Keeping everything in place on the 100% Surpass Knee Guard is a stretch sleeve that wraps the back of the knee, and Velcro straps above and below. There are also tacky silicone strips inside to stick the pad to your thigh and calf. The first set I had suffered from dodgy stitching on the straps, but after six months riding in pair number two without issue I’m writing that off as a production error.

Read more: Best mountain bike knee pads in 2021, protect your patellas

The most surprising aspect of the Surpass is just how well ventilated it is for such a protective pad. It’s no spring breeze down there and naturally it traps heat more than a lightweight sleeve, but it’s no sweat pit either. Crank up to speed – something you’ll be doing in a pad like this – and you can actually feel the wind whistling through the little triangular perforations in the solid shell. The Surpass is also fairly unobtrusive for such a big pad, it’s easy to fit under trousers without the material bunching up over your knee or becoming restrictive. Put some shorts on instead and it’s the same story, the hem glides over the pad with nary a pause.

Put all that together and the Surpass is easily forgotten about when you’re riding. Sure, you can feel them there when you’re walking around the carpark but all that disappears on the bike.