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Wool Socks – A Treat For the Feet

09.28.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

It’s autumn now, and temperatures are already getting cold in the northern U.S. Even down here in Texas, we’ll soon be breaking out the arm warmers and the windbreakers and the wool socks.

Except me. I won’t have to break them out, because I’ve been wearing them throughout the summer.

Huh? Wool? In 100-degree heat?

Sure. What I found soon after getting my first pair of wool socks is that they keep you warm in the winter, but cool in the summer. It took me a little convincing, but now if I’m going to be on the bike for a two-hour ride, or longer, I’ll dig through the drawer to get the woolies.

Not only are they comfortable on the feet, the socks have an added benefit. They prevent hot spots on the soles of my feet. That’s a problem I have if I’m wearing my polyester socks and I’ll be in the saddle for awhile on a hot day. Last month when I did the Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred, I wore the wool socks, and although I had other kinds of problems, hot spots on my feet weren’t one of them.

Wool, of course, does a great job of wicking moisture from the skin, so even on hot days, your feet won’t get sweaty. That really adds to the comfort.

I liked them so much I got a pair for my wife, and now she’s looking to get some more.

The socks I wear are by Defeet, and are available all over for about $10 or less. They’re relatively thin, but feel thicker than the Coolmax socks I wear other times. Softer, too.

If you’re bothered by hot, achy feet in the summer, do what you probably already do in the winter — go for the wool.

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Categories // Accessories Tags // clothing, socks

White socks

12.14.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

Not the Chicago baseball team, the White Sox. No, rather, I was just musing about why I would even bother to buy white bicycling socks, when I know this is going to happen:

whitesox1

After today’s ride. Maybe some Stain Stick will take care of the problem. Maybe more care around the bike will eliminate the problem altogether.

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Categories // Accessories Tags // socks

I like bike socks

07.01.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

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!

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Categories // Accessories Tags // Accessories, clothing, socks

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