Sock Assistance
 

Hey, gang. So, Santa is getting me a bunch of cycling stuff for Christmas and one of those items is socks. I know nothing about socks. Where I ride, it rarely gets below say 26 F. When it is in that temperature range, as it will be tonight, it is usually clear. I don't ride in snow. The rest of the time, the temp. ranges from sort of 36 F to maybe 46 F. It rains constantly, though our kind of rain is usually quite light. New Orleans and Mobile get way more rain annually than Portland or Seattle, but it does rain all the time here.

So, the question is, what kind of sock is best for this situation. I rode this morning in my regular, thin cycling socks only for about 90 minutes in 29 degrees with no precip. and my feet were cold at the conclusion of the ride. Do I need merino? Synthetic? Blend? What about these waterproof socks sold by Showers Pass and others, at such a premium? Are they worth it?

Any and all input is appreciated. Oh, and just for completeness' sake, my shoes are Sidi Genius 7, I think they're 7 (?).

Nothing fancy here. I wear wool socks because they wick the water away and still keep feet warm. Just me.

I second wool. For just cool weather (down to 32°F), I use thinner alpine ski socks. For down to about 25°, I try to find thicker ones. For really cold temperatures, I like over the knee cross country ski socks but those can be hard to find. About the only place I’ve been able to find them in the last 10 years or so is at Cabela’s.

A couple more notes: Winter shoes that are waterproof and wind blocking will keep your feet warmer. Lake, 45NRTH, Shimano and even Sidi make them. They are somewhat expensive but are waterproof. You probably don’t need the warmest boot in those lines, however. You probably don’t need 45NRTH Wolfgars or Lake MXZ304s.

And you probably want to buy winter shoes that are a size or 2 larger than what you regularly wear. if you have thicker socks, regular shoes will be too tight and will make your feet colder.

Well, just a quick update. I researched waterproof socks and found them to be quite expensive, esp. the American-made (Showers Pass--$36-45/pair). I found these, which were well-reviewed: https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Fa...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==. Much more reasonable and am going to give them a go. Just ordered some generic wool socks for strictly (not wet) cold conditions. We shall see. The rains still have not started yet and I note that November was something like the 5th driest November in, like, 80 years or something. I dunno. It's been dry. Global warming has been good to my city... (not)

I hear Darn Tough Socks are good.

I wear Gold Toe. They last a long time. I think they're 85% wool and 15% nylon. Or something.

Thanks a bunch for that Darn Tough referral. Just ordered some. Looks like it might be a pretty solid company, from a distance, anyway. 16 bucks is more up my alley than 45. My mother, God rest her soul (she was an atheist and I am a Christian), would literally come back out of her urn and find me if I bought a pair of socks that cost 45 bleeping dollars. So, I better not do that...

These are the socks I've been wearing for decades. $15 for a three-pack and they last a long time. I used to look dorky wearing black socks with athletic gear, but that came into style, and I didn't have to change anything. I like the short length of these socks.

I've been using REI Merino Expedition socks for...a long time. My current pairs are on their ninth or tenth winter season and still going strong. These will take me into the 30s without neoprene covers.

These socks are quite thick, so might not work with most people's setups...it's one case where skinny feet are actually a benefit!

Mobile...yeah. I lived there for a couple years. No proper winter, but literally the hardest place I ever bike commuted. There were many, many Shawshank Redemption moments on my way into work. I'll take -33, over that, thanks.

fwiw - this time of year, I break out the sock liners, basically a very thin sock to be worn under other socks. so I start with those, then address the daily weather with other measures, meaning what outer sock to wear, what shoe or boot to wear & whether or not a chem pack toe or hand warmer is needed. not to go off on too many tangents, let my contribution be the "sock liner" ... of the various that I use, these are my favorite & I have several pair

Fox River X-Static Liner Socks

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dae5244f4e.jpg

The secret to warm feet in Portland is 1) keeping your socks dry and 2) keeping wind and water off your ankles.

For 1) I use shoes a size lager this time of year. Then I put my bare foot in a produce bag. The usual socks. Another produce bag. A thin, stretchy high sock that old men wear. Tights go over al this.

For 2) I made Portland gaiters from stretchy outdoor fabric. They are about 7" high. Width of the top half is for a snug fit around my ankles under my tights. Bottom half to go over my cycling boots. (I now use them also for by cycling shoes but that had not occurred to me when I made them to fit over my 45 North Fasterkatt boots. There is leakage between the gaiters and my shoes but they still help a lot.)

Now, those boots, if the work for your feet and cleat/pedals, are the cat's meow for Portland. Rated to and good to 25F (says this cold blooded guy old enough that he no longer generates the heat he used to ). They are for SPD/2-bolt cleats. They are great riding, good walking and comfortable indoors. Also fast on and off once broken in a little.

Ben

Yeah, thanks. Big REI guy here. Still use my 10 year-old rain jacket because it still works and because the Showers Pass I really like is almost 400 flipping dollars! Love to support local businesses and I am really into cycling, but 400 clams for a rain jacket is just beyond my ability to really grasp. Anyway, I just wanted to ask on those liners, when did you last order them and was the sizing all right? Saw some whining on the REI site about poor sizing. Thanks!