Cycling Socks

Victory Chimp has launched Reflective City Socks in collaboration with cycling technology company See.Sense.

Retaining the much-loved fit and performance features of Victory Chimp’s core sock range (which we reviewed last year), the brand has added an innovative, highly reflective yarn, woven seamlessly into the city stripes design. 

The subtle design is paired with super soft, breathable fabric for all-day comfort on the bike, or wearing about the office before the ride home.

The socks are available in navy or charcoal grey and are designed to help keep you safe and visible on commutes, training spins or longer rides without looking garish or out of place with your work trews.

Featuring a 6″ cuff, the Reflective City Socks are designed in Northern Ireland and manufactured in Italy. Made from Meryl Skinlife® high performance yarn
 – a super soft, high-wicking fabric 
- the socks are antibacterial & odour eliminating with a breathable mesh upper. They have a padded footbed for comfort, a reinforced heel and toe for durability 
and a strong upper cuff to make sure they stay in position. Nobody wants a sock which slides down their ankle, wrinkling at the foot… The elasticated arch adds support 
and the flat seam toe ensures comfort.

The socks cost £13 from Victory Chimp.

Victory Chimp creates cycling-inspired art and apparel, dreamed up on the roadside and worked out in the studio. It’s also the alter-ego of Ryan O’Reilly, a Northern Irish bike-riding designer and illustrator.

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.

We’ve been indulging in some #sockdoping lately, courtesy of boutique cycling brand Victory Chimp who sent us some of their new Hill Repeat Socks in glorious Celeste.

Call us judgmental, but we believe socks say a lot about a cyclist. While we don’t generally go in for The Rules – nobody likes being dictated to – we do believe that a cyclist’s sock game is important. This is one area of cycling apparel that we’ll get bossy about.

The Vamper.cc Sock Rules are brief but important:

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.

The new range of Victory Chimp cycling socks will definitely help you to up your #sockdoping game. 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. It has a 6″ cuff, too, so there is plenty of pattern on show.

They’re really soft, with a breathable mesh upper and a super comfy padded footbed. When you pull them on, it feels like your feet are being hugged. It’s a rather nice sensation.

From their first outing, they became our sock of choice. And as they’ve already been washed and worn more than a dozen times, we can attest to the quality, too.

Why did I look so happy cycling up Box Hill? Probably because my feet looked so good…

Victory Chimp cycling socks are available for £10.00.