When I received the email letting me know that I had won a CWX gear credit in the Team Running Free lottery, I was pumped! I have worn CWX tights since 2009 – well before I was a member of Team Running Free – and really love the product.Based on the “tight selector” application on the CWX website, I picked up a pair of the CWX Pro tights, which is what I have been using all along. I typically only wear my CWX tights for recovery and, since I was training for Ironman Mont Tremblant this year, I definitely put the product to the test. I also wore my previous pair of CWX Pro tights when I was training for Ironman Canada in 2010 and found that they performed great. I would wear my tights mainly after long runs and long rides for a couple hours and sometimes even overnight if I had done a long run in the evening after work.Compared with other brands of tights I have tried, I find that the CWX tights have great compression. I just found that some other brands really didn’t “feel” as those they were actually doing anything. Now, I’m really not sure if it was just the placebo effect, but I really found that my CWX tights reduced soreness and fatigue in my legs. This was very apparent when I would wear the tights overnight and would wake up with my legs feeling great (or as great as can be expected) – even after a long 25-30k + run.
I find that the CWX Pro tights fit really snug without being uncomfortable and I didn’t find that they rubbed or pinched anywhere. The support web that runs throughout the tights also seemed to provide extra support and compression in key areas. The tights were easy enough to get on if I worked them up my legs (like you would with your wetsuit) and the draw string at the waist was helpful in keeping the tights in place when I wore a pair of shorts over them.
My only “negative” (and I use that word very loosely in this case) comment would be that these tights are a little thicker than other brands I have tried and can be a little warm if you sleep in them, but based on the performance of the product, I’m happy to sleep on top of the covers if I plan to wear them to bed! As well, I haven’t worn these tights on any long runs, so I can’t comment on how they perform in that type of situation (i.e. moisture wicking, breathability, etc.)
Overall, I have been extremely pleased with my CWX Pro tights. As I said, I was wearing these tights years before winning the lottery credit, so you can trust that my review is honest!
