Ever thought about adding a little compression recovery to your training rides or races? There’s certainly plenty of evidence to support (forgive the expression) the fact that a little tight squeeze goes a long way both in terms of promoting performance and aiding faster recuperation, but with pro kit often flirting with the upper reaches of extortionate Cyclo was pleased to find a budget option to bring you. At just £12.00 the Nike Dri-Fit Knee High socks are as far from a thing of beauty as they are from being technologically advanced, but crucially what they do deliver is the basic compression dished up by even the most expensive of alternatives. Anatomically designed for left/right foot they are missing the arch support of compression socks like those made by Compressport (£35.00) but do have a little lateral squeeze along the length of the outer plantar to add to their beneficial purpose.
We certainly didn’t find these comfortable enough to actually saddle up in – nor in fairness are they particularly designed to be – but as post-race/exercise options they are hard to beat for the money. Apart from cases where you are clearly paying for a brand name (though Nike’s pretty big, right?) there is always an element of getting what you pay for with compression kit and these socks are never going to replicate the excellence of techie high-end solutions. But if you want to add a bargain recovery element to your kit bag (Cyclo recons you should) then this could really be the place to start. Slipping a pair on after your training brings comfort and stability to fatigued muscles all for a price you could barely get a good pair of non-compression socks for.
