Compression - Prendas Ciclisimo Style

Over the past week or two, bianchista HQ has been testing out some of those rather curious looking compression socks from the very lovely Prendas boys. 
Im sure many of you have noticed the rather in vogue trend of wearing special recovery garments post ride, usually in the guise of knee length socks or full length tights. Many claims are staked by manufacturers of said garments..... improvement in recovery, injury prevention and even improvements in output. But is it to be believed, or is it simply a case of marketing hype and merely a passing fad to which we will all look back upon with a wry smile in a few years time?
The Prendas socks are constructed from a mix of the fabulously space age sounding Lycra Energy and Skinlife Meryl fabrics, and come in black, with a comfy padded heel and toe area, making them very comfortable indeed for a post ride laze on the couch. The theory behind the socks is the tightness they fit with. Its this feature that provides the graduated compression, that in layman's terms, pushes the blood back to the heart and helps flush lactic away from tired calves. 

I wore the socks after various rides, between 2-5 hours. I was initially sceptical of the claims, but as soon as I was home, I drank my usual protein drink and then pulled on the funny looking socks, reminiscent of something from my high school PE lessons. I tried to keep them on as long as I could, on a couple of occasions even popping them back after a bath and sleeping in them.
After the first session of wearing the socks (after a 4 hour Surrey ride) I was very impressed. I'm not sure if the effect was psychological, but my legs definitely felt lighter and fresher than when I do my usual big ride and crash out without the socks. I noticed about a 40-50% reduction in how tired my legs would normally feel, and I was able to get out on the bike the next day go just as hard. I wore the socks after a week of riding in the park every day prior to work, with some sessions being hard interval rides, that edge I felt the socks gave me was so very welcome indeed. The socks can be worn inconspicuously under work attire, meaning when sat at the desk they can get to work and reinvigorate knackered legs.  

Once again Prendas manage to smash through the value for money barrier, offering the socks for a shade under £15, great considering other compression specialising manufacturers are whacking a tenner on top of that price. I was also impressed at their sizes, with two different calf sizes available to ensure the right compression is yielded. 

For the price of £15 I would highly recommend these socks. Whilst the subtle edge that I felt they gave me could even be explained away as a placebo effect, for the price offered, they are definitely worth a punt. So many pro riders are pictured wearing the socks post racing, that anything the pro's do for an edge must have some sort of reasoning behind it! Il leave you with a pretty good endorsement of the product from champion cyclo-crosser Helen Wyman post Koppenberg win....

Prendas Compression socks are available in various sizes at £14.95