Well, I finally broke down and decided to purchase my first pair of tights since 2006. I take care of my running gear so the three pair I bought back then have served very well and are used often as I my night runs are usually a little cooler.With my recent knee issues I thought it would be a great time to try out the CW-X tights I have been thinking about since our information session at the beginning of the 2008 season. I went in on the weekend and browsed over the selection, finally deciding on the Insulator Expert Tights as they should offer more warmth (hence the Insulator) and I shouldn’t blow the kids X-Mas budget on my own gifts (Expect $118 rather than Pro $136).
So now I have three decent length runs (10k,14k,14k) in these bad boys and I am kicking myself for not purchasing earlier. These are only the intermediate level tights but my legs stay a lot stronger for so much longer than usual. I have already seen time improvements without pushing the pace as my form is so much better coming down the stretch than it has been.
Although, my knee was one of the big reasons I wanted to try them out, I am more amazed at the way my quads and hammies are performing late in the runs. I know the special knee lock design are helping but I think it is an overall form improvement that is keeping everything in line that makes the most positive impact to my recent running.
My one knock against the purchase is that I think I could have gone with the Regular Pro tight with more support than the Insulator Expert (same price) as I do not really feel much warmer than my old, regular tights I had for 2 years. The Insulator tight is suppose to have special technology to spread the body heat and keep things warmer but I have not felt any warmer than usual.
I would recommend CW-X tights if you want to perform better on the run.
I’m surprised that you don’t think they are that warm. Maybe my old tights are just really thin, but in the 3, 30 degree runs I’ve done, I’ve been really happy with how warm they have kept me, especially when it comes to blocking an extra chili wind.
Either way, two thumbs up from this corner as well. I’m a fan so far. The price is still a little steep, but I think you get a lot more than most tights that are around $60-80, so it makes the extra cash easy to justify.
Jamie,
Thanks for the comment! I now have some more runs in them and am still impressed with the new found strength in my legs but I still have been getting a little colder in my quads than expected. The rest of my legs are nice and warm but for some reason the top, front area feels a little cooler than the rest which is similar to my regular tights.