Full disclosure: I do not work for CEP, but I do work for a CEP retailer; I didn’t pay full retail for this product, but after trying them, I certainly would have.
So it recently came to my attention that CEP (the company that until recently made Zoot’s CompressRx line) is now making a tri short. I am a big fan of compression socks, so compression shorts seemed like a natural next step. I ordered them a week agoand just received them on Thursday. After my first few workouts, I decided I had to bring these shorts to the attention of ST.
First impression- These are not cheap shorts; they’re more expensive than all but the nicest bike shorts. However, they do make an impression before you even try them on. The box is very cleanly designed and very sturdy(you have to see it for yourself, I’ve never seen such packaging for clothing), it comes with a fitting guide and a little mesh laundry bag to wash the shorts in. The shorts are nothing special to look at, but they’re not ugly, just bland.
Trying them on the first time- fitted, snug, not too tight anywhere (I’ve had -ahem- snugness issues with other compression shorts in the past). The length is great if you like a longer short- I’m a 6’0" guy with a 33" inseam, and they go all the way down to the top of my kneecap. The legs of the garment are extremely well ventilated- you can see a little skin through the fabric, but they’re not a mesh short, just a very wide weave. At the top of the thigh/hamstring, the knit gets tighter, so you don’t have to worry about any unintentional full disclosures, even when wet (I tried this, nothing showed).
Performance- The pad is surprisingly nice. I wasn’t expecting much, but it is certainly comparable to my current standby Pearl Izumi shorts, perhaps even a bit more comfortable. A little more noticeable on the run, but not enough to bother me. The legs have no grippers, and honestly, they have no need for grippers- the shorts may have ridden up 2-3cm on me in the course of 65 minutes of biking/running, including a hill interval workout. The compression made a noticeable difference, especially during the hill repeats. I normally get 2-4 in (~300m, deep grass, 10-11% grade), and I did 6 today with less distress than normal, after a 20 minute bike and 30 minutes on some tame trails. Haven’t done any long rides in them yet, but my short rides have been very comfortable thus far on shorter rides. It has a medium sized origami pocket in the small of your back- nothing special, but bigger than I usually see. Seems pretty secure with 2 Gu in it, probably had room for 1-2 more.
Bottom line: If you have the money and believe in/enjoy compression gear, you should seriously consider these. I have had them for less than 3 days, and barring any unforseen issues with them, these are now my go-to short. They also make a plain running version, for those of you who need something for straight running too, although I’m considering just making these my summer racing shorts for all races, bike or no. Well done CEP.