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review

Rapha Merino City Riding Socks

7
£15.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Luxury merino socks for feet that like to be pampered
Weight: 
53g
Contact: 
www.rapha.cc

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If my feet aren't happy, it doesn't take long before the rest of me turns the same way. These Merino City Riding Socks from Rapha literally bathe your feet in luxury.

Okay, I maybe exaggerating a little but they are plush and feel great and they do make my feet happy. The merino does a good job at keeping your plates of meat fresh which is a good job as they are pretty warm when they are the meat filling sandwiched between your shoes and your feet.

That is the wonderful thing about merino wool, it regulates temperature so well, as long as you like your thermostat set quite high. Merino also has a natural springiness or elasticity that helps it retain shape, a good property to have when covering something that has a fair amount of movement and a funny shape.

These socks can be pulled up to the calf and stay up there without constricting your blood flow and that little bit of extra length is good to keep the bottom of your legs warm when cycling.

The best quality that merino wool has in this application is how it is slow to collect a nasty odour. If your tootsies are a bit pongy then these socks may help stop them from making people think that that someone has just come in the room with a ripe Camembert whenever you slip your shoes off.

The soft wool is high wicking keeping your feet fresher and allowing your feet to breath a bit better which is a definite plus to anyone who is prone to getting blisters or even athlete's foot.

Hand locked seams and a reinforced heel and toe add to the durability of these sock and at £7.50 per foot, you'd want these luxury covers to provide quality comfort to those little piggies for at least a few seasons. A decent pair of socks does outlast a budget pair, maybe not to the same ratio as the price difference but these are a pair of socks that would be worth exercising the old tradition of darning to squeeze a bit more life out of them.

Verdict

Luxury merino socks for feet that like to be pampered.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Rapha Merino City Riding Socks

Size tested: Large, Tapenade/dark fig/papyrus

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Rapha say they are to keep your "feet cool and dry and is also naturally anti-bacterial and odour-resistant." - I say that they are warmer than say a coolmax road.cc sock and they seem to battle foot pong.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

High wicking

Soft and breathable

Hand locked seams

Reinforced heel and toe

available in four subtle seasonal colourways

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

They stay up and they stay sock shaped.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

There are more sporty socks out there but these work better than a normal luxury merino sock.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Doesn't look like I will be darning them any time soon.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10

These are fairly lightweight for wool socks, they aren't thick like Woolie Boolies.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10

They are splendidly comfortable.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

This is about right for a merino sock.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Cosy socks that kept my feet happy.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Their non-stink magic.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

At this price the luxury is only for the days you know are going to be great.

Did you enjoy using the product? Very much so.

Would you consider buying the product? When is the next sale?

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

These should be sold in packs of three pairs.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 179  Weight: 75

I usually ride: Condor pista  My best bike is: Condor Pista fixed. Look KG241, Jean Thomann vintage

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed, bare back

 

Add new comment

11 comments

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 10 years ago
0 likes

I just spat my mulled Chateau Lafitte all over my Macbook Air you oik.

Expect to hear from Specialized's lawyers on the morrow.

Avatar
monty dog | 10 years ago
0 likes

As they're Rapha, don't they have "R-soles" writ large along the bottom?  4

Avatar
caaad10 | 10 years ago
0 likes

They do look pants

Avatar
Lord Fishface | 10 years ago
0 likes

I wouldn't choose them myself, but my dad wears one of their very similarly-coloured merino jerseys; it looks quite nice with a black jacket and shorts, albeit in a deeply 1970s way.

Actually, now I'm almost tempted to buy him the matching socks for Xmas.

Avatar
Fixie Girl | 10 years ago
0 likes

 31 What is wrong with the people at Rapha, are they all colorblind?

Avatar
WolfieSmith | 10 years ago
0 likes

'Tapenade/Dark Fig/Papyrus' ? They are 'avin' a laff with the names. Cool colours - for geography teachers with mustard ( sorry Dijon ocre ) elephant cords.

Avatar
MPMax | 10 years ago
0 likes

3.5 stars my tits!

Avatar
tomawest | 10 years ago
0 likes

throwback to the 1970's.

personally I dont think you can go better than the ones at costco anyway. 4 pairs of merino wool socks for 13.89 is a bargain!

Avatar
Leviathan | 10 years ago
0 likes

I saw the review of the yellow ladies jacket the other day and went on attack mode straight away. Later I felt a little guilty slagging it off immediately. The reviewer must have put a lot of hard work in to write the article and the manufacturer must have intended to produce something effective and pleasing to look at, but perhaps missed the mark. Having said that...

 31 Bluuurrggg burn them!

Avatar
joemmo | 10 years ago
0 likes

Look, you're entitled to your opinion but I'm pretty certain that a helmet saved my life probably when I fell off that one time.

Oh sorry, I seem to have started the wrong argument.

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 10 years ago
0 likes

 31 Bleeeeeurgh!

They are HIDEOUS.

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