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Ever since my BMX racing days, when my calves got huge, I’ve had trouble finding socks that didn’t end up around my ankles, making me tend to go without whenever I could. That’s fine in your twenties and thirties, but as you head towards middle age, going without socks starts to raise questions about your maturity level. When I started getting back into cycling, one of my favorite discoveries this time around was cycling socks.

Cycling socks, by and large, tend to be shorter, thinner and they wear and breathe well. While I can’t wear them with a suit, I can rock a pair of unusual cycling socks with jeans at the office and sport a little style that others don’t have.

Sometimes, however, you need something a little longer and a little more plain. We’ve recently had the chance to review several wool blend socks from Sock Guy, Fox River and Icebreaker that seem to fit that bill.

The Sock Guy socks came from Harlot Cycle Wear in the form of their “Beaver Sock“. The wool blend is soft and comfortable and keep my feet dry in both cold and hot conditions. The basic black color  is offset by a beaver graphic and  “Save the Beaver” on the arch. The socks have held up very well in the wash and have kept their elasticity and cushion. With a 4 inch cuff, these don’t quite serve as dress socks, but provide a little more ankle coverage for those less casual days at the office. ($13, mens and women’s sizes available)

Joneswares has given us some great merino wool cycle clothing to test – we’ll have more on those as the mercury starts to dip again – but we have had a chance to try the Fox River socks that they sell. The Fox River socks come in both a quarter crew and full crew version and are a blend of Merino wool and Primaloft. These too are a light and thin sock that works well in cycling shoes or running shoes and are suitable both on and off the bike. Ribbing in the midsole and ankle areas seem to help the sock conform better to the shape of your foot, and unlike some wool socks I’ve had, they seem to have maintained this shape through numerous washings. ($14 for the quarter crew, $15 for the full crew, mens and women’s sizes)

Finally, there is the Bike/Run Lite Mini sock from Icebreaker. These are just one of many wool socks that Icebreaker makes and while they are not a wool blend, they seem to share characteristics with the other socks that we have reviewed here – thin, light and comfortable while offering a little more of a subdued look if you want to wear them to the office. Icebreaker offers a broad line of socks, from near no-show
sport socks to longer crew styles. ($15, mens and womens sizes from XS to
XXL)

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