first off, Merry Christmas to all! I just got my 4x4s today as an early christmas gift, and I must say, these are amazing!
Pros -
excellent coverage - a little above the ankle to a good 3+ inches above the knee
great feeling - the wicking material is really nice, and moisture really comes away from them. the mesh behind the knee(no raw spots) is really nice
aesthetics are nice = 2 SIXSIXONE logos on the top and bottom and the actual logo on the middle of the pad.
-great protection - although i haven’t rode my new MUni yet(i’ll get it tomorrow) these should be great, especially useful for pedal bites and UPDs.
Cons -
they take a long time to put on. for my sake, that’s only about a couple minutes, including adjusting.
-NOT ENOUGH VELCRO. it’s probably just me this time for this one, considering i have pretty small knees. i can always put more velcro on later.
-pads come apart - good for putting them on, but it’s a bit of a hassle to untangle all of them.
-too many straps - SixSixOne has come up with a very nice system for strapping…however i’m being a little bit nit-picky when i say that i’d personally be in favor of a less-strap system. maybe one huge wide strap with lots of velcro.
The cons are really nit-picky, but it should be fine. other than the time it takes to put them on. 5/5!
Merry christmas everyone, and hope this review helped.
I like your review. I do agree that they take a long time to put on. However; I think more straps = more adjustment since everyones legs are a little different. I’d rather take a little time and have them fit well. They fit well over my pants and I am sure they will fit well with shorts once it warms up some.
I rode with mine today for the first time and it was like they were not even there. I still have yet to bail hard as I am just re-learning to ride and have spent all my time at the local schoolyard.
I’m sure they will get plenty of use in my upcoming practice sessions where I plan to practice mounting.
i do agree with what you’re saying about the whole “too many straps thing” being good for some people. i understand that, as i was really being nit-picky with the cons. i can’t find anything wrong with mine. i just need to get my torker lx 26" that i’ll be getting for christmas in a few hours (lol) and see how they feel there. i can’t wait to do some serious riding. these would have helped so much when i was learning to freemount.
I got a pair of these a short while ago and I was concerned they might restrict movement but I was very pleasantly surprised! I didn’t even notice I was wearing them. I agree the straps are a bit of a nuisance but the perfectly comfortable fit is well worth it. Avoiding another nasty pedal bite makes them worth every penny!
Trust me guys nothing and i mean nothing will get as stinky as these shin guards. Excellent product and i highly recommend them, but man my garage still doesn’t smell right.
I got some about 3 months ago and love them. My only problem was that already within that time I’ve had to sew back on traps because they’ve torn off and some of the plastic in the front has already cracked in half That’s probably just because I abuse them a lot lol. But these are really great shin guards and would totally recommend them.
It appears that 661, 4x4 knee and shin guards are ‘discontinued’ at least in UK. UDC UK not longer stocks them and several other UK websites I contacted said they were no longer available. UDC USA offered to sell me a pair but the cost of postage to UK was virually equal to the cost of the armour!
Eventually I found a place in Scotland that had one pair left and I received them today and tried them out. Seem great to me - can’t think why they are discontinued in UK. Have they been replaced by something else?
I doubt it, maybe just not avail over there or there might be a new version coming.
The ones in that link are waay different.
I have the 661 2x4 elbow and they are great, I use lizard skin knee and shin because I love the feel of neoprene.
If you check the tags on the armor, do you see a little tag that says “CE”?
CE is a mark certifying, for the European Union, that the item has passed certain quality tests. There are many marks, one of which applies to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It’s expensive (thousands of dollars) to obtain 3rd party tests - the 2009 Percussion armor just went through it and it bears the CE mark.
Essentially, testing involves dropping a weight onto multiple locations inside defined area on the shin and knees - the armor must have a certain minimum level of force distribution (e.g. the force per unit area impacting the leg must not exceed a certain level).
I don’t know whether the 4x4 armor has been CE certified. Consequently, this response should not be taken as suggesting that it hasn’t. However, if it doesn’t have the CE mark, it could be that 661 has chosen to discontinue it in the EU rather than update the design such that it could pass the protective standards for certification.
If you check the tags on the armor, do you see a little tag that says “CE”?
CE is a mark certifying, for the European Union, that the item has passed certain quality tests. There are many marks, one of which applies to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It’s expensive (thousands of dollars) to obtain 3rd party tests - the 2009 Percussion armor just went through it and it bears the CE mark.
Essentially, testing involves dropping a weight onto multiple locations inside defined area on the shin and knees - the armor must have a certain minimum level of force distribution (e.g. the force per unit area impacting the leg must not exceed a certain level).
I don’t know whether the 4x4 armor has been CE certified. Consequently, this response should not be taken as suggesting that it hasn’t. However, if it doesn’t have the CE mark, it could be that 661 has chosen to discontinue it in the EU rather than update the design such that it could pass the protective standards for certification.
I just had a look at mine and it does have the CE tag. Does it have to get periodically re-checked or just checked once when first trying to sell a product in the EU?
I figure while I am here and use the 661 4X4s I might as well put in my own opinion on them.
I don’t really have anything else to compare them to but find that they give adequate protection and a fairly comfortable. The biggest problem i have is that I got a medium and I should have gotten a large. They leave the bottom of my shin exposed and the bottom strap is a bit too short (because it is too high up on my shin). I would also like to see another elastic strap above the top knee pad to help keep it up and prevent the accumulation of sticks and snow etc.
I would give these 4 out of 5 assuming they are the proper size
That’s probably just because I abuse them a lot lol. But these are really great shin guards and would totally recommend them.