Rapha Trail Knee Pads
Role: Junior Product Developer
Client: Rapha
Completed: September 2021
Purchase
The new standard of performance.
Trail riding has always meant enduring uncomfortable knee pads. Being hot, sweaty with stitch marks imprinted onto your legs has become the norm, with bulky sleeves and straps that bunch up when you ride.
RHEON LABS set out to fix this, combining Rapha’s decades of garment design experience with RHEON’s
energy-absorbing performance
to create the most protective, comfortable, lightweight pad possible.
I developed early geometry concepts for the Trail Knee Pad, utilising computational design to optimise comfort and breathability whilst maintaining impact protection. I coordinated real-world testing with Rapha’s riders to collect first-hand user feedback to drive the design partmership between Rapha and RHEON LABS.
// Behind the Design
The 3D structure was designed to flex with the natural movement of the rider during each pedal stroke, utilising anthropometric range of motion to control flexibility throughout the structure and 3D scans of real riders to ensure a perfect fit.
The open cell design maximises breathability and reduces weight to create a part that fels like it disappears in use.
// Rethink Protection.
Certified to the highest level of protection found in any pair of lightweight knee pads and created with a tightly packed surface geometry to keep out roots and rocks.
Tested in the labs and on the trails, by some of the best athletes in the world.
// Featured in