Polaris Cadence tight

The Cadence tight is the top non-bib model in the Polaris range. At a penny shy of fifty pounds this is placed in a tough market with many brands fighting it out in the entry-mid range price tag. I am not usually one for non-bib anything but all previous experiences with Polaris leg wear have been positive and the Candence tight offers some great features for the money.

Out of the packet you are bombarded with swing tickets to keep you up to date with all the trademarked bits and bobs. “Coolmax Silver” which has active antibacterial properties, “3-D Coolmax Pad” a technical multilayer pad and Polaris’s fleece-lined “Thermastretch” fabric – warm, breathable and fast wicking all in one. Sounds great for 50 squids.

Fit is quite respectable. I am not the raciest of shape but at 5’11 the medium was comfortably the right size for me. Thanks to the thick waistband there is none of the pinching or any other nasties that I relate to non bibs however on the road bike the position did lead to a undesirable draughty patch, a little too “coolmax” perhaps. In a commute position the cut is fine. The ankle stirrups are a good addition and keep your joints warm whilst eliminating the risk of the skin peeping out the top of the overshoe faux pas, nice.

So all in all these are great tights right? Well not quite, the main problem with these tights is the pad. Although ticking the right boxes by being breathable and multilayer the sheer size/volume of it puts it on the uncomfortable side of bearable. It feels more like wearing a large nappy and combined with poor positioning in the tights this saw me coming in from 4hrs sat on one side of the seat in agony, a feeling I associate with the end of a 24hr race not a 4hr spin. The bad positioning also means there is a large chunk of foam protruding up from between your legs. This flopped around in sync with my pedal stroke and rubbed the inside of my thighs. The size of the pad also meant that on me it sat up like a tent leaving an air void between me and it – so I didn't get the benefit of either its wicking properties or of any insulation - it also filled up with rushing cold air. It’s a shame because a well priced, well made feature packed tight is completely spoilt by the pad.

Verdict

On paper Polaris are offering a good set of tights with all the features you need for the bulk of your cold weather miles. In reality these tights are spoilt by an oversized and poorly positioned pad making them less than comfortable.