SixSixOne DBO Knee Pad

15years ago, a certain 17 year old kid made Rampage history, and his protection sponsor would soon leave its mark on the mountain bike world as well. I’m talking about Kyle Strait and 661 of course – everybody remembers that suicide no hander, and I’m pretty sure everybody has owned a pair of 661 Kyle Strait kneepads as well at some point. Fast forward to 2019, and Kyle is still throwing those suis off massive cliffs, and 661 is still making protection. After a bit of a slump, the brand is on the comeback trail, and they’ve launched a bunch of new products recently with more to come.

SixSixOne DBO Knee and Elbow Pads Highlights

• D3O T5 insert
• Safety certification: EN 1621:1 level 1
• Single strap
• 661 “Padlock” compatible
• Sizes: Youth, S, M, L, XL
• MSRP: $74.99 USD (knee) / $69.99 USD (elbow)

SixSixOne Recon Advance Body Armor Highlights

• Koroyd backplate (certified EN 1621-2)
• Astrotech elbow and shoulder twin layer foam (certified EN 1621-1)
• Extra EVA pad
• Hydration bladder compatible
• Sizes: S-XL
• 661 “Padlock” compatible
• MSRP: $239.99 USD

Video Review

We covered the DBO pads and Recon Advance Body Armor in Vital MTB's Gear Show. Fast forward to 12min11s for the goods, or watch the whole show to not miss a beat:

Descending in a strait line from the original strait pads, the new DBOs are built around the same principles: a visco-elastic main pad attached to a soft-shell body. We tested 661’s EVO pad a while back, and although we liked the comfort it offered, we found it a bit lacking and weirdly sized to boot. The DBO fixes all those issues, with added lateral protection and a more consistent fit. Definitely one of the more comfortable pads out there, it now sits better on the knee and will happily accompany you all day out for anything from the bike park to long trail rides. The lateral protection which was on the skimpy side on the EVO pad has been beefed up on the DBO, leaving the knee less exposed to impacts from the side. Pair it up with the elbow protectors from the same series if you want your arms safe too. At about $70 bucks per pair, it’s all money well spent.

The Recon Advance is the latest full upper body protector from 661, and it’s a different animal to those old hockey goalie Halloween outfits that they used to make us wear back in the day. Made with super light materials, this thing weighs in at under a kilo but still delivers the relevant safety certifications for the back, elbow and shoulder pads. It also uses additional EVA foam pads to protect other critical areas. The back protector is made from Koroyd, you know that material that looks like somebody glued a bunch of drinking straws together? (don’t try that at home kids). Well it delivers all the protection you need, but without the weight and bulk of a big visco-elastic pad, and it breathes a lot better too.

661 gave this product a lot of thought, and it shows in the extra features. It can take a hydration bladder which is cool for those long, hot lift rides in summer. It has plenty of stash pockets so you’ll never have to suffer the humiliation of riding the lift down to buy a spare tube again. To round off, 661 has their Padlock system which allows you to connect your different pieces of body armor together with a bunch of little connectors and straps. On the trail, this thing is about as comfortable as they come. Sure, you still feel like you’re wearing armor, but it’s much less restrictive these days and it breathes a whole lot better too. We’ve tested in some pretty hot conditions and we’re still here to tell the tale. We’ve not done any extensive crash testing but the fit and the construction of the Recon Advance have us thinking that it would indeed do its job. $240 is a fair chunk of change, but it's more or less the going rate for products in this category and if you're after protecting as much of your body as you can, this one is about as comfortable and lightweight as they come.

For more information, head on over to www.sixsixone.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 46 // Years Riding MTB: 14 // Weight: 190-pounds (87-kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Nils Hjord and Johan Hjord