Soft padding that ‘moulds’ to your body shape has been available for some years now, but some companies have managed to work with impact-resistant foam more successfully than others.

O’Neal have definitely hit the nail on the head though, and although these Sinner pads use a thick and reasonably heavy layer of ‘SC-1 by SAS-TEC’ (similar to d3o which is used by other brands), they are still malleable enough to be extremely comfortable and leave your knee free enough even for them to be one of our favourites for enduro and trail type riding. Smash your knee into the ground and the foam firms up well, we haven’t had any scares at all and feel perfectly confident in the SC-1’s ability to protect our knees.

With downhill World Champion Greg Minnaar on board, O’Neal were bound to make the most of the partnership, and his feedback from using the already great Sinner pads has resulted in these nigh on perfect signature pads. Just make sure you get the right size as they do come up a little small.

PRICE: £76.99
Fli Distribution 01613 048 555
www.oneal.com