The Scott Soldier 2 knee guard is a little heavier than most pull-on knee sleeves, but with its mesh grill and D3O insert, it’s highly breathable while offering a great fit and enhanced impact protection. All of which puts it among the best mountain bike knee pads on sale.

To cut down on bulk, the Scott Soldier 2 pad uses a strapless construction with stretch fabric sleeve and elastic hems top and bottom. The upper hem gets some additional silicone diamonds printed inside to stop it slipping down, but I found this a little abrasive on bare skin. All the seams are triple stitched for durability and the back of the knee gets a comfy Lycra panel, with a X-shaped band of elastic to enhance the fit. It also comes in four individual sizes rather than just S/M or M/L, which means there’s less chance of you compromising on sizing.

Loaded into the Soldier 2 is high-tech D3O insert. This clever polymer is soft and malleable when you’re riding along, but hit the ground and it stiffens, enhancing crash protection. To help it conform to your bony bits, it has a sort of flexible hex-grid design and it’s also articulated, so bends as you do. The insert also gets some big venting holes every couple of inches to increase airflow to the knee, and covering the whole front of the knee is an abrasive resistant mesh panel. You’re supposed to remove the pad for washing, and this is actually pretty easy to do. Breathability is very good for a pad of this weight and thickness.

When stationary the Scott Soldier 2 is very comfortable, but once pedalling I found the lower edge of the insert actually rubbed quite aggressively on my shin. In that respect it’s not quite as accomplished as the excellent Rapha Trail Knee pads. The extra-large D3O insert does boost protection levels, making this a good knee pad for the occasional visit to a bike park.