When I was a runner (jogger, really) I wore cotton socks that just came up to the ankle. Once I started biking, these seemed to do fine. Looking through Nashbar and Performance catalogs, I saw listings for bicycle-specific socks, which I thought was ridiculous overkill. After all, socks are socks.
That attitude has changed. Last Christmas, my wife gave me a red jersey, and she had to throw in a pair of red bike socks with it. It took me one ride to decide bike socks were worth having.
They’re worth having because they’re light, and thin, and their polyester yarns keep your feet so much drier than plain old cotton socks. And they’re just so comfortable! I wouldn’t ride without them now.
But I’m still not sure about some of the designs that can be found on the socks. Even the relatively tame two-tone blue ones are a bit “out there” for me.
No matter. I’m tempted to buy more pairs, and use them for activities other than biking. Cotton socks, your time is over!