Rule #28 says it right there: DeFeet Wooleators rule! When that was written, I’d only ever worn standard issue polyester or whatever socks. I hadn’t considered wool as I thought it might be too hot for Australian conditions. Moving to New Zealand maybe broadened my sock horizons, and I gave the black woolies a try. It was love at first ride. Everything about them was perfect. Yes, even the colour.
I started wearing black socks in about ’93 or ’94, when I read an article on Travis Brown in Mountain Bike magazine. The article focussed on his style, which included a goatee, pointy sideburns, big earrings and the seemingly abominable black socks. I was a bit of a societal outcast at the time, kinda, playing in a punk band at night, yet taking care of my partner’s kids before and after school, while riding all day in between. I liked the rebelliousness of black socks, I already had the earrings, and grew the facial accoutrements accordingly. With no cycling specific black socks around, business socks were the go-to.
When the Pro road peloton started experimenting with black, the main protagonists were Hincapie and Gunderson. Neither of whom I was a fan of, but not because of their footwear. I had to find fault with the only thing I thought they had any credibility for: and at the time, the excessive length of their socks was it. Cyclists didn’t wear anything over a 3 or 4 inch cuff, dammit. And the DeFeets were the perfect length.
Now, however, having tried the longer Wooleators a couple of years back, my lower legs feel naked with anything less than 5″ covering them. The mountain biking world had long embraced the long black, and with more and more road Pros rocking the longs, it seemed, well, it seemed right. Even our DeFeet V-socks are most popular in the longer version, even among we Keepers who desperately cling to tradition.
White, yes… long, yes. Black, we’re still split. But I’m hoping for a long black wool V-sock in the not-too-distant future. Then all will be right, if not white.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/brettok@velominati.com/woolie/”/]
*The use of animal products sits a little uncomfortably with me for ethical reasons, so I looked into the wool sourcing by DeFeet, and am assured that the wool they use is environmentally sustainable and humanely sourced. It’s not perfect, (nor am I) but it’s a start.
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@Rob
This. In addition to the Wooleators, I have the very thin Smartwool socks, which are perfect for really warm weather. I'm going to wear them for a schweddy-balled summer gravel ride today, in fact.
The correct wool is perfect any time of year.
@PeakInTwoYears
P.I.T.Y.s, too bad we don't still wear wool shorts... With a water bottle dumped over them in hot weather it solved the schweddy- ball problem! Only they then tended to sag unless the suspenders were tight and the leather chamois got slimy, so I guess not so much, eh?
@Rob
Well, I live in the perfect area to find out for myself then.....
FFS! We are very apart on this.
I love wool socks, even in hot weather if they are lightweight.
@Rob
Schweddy Balls. Hehe.
^ So with you on this Big G!
Love these. Not a compulsive sock hoarder, like others, but I enjoy my pair a great deal... In all weather.
@Gianni
LOVE the shoes! Sock length is a tad disturbing however . . . . . I need to get some wool socks for winter rides here in WI. Merckx knows I have multiple pairs of overshoes, but maybe a wool sock would be a better place to start?
Just found some nice white socks at Walgreens of all places. All white with just the right length cuff and not too ribbed in that department. I do ride black socks about 10% of the time, but otherwise, it old school white.
By the way Rob, have you ever worn wool shorts? My first pair were wool back in the dark ages. Nightmare in every department. We just don't know how good we have it these days.
Yeah, I had wool shorts with leather chamois once upon a time. Of course at the time I thought they were the shit. But the new wool socks and base layers are amazing.
@PeakInTwoYears
With hindsight, they WERE shit! But we didn't know any better did we?