The Gear – Held 9613 Citysafe Knee Protectors

The Golden Rule – “All of the gear all of the time”

The Gold Plated Reality – “Most of the gear most of the time”

I don’t know about other commuters but I love love love biking to work. The sheer glee of slipping through the endless lines of non moving traffic and the pleasure of parking conveniently for free makes the moto commute a true pleasure. That being said there are drawbacks. One of the big ones for me is gear, my work means as many as 4 locations in the working day which can mean more wardrobe changes that a west end show.

Since day one of biking I’ve found leg wear a nightmare. I have 3 sets of biking trousers; 2 pairs of jeans which needed a visit to the cobbler to come even close to the right length and one pair of touring trousers in a large ladies size (I’m not a lady). Fact is my legs must be odd. Add to that the general cut of biking trousers (90’s baggy or 90’s baggy) even with a decent well fitting pair I need to change to go about my working day………..or do I?

The Held Citysafe Knee Protectors provide an alternative to the full trouser with clip on clip off level 2 armour in a comfortable easy to stow away form factor. The full lower leg protectors are held in mesh backed water resistant nylon pouches that strap to your lower legs in a matter of seconds via 3 soft elasticated straps with large glove friendly clips. The straps are adjustable although I have them at their shortest they would easily expand for to larger legged rider (oo er). When paired with a pair of decent denim trousers in whatever cut you prefer they give you the protection you should have without the need for big baggy jeans or trousers throughout the day.

After just under 2 months of daily commuting in these I can honestly say they are the perfect answer to the problem of the commuting leg. The speed of the attachment, the comfort and the peace of mind given by level 2 armour held exactly where it needs to be make these knee protectors my go to lower leg protection.

That being said they aren’t without their flaws. I’d be kidding myself if I said they were stylish, they aren’t. That being said I only wear then when I’m riding removing them before I go anywhere on foot so not really a problem. I did find the straps a little long for my little legs and I may even have the cobbler add a little extra Velcro. Obviously they aren’t going to suit the cold wet winter here in the UK but for autumn spring summer jobs a gud ‘un.

All in all I’d highly recommend these for anyone wanting a simple quick change commuting option and for £52.99 I think they are a worthwhile investment. (Available via the brilliant team at Get Geared – Ps not sponsored 😦 but they are the best and my local)