Linebreak compression pants review
Spandex on NSR? Spandex on NSR. Read the review and if you are serious about racing see if it is required…
What are compression pants? Similar to wetsuit material the basic purpose of them is to speed up muscle recovery time. Most of the UCI BMX Supercross field already use compression pants and I have even seen Jarred Graves use them for 4x. Before you stop reading about all this “spandex” know that compression pants really do make a difference to your riding. If you are serious about gaining every advantage you can on race day, read on.
I visited the official Linebreak website to see what they were all about and they have a simple marketing approach: none whatsoever. The Australian company keeps it very simple and avoids all the usual marketing mind tricks which is a refreshing change from having products rammed down your throat.
I gave the Linebreaks several race and practice tests to see if they really work. They fit well and after one ride you forget that you even have them on. Wearing them in summer with long race pants on I was worried I would overheat and lose all my energy through sweat loss. Turns out my legs felt cooler with them on and Linebreak claims they help reduce fluid loss by up to 31%. The pants do this by regulating your core temprature, something I feel right away when I always put them on. Its definitely a plus to have something which helps your legs to recover and then keep them cool at the same time.
After a race and a lot of sprints my legs would definitely feel less stiff and fatigued afterwards as they usually do. Using the Linebreaks throughout the Sunday race, my Monday legs did not even know they had been on the track. I also rode for a whole day without them and used them afterwards to recover which I found helped as well. As a control test I rode hard without them the entire day and afterwards I could feel that I had not been wearing the Linebreaks.
Yes, the other kids will make fun of you wearing tights but they are easily hidden under riding pants if that sort of thing bothers you. I would not wear them with shorts as a slipped pedal would easily tear them as it would any garment. To back up everything I have said about these pants is reams of medical data which you can read up on more via the Linebreak website. For the purpose of this review I wanted to keep it simple: do they work or not? Yes they do everything it says on the box and I never race without them now. More Downhill/BMX/Motocross racers use compression wear than you think but you would never know with them being under their race pants.
I reviewed the Velocity tights which retail locally for around the R680 mark and are available nationwide from various bike stores or online via cricketshop.com (mention NSRMTB for a 10% discount and order via email). Note that compression wear is divided into mens and womens categories so check the label if you are not sure. For MTB and BMX the Velocitys are best suited since they cover the entire leg. Linebreak makes several other products which are aimed at other sports such as running with their compression socks and tops.
