Rocket-Sauce 

Who uses them + how do you use them? I am interested in their aid in recovery. How long do you wear them post ride? What are the merits of the full tights vs shorts vs socks? I remember seeing Lance wearing the socks on the team bus. Why not the full tights?

What about massage? Would you put them on right after a post ride massage?

Also, how warm are they? I am thinking about getting a pair for a multi day fundraising ride, and was thinking of wearing them (if they work...) post ride. I usually finish the ride around mid day each day and am trying to decide if I'd do better wearing compression tights and being a little uncomfortably warm, or not wearing them but being cool...

Thanks!

rumrunn6

never heard of wearing such items post work out. I've enjoyed the compressive qualities of my bike shorts; trisuit and 3/4 tights but wearing them on the couch post ride they did nothing to prevent my body from getting tight - so off to the epsom tub soak I went.

aham23

https://www.zensah.com/men.html

i spend a lot of my work day sitting, either at desk or behind the wheel, and my legs ache like crazy some days after hard efforts. so, i picked up a pair of Zensah leg sleeves as recommended by a tri guy i know. these are pretty popular in the running and tri world and just seem to be creeping into the cycling world. i know Hincapie has their own line of compression gear new this year.

i will wear them all day on days where i know i am going to sitting on my arse for long periods of time. i feel like they help. that my legs feel "fresh" and ready to roll again. that dull ache is gone as well.

i cant help you with the rest. later.

Rocket-Sauce 

Compression tights / shorts / socks are no the same as bike shorts. They are much more compressive and in specific areas and in specific orientations. Compression post exercise is meant to aid in recovery, but studies are inconclusive at best. Every study that comes out, contradicts the previous.

Rocket-Sauce 

Skins has this video on their website but it seems to be either pure marketing or dumbed way down.
https://www.skinsusa.com/index.php/en/skins-labs.html/

botto 

guess you're not paying attention.

this is a thread about apples, not oranges.

fascinating.

therhodeo

Wow.

echappist

for those in the know, would you consider the cw-x stuff to be a good choice? they call their stuff compression, but it's hard to know if it'll be useful for recovery

Machka 

I wear them if I have to stand or sit for long periods of time.

Due to a genetic mutation, I am prone to developing blood clots. I developed a leg full of them on a flight over here to Australia last June and landed in hospital for 2 weeks. To keep my ankle from swelling up and to help promote circulation, I wear compression stockings under certain circumstances.

gsteinb

why do some cyclists wear the socks and not the tights?

botto 

did you attend the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning?

Rowan

The main area for developing blood clots as in deep vein thrombosis is the calves. From there, the clots can break free and work their way to the lungs and heart... a problem that can have fatal consequences. Likely the cyclists you see wearing the calf version have had a propensity to develop DVTs.

botto 

iirc it was the ancient greeks who referred to calves as the second heart.

gsteinb

i'm slow and really want to get this, since I bought and wear the skinz. the tights cover the calves, so is the calf compression on the socks tighter or somehow different, or are we nuancing personal preference here?

Machka 

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-compression-socks.htm
"The main purpose of compression socks is to provide graduated pressure on the lower leg and foot."

"The key to understanding compression socks lies in their graduated pressure application. Throughout an average day, the body pumps blood to all of the extremities as equally as it can. However, gravity often causes blood to pool in the lower legs and feet, causing circulatory problems such as edema, phlebitis and thrombosis. At the very least, all of this blood pooling can cause fatigue and leg cramps. Elevating the legs and feet may alleviate the pain temporarily, but it often returns after a few hours of constant standing or walking.

This is where the use of compression socks can be extremely beneficial. Compression socks use stronger elastics such as lycra, rubber or spandex to create significant pressure on the legs, ankles and feet. By compressing the surface veins, arteries and muscles, the circulating blood is forced through narrower channels. The arterial pressure is increased, causing more blood to return to the heart and less blood to pool in the feet. Compression socks are tightest at the ankles, gradually become less constrictive towards the knees. The soles of compression socks may be heavily padded for better shock absorption."

Rowan

The irony of all this is that exercising the legs as in cycling or walking, activates the calf muscles to perform one of their primary functions -- and that is to help the blood move back up the leg (veins have valves in them to stop the blood from flowing back down -- arteries on the other hand rely on pressure from each beat of the heart).

If you do a lot of long-haul air travel, it's essential to get up and walk around or at least move your feet up and down to activate the calf muscles and prevent the blood from pooling.

recon455

The socks are also usually way cheaper than the tights.

