American brand 100% is mainly known for its goggles and sunglasses but also offers a wide range of MTB clothing and protectors. At first glance, the Teratec Plus knee pad looks rather big and bulky. This is mainly due to the wide cuff across the front of the thigh, which is made of a firm, lightly padded material and combined with a light mesh at the back of the knee.
Click here for an overview: 14 trail knee pads in test
Fastening System Elastic Strap | Lab Test Results 20 kN at 2.4 ms | Manufacturer’s website
The Teratec Plus forgoes Velcro fasteners and relies on a slip-on sleeve design instead, with printed silicone strips on the thigh and shin preventing it from slipping. Retailing at € 79, the 100% Teratec Plus is the second cheapest knee pad in this test, but at 210 g it’s also one of the heaviest ones. The Level 1 certified insert is firmly sewn into the sleeve and gives a reading of 20 kN residual force at 2.4 ms on the lab monitors, which places it in the midfield for protection.
The 100% Teratec Plus on the trail
Slipping into the 100% Teratec Plus can be tricky. The wide thigh cuff is stretchy but still quite tight and, as a result, the chunky silicone strip pulls on the hair of your legs, which can be rather uncomfortable. The long thigh-end of the sleeve makes it hard to put the knee pad on when you’re already wearing shorts. Once it’s on, the Teratec Plus offers an excellent and comfortable fit, with the wide, firm cuff holding it firmly in place. As a special design feature, the insert of the Teratec Plus isn’t attached directly to the thigh cuff, with a narrow strip of stretchy fabric connecting the two parts instead. This stops the insert from moving when you bend the knee, ensuring a comfortable fit when pedalling and preventing the pad from slipping. However, the wide cuff also has a drawback: the firm fabric makes the 100% one of the warmest knee pads in the entire test field. That being said, the excellent fit also makes it one of the clear favourites in this test – the 100% Teratec Plus secures a well-deserved Best Buy Tip!
Tops
- Very comfortable when pedalling
- Excellent fit
Flops
- Tricky to put on and take off
- Quite warm
You can find out more about at 100percent.eu.
The test field
Click here for an overview: 14 trail knee pads in test
All kneepads in test: 100% Teratec Plus | Alpinestars Paragon Plus (Click for review) | AMPLIFI Havok (Click for review) | Chromag Rift Knee Guard (Click for review) | Fox Launch D3O (Click for review) | Ion K Lite (Click for review) | iXS FLOW EVO+ (Click for review) | Leatt AirFlex Pro (Click for review) | Ortema GP5 Knee Protector (Click for review) | Pearl Izumi Elevate Knee Guard V1 (Click for review) | POC Joint VPD 2.0 Knee (Click for review) | Rapha Trail Knee Pad (Click for review) | Scott Soldier 2 (Click for review) | Troy Lee Designs Stage (Click for review)
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Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Mike Hunger
