Socks

Surface's stripy Crew Socks socks are colourful and comfortable city cycling socks. There are many sports specific socks on the market and you might wonder if you really need special socks for city cycling. The answer is yes, from wearing these socks.

Surface is the clothing brand from Charge bikes, but no kitchen product names this time.

The Surface Crew Socks are soft, comfortable and foot shaped in the right places for cycling. There are six colours available from a vibrant red and blue or orange and brown to more demure shades of grey.

Sealskinz Thin Ankle Length Socks bring three seasons' waterproof practicality to snug-fitting race shoes, while offering excellent defence against blistering and abrasion. Despite almost three week's daily service and the best efforts of my deformed toe, my test pair still look and smell like new.

Keeping your feet warm at this time of year can be a challenge (more so for some people) but technical sports sock specialists Moose offer the NordKapp in their cycling socks range, and they're designed to protect your feet from the cold.

Giro's Classic Racer socks uses a Meryl Skinlife fabric and Coolmax construction that keeps your feet cool when the going gets hot, making them ideal for cyclo-cross racing during the winter and hot summer rides.

They have a 3in high cuff section which is perhaps on the short side of the current fashion - longer socks that nearly reach the calf muscles. There's really no right or wrong when it comes to sock length but these felt just right for me.

These Giro Winter Wool socks are warm merino wool socks for the winter, although I'd say they're a fiver overpriced.

They're actually 70% merino wool, the remainder being polyester, Lycra and elastic, and they're reasonably thick. At least the sole, the toe and the heel are thick, made from a toweling weave. The top of the foot is thinner although nothing like as thin as you'll find on a summer-weight sock

The Giro High-Rise socks are made from Coolmax to keep your feet feeling fresh and, as the name implies, they're longer than usual.

These socks come with a 15cm (6in) cuff section so they reach well up your calves. Now, for some people long cycling socks are a no-no. Socks have to be short – ankle length and no higher. I've got no hard and fast rules myself. I wouldn't say that cuff length makes a whole lot difference to the feel, especially if you're wearing shorts; it's largely a look thing.

These Sportful Max Socks are good summer-weight socks that help keep your feet sweat-free in the warmer weather.

They're made from a mixture of Coolmax, nylon, Lycra and elastane and they're very stretchy for a close fit without wrinkles.

These aren't as light as some summer socks but the top of the foot section is a mesh weave that lets in quite a bit of cool air if you have ventilated shoe uppers. Plus, the Coolmax certainly does work to move moisture away from your feet quickly, and it dries very fast.

The new Prendas High Summer Dryarn-Resistex Carbon socks – that's a bit of a mouthful, isn't it? – are a lightweight and cool choice for summer riding.

The section on top of your foot is a synthetic mesh (the socks are a mix of nylon, polypropylene, Lycra and carbon fibre). If you have mesh sections on your shoe uppers too you can feel the air coming right in to keep your feet cool.

The Craft Cool Bike Socks are a lightweight choice for keeping your feet dry and comfortable on summer rides.

For a pair of ankle socks, there's a whole lot going on here. They're mostly nylon with some Lycra in there along with a fabric called Nanoglide that's designed to dry quickly and cool your skin.

Polaris PDT socks come as a trio of sport specific socks; designed with plenty of cushioning and breathability in mind. Not specific to cycling but also for running, are they capable as a jack of all trades or would you be better off just getting some cycling socks?