PlanetU

I wear the tights around the house after a long ride. They're fine, temperature-wise. When I travel I wear them under my pants. They absolutely aid recovery and keep my legs from fatigue after a long ride or multiple days of riding (or skiing or hiking or ...). When it's too warm to wear the tights under clothes, I wear the socks. I've also worn the socks while riding (even though it looks pretty stupid - although lots of IronMan triathletes where them); especially when I had a painful calf injury. I couldn't have ridden without them. I use 2XU brand. Many of my friends are using them now as well; with great success. They've been dubbed, the magic pants...
;-)

DCnoJ

I cycle and rock climb (specifically bouldering) throughout the week and I sometimes do both activities on the same day. On the days that I do both I cycle in the mornings and climb in the evenings. So the problem was was that I used to get a terrible soreness and burn as if tearing were occurring all over my quads during climbing because the falling and landing on my feet would be too stressful on my fatigued/sore/worked out quads. I started wearing compression pants a few weeks ago and I no longer get that terrible soreness/burn and now I have been able to start cycling on back to back days without any problems.

Probike

I attended a seminar on "Recovery" at Stellenbosch University a few weeks ago, and of all the recovery methods they investigated wearing tights during and post exercise for up to 72 hours had the best results. So I invested in a couple of pairs of Rockets full length tights prior to the Argus and worn them during and after the Argus. It was the first 4 hour cycle race that I have done without getting sore stiff muscles and no cramping.

So whilst my experience with them is limited to this one race so far, I must say I was very impressed with the results, so much so that I am buying another two pairs of a different make "Skins" just to compare, as I have read some articles claiming that the " Skins" gradual compression are very good, so I figure there is no harm in trying them out as well.

Wesley36

Joe Friel did a review of scientific articles on compression gear:

https://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/02...-clothing.html

He says that there are no clear-cut answers, but goes on to suggest that they are probably more suited to recovery than performance.

I have cw-x full length and 3/4 tights, and I find them astonishingly useful for recovery- really, they do more than I thought they would. After a hard ride I will change into a pair after my shower and wear them to bed and wake up with fresh legs.

But I also wear them riding (the reason I bought two pairs). CW-X has Kinesio Tape sewn into the tights, and I find this great for riding. I have had knee pains on again/off again for years, I have found neoprene knee braces helpful, but they are always sliding out of position. The CW-X Kinesio Tape knee support is basically like having a knee brace built in to my tights- actually, that is exactly what it is, so it stays in place quite well.

And finally, for the OP, the CW-X tights I have are made with CoolMax- quite comfortable is hot temperatures. When I went running in Singapore (hot and humid) I was wearing my full length CW-X tights, and I was comfortable- if anything, they are probably better in hot weather than shorts.

Supercameron

i think one reason for people going for the sock/shorts combo instead of full tights is to have more freedom of movement in your knee

Trailblazer3

Just wanted to share my $.02 regarding compression wear. I recently picked up a pair of compression pants at an endurance expo in the area. The brand is called 110%, and what I liked about their compression gear is they also have pockets that you can stuff ice packs (included with the pants) in a few areas, such as IT band, quads and around the knee. I was interested in this because I'm training for a tri in April, and was starting to develop ITBS and knee discomfort primarily from running (I'm a terrible runner -my form is beyond bad). After talking with the owner I decided to give their product a try, as the icing aspect of their product stood out. I've used their product for about a month now, and have made tremendous gains not only in my ITBS and knee issues, but my subsequent training has been much more comfortable. What I do is as soon as I can I will get the compression tights on after training and insert the ice packs for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I remove the ice packs but keep the tights on for the next 10-12 hours. I cannot say for sure its due to the compression gear, as I've also been focusing on IT stretches/foam roller/yoga as well, but I'm sure they have played a big part in my ability to shorten my recovery time in between training sessions. I'm a believer in compression use for recovery for sure.

Trailblazer3

Forgot to add -I also use a pair of Zensah compression sleeves during my runs. Seems to help tremendously for me, as I have always battled shin splints.

ancker

I wear 2XU compression socks when I ride. Depending on the intensity of the ride I will wear the 2XU recovery socks for an hour or so after I shower.
I've noticed less aches and pains in the hours after my rides and my legs feel a lot 'fresher' the morning after a hard ride.

I realize this is unscientific and at least partially placebo effect, but it's enough of an effect to make me continue to do it.