replace them with something nicer. Most of the time I just don’t wear the ones I have because they are not comfortable for pedaling shortly after starting.
I have the telekinesis, I like them with long pants but the straps irritate me when I’m in shorts. I have been wearing G Forms the padding is pliable but hardens on impact. They just slip right on very easily and they are highly rated with mountain bikers. You can wear them under your pants.
Make sure you watch the video they provide.
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