Attaquer

Clothes maketh the man, and socks maketh the cyclist. There’s no point having the coolest cycling kit on your back if it all goes to pot at your feet, so we’ve rounded up our pick of the six best cycling socks out there.

In case you need a reminder of The Vamper.cc Sock Rules, here they are:

1. Thou shalt not wear those ghastly concealed socks, which poke out around the ankle in an embarrassed, undignified fashion. Have the courage to wear your socks long, loud and proud.
2. Thou shalt take pride in one’s sock game and coordinate one’s ankles with the rest of one’s kit.

Now, to the socks…

This is Cambridge create bold and beautiful cycling apparel. The British brand’s range of socks are super technical as well as super stylish: the Hors catégorie sock features Meryl Skinlife® which is a high performance yarn containing antibacterial properties to maintain the natural balance of the skin, thereby reducing unwelcome odours. And style-wise, they feature a generous 15cm cuff, making them an ideal sock choice for cyclists who want to make a statement in the saddle. They are currently priced at £10.80 (reduced from £13.50).

 

The Victory Chimp Hill Repeat socks in Celeste are some of our favourites. With a wavy stripe design inspired by undulating training roads and the uniform profiles of sets of intervals, the Hill Repeats cycling sock is particularly sharp, as well as being wicking, lightweight and breathable. They feature a 6″ cuff, too, so there is plenty of pattern on show. Buy them from Victory Chimp for £10.00.

Morvelo is known for its ballsy prints and bold cycling kit, and that fondness for bright colours and eye catching designs extends to the brand’s socks. Lightweight and highly breathable, the Morvelo Never Rest socks wick moisture away rapidly with an anti-bacterial yarn to reduce odours. We love the snugness of these socks which wash well, retain their elasticity and look sharp. They are priced at £10.00.

MAAP design some of the coolest cycling kits out there. This cycling brand from Down Under goes in for super cool detailing and super high performance. The Dot Sock is made in Australia from a cotton/nylon blend, and features an open mesh on the top of the foot for added breathability. British summers might not always mean that’s a priority, but it’s always good to know your feet won’t overheat in the rare event of a hot day… They are priced at AUD $30.00, or you can buy them from Sigma Sport for £20.00.

 

Café du Cycliste brings a certain je ne sais quoi to the cycling wardrobe with this chic pair of Breton-striped cycling socks. The Cafe du Cycliste Breton Sock features a fine gauge merino-rich blend combining elastane for stretch, synthetic fibres for durability and anti-blister yarn for comfort. The thermoregulating nature of merino helps to keep your feet cosy on cool rides and cool on hot days. Mon dieu! What’s more, the fibre’s natural antibacterial properties will keep your tootsies fragrant. The socks are available from Velovixen for £16.00.

Aussie cycling brand Attaquer shares our sock philosophy: no cycling kit should ever been subjected to a pair of puny ankle socks. If you’re going to wear cool kit, it needs to be cool from head to toe and that means the 18cm length of this natty pair is spot on. They’re not just super long and cool looking: these socks also feature silver yarn technology to provide natural anti-bacterial protection, moisture management, extra comfort and odour elimination. You can buy them from G!ro Cycles for £14.95.

Victoria’s pick of the coolest women’s cycling jerseys:

The sun is out and the mercury is rising. All I can think about is getting out on my bike in the coolest women’s cycling jerseys of 2016. The Vamper.cc kit is, of course, our favourite – more about that here! – but that’s not to say there aren’t a lot of cool kits out there this season. Here’s my pick of the bunch…

Feel free to share your objects of desire in the comments, or tell us on Twitter what you’re lusting over.

Attaquer – Core Brush Women’s Cycling Jersey

The Attaquer Core Brush jersey in teal is vibrant and summery and bold and beautiful. We like the colour and the subtle fade of this graffiti-esque women’s cycle jersey, and from what we’ve seen of Attaquer kit, we’d expect the fabric to be top notch too.

AUS$179.95 – From Attaquer

 

MAAP – Arrows Women’s Cycling Jersey

The Aussies really know how to do cool cycle kits. Maap’s Arrows women’s cycle jersey is sharp: we like both colourways, but the navy and coral really floats our boat. Properly cool.

AUS$180.00 – From MAAP

 

Twin Six – The Artcrank Women’s Cycling Jersey

What’s black and white and red all over? The Artcrank women’s cycle jersey from Twin Six. This is not a jersey for the faint hearted, but we think it’s pretty fabulous. A whole peloton in this design might be migraine-inducing, for a solo cyclist, we think this rocks.

US$85.00 – From Twin Six

 

 

Giro – Chrono Pro Women’s Cycling Jersey

We adore the nebular print of this Giro women’s cycle jersey. What can we say? It’s out of this world. Understated, chic and unusual.

£139.99 – By Giro, from Wiggle

 

Stolen Goat – Momentum Women’s Cycling Jersey

“Moving effortlessly from one colour to another, this jersey represents our freedom of movement on the bike.” – Well. We’re not sure about that, but we do like the trendy ombre-effect and the bold shades of this women’s cycle jersey from Stolen Goat. Very smart indeed.

£60.00 – From Stolen Goat

Matt’s pick of the coolest men’s cycling jerseys:

 

Velobici – Verne (Cannon Grey)

This lightweight short-sleeved three-season number from Leicestershire’s own Velobici had us drooling from the outset. A great colour combination with technical detailing to match, its sartorial credentials are firmly at the forefront. Those in the know will be able to spot your finery from afar and will duly admire.

£150  – From Velobici

 

 

Attaquer – GiroXAttaquer

Is there any brand on top of their game like Attaquer are right now? If so, we would love to see them. With exquisite collaborations in conjunction with G!ro and Dosnoventa as well as a riotous range of cool cycling jerseys for both men and women, we’d sell our grannies* for pretty much everything they purvey.

*ok, not our grannies. But perhaps our souls.

£89.95 – From Giro Cycles

 

 

La Passione – Summer Diagonal Jersey (Blue)

A return to true classic lines and hues, this summer offering from La Passione hits the mark in delivering bold shades in a powerful yet understated way. Showy but without bling, this jersey let others know that you know your onions…

£54 – From La Passione

 

 

Rapha.cc – Classic Jersey (Black)

Sometimes it just has to be black, the unmistakable silhouette that sets off just about any bike. Rapha have nailed it with the Core. The subtle injection of contrast with the white and pink elements are understated and cool. A collection to remind you of the timelessness of cycling.

£110 – From Rapha.cc

 

 

Hunter Bros – Butterfly Jersey

If you can allay your vehement dislike of flying insects for more than a few hours (yes, Matt – you!) this punchy number from Antipodean apparel artistes Hunter Bros will have you soaring above the crowd. Tell me you see beautiful kit like this in Richmond Park. Go on, tell me. You can’t, can you? Because you don’t. Let’s bring some style from Down Under to London.

AUS$155 – From Hunter Bros