Socks

Defeet's Aireator socks have become a classic over the past few years, offering coolness, good wicking and decent durability at a reasonable price.

The socks are 60% nylon, 39% Coolmax and 1% Lycra with different weaves in different areas. Essentially, the sole, heel and toe are standard weave, the cuff – everything above your shoe line – is double thickness, and the top of the foot is more of an open weave, verging on mesh.

Galibier Pro One Ventoux socks are a very comfortable option for most riding conditions.

If you only like your socks short, you might as well stop reading here. These are longer than traditional-style ankle socks but not as long as Euro style mid-calf ones – they split the difference between the two. If you want to be precise about it, my old school ruler says they extend 11cm above the middle of my ankles.

A decent pair of socks can go a long way to making or breaking a ride. Get cold or wet feet, worse still both and you could really be struggling - and that's where the Prendas Ciclismo Midweight Primaloft Wool socks come in.

Wear your support for Wiggins on your socks with this bright yellow Prendas Ciclismo Yellow Mod Cotton socks.

Following the massive success of Bradley Wiggins last summer, where he not only became the first Briton to win the coveted Tour de France, but also the a gold medal in the Olympic time trial, Dorset-based clothing company Prendas were on the ball with a range of socks and caps to pay homage to the Mod loving cyclist.

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.