Review: GForm Elbow pads

Published: 6th November 2013 | By AngusMcIntosh

Genuinely lightweight elbow protection that still packs a punch has always proven to be a tricky conundrum for most manufactures but Gform, a company who don't necessarily have their roots in just the mountain bike industry think they may of come up with a winning solution.

Check out MoreDirt's review of the GForm Elbow pads with it's unique Poron XRD foam to keep you safe when crashing. An interesting take on the elbow pad!

First Impressions

A quirky take on the conundrum that is lightweight elbow protection! It’s a fine line to tread between zero protection glorified arm warmer and a full on movement restrictor pad similar to strapping drainpipes to your forearms.

Silicone strips around the top opening hold the pad in place... Even during crashing the pads stay put.

The Gform elbow pads have started with the most lightweight medium possible in a lycra sleeve and attached a molded layer of Poron XRD foam with RPT™ “Reactive Protection Technology” that hardens on impact.

Simplistic if not a bit wacky looking as they poke out from beneath your jersey!

G Form Foam

Pads that harden on impact are by no means a new technology to arrive onto the market with the likes of D30 foam from 661 and Bliss’s ARG rubber but that’s because it’s the perfect material for the mountain bike application. Fluid when you don’t want it in the way but binds hard like a solid when you need it most as your elbow is careering towards a jagged rock.

The compound that GForm use is certainly a pretty versatile little number! Not just suitable for mountain bike protection the GForm foam is versatile enough to be used in phone cases, football shin pads and even specific places on the bike such as gel pads on the saddle and inside your shoes!

The Ride

As the kind of rider who can’t stand anything on my wrists or arms even to the extent I cant wear a watch or gloves to ride accept in exceptional circumstances these have really proven to be something pretty special and for the first time in ages I’ve been able to run some elbow protection.

Granted its not the most substantial protection available but it’s the exact kind of thing I was looking for to stop grazes and bumps when you smash through a prickly bush or bump a tree with your elbow to even crashing on a loose surfaced turn at the trail centre with not a single bit of gravel rash in sight!

The foam is stitched onto the main body of the pad. It's actually a particularly comfortable set up!

A real positive I found when using the pads that might not of been strictly intended was the added “Arm warmer” factor. I don’t mean that my arms were getting sweaty or uncomfortable more that they were just right! The material of the pad was wicking away the sweat and keeping my arms slightly warmer that made me more comfortable and therefore I wasn’t over gripping on the handlebars as much as I had been previously and I was less susceptible to fatigue on long descents.

It’s amazing at sometimes what additional effects wearing extra padding can have to certain people on both a physiological and mental level!

Crashing in the pads wasn't too bad either...The silicon on the edges of the openings did a good job of making sure things were held in the right place and the foam did it's job. From full on tree hits at Revolution bikepark to a solo fireroad slide out at mach 5 the GForm pads almost certainly saved me a few layers of skin on my elbows and the actual foam portion of the pad is still in good nick!

Conclusion.

The GForm elbow pads have proven themselves to sit bang smack in the middle of the halfway house between leaving your pads in the car or opting for the full hard shell elbow pad.

Your opinion of the space age look that the pads take on is entirely a personal choice but rest assured, the shape of the foam retains dexterity at the joint and isn’t just a strange styling choice! Another note on the styling side of things… If the bright yellow isn’t cutting it for you the pads are also available in black so you can breath a sigh of relief!

Minimal footprint for maximum protection. Great coverage of the actual joint without restricting movement from a foam compound that really does what it says on the tin!

G form are distributed in the UK by Moore and Large.

You can find out more about G form on their website you can find here!

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