Merino

American company DeFeet is best known, probably, for its Aerator summer socks, but it does a pretty mean line in winter socks too - the Woolie Boolie is made from every discerning rider's favourite material: Merino.

In keeping with Velobici's other gear, the Seamless Couche stands out from the crowd due to its understated looks and heavyweight price tag. Often, form comes at the expense of function, but with the Seamless Couche, Velobici have combined them both.

For cold-weather cycling, you need to keep your feet cosy, and these merino socks from dhb do just that.

Merino wool is a natural fibre that is very soft and comfortable. More important, merino has good insulation and moisture wicking properties better in some cases than synthetic base-layer materials. Its especially good for socks because feet (along with other extremities) dont sweat much when cycling - not compared to the upper body - but can get very cold.

This merino wool base layer from Howies provides plenty of warmth and comfort when worn underneath a long-sleeve jersey for winter riding, or under a short-sleeve jersey in milder conditions.

The NBL Light is made from 100% merino that, as the name suggests, is pretty lightweight; it's 150g/m2 whereas Howies' NBL Classic is 190g if you want more insulation. This NBL Light will still keep you warm in cold winter weather, the fibres holding a whole lot of heat around your body.

For me at least, Bontrager's Commuting Wool top is further proof that the US brand has its fingers firmly on the fashionable commuter pulse, producing garments that perform on the bike and at your destination whether it be work, rest or play.

Seventy quid sounds a little steep but then were talking Merino wool and razor sharp detailing. Sizing is accurate enough for virtual purchases, although, unless completely familiar with their range, Id still suggest trying before you buy depending on how fitted or loose you felt comfortable with.

Rapha's new Merino Arm Warmers are, as the name suggests, mostly merino wool with a bit of elastane (5%) thrown into the mix to add stretchiness, and they're exceptionally comfortable.

As you'll know if you own any Rapha wool clothing, they use only sheep that are washed and conditioned every morning, groomed twice daily and fed on a diet of nourishing, green-leafed vegetables. All the while, the sheep are watching newsreels of epic Tour de France stages from the 1950s.

http://road.cc/content/product/43562-roadcc-merino-short-sleeve-jersey-l...

how lovely is that

The Merino wool base layers from dhb come in many different forms: with or without zip, high or round neck, long or short sleeve, thick or thin fabric (190g or 150g) , male or female cuts.

We reviewed a dhb Merino long-sleeve base layer back in October. http://road.cc/content/review/25150-dhb-merino-long-sleeve-zipneck-base-... That was the male version, with thicker fabric, and it had a zip.

Rapha’s Merino Hat is a pretty simple design and it does its job well whether worn on its own or underneath a helmet.

It’s a beanie, basically, made from four different panels that are flat-stitched together, plus a double-thickness band around the edge. Aside from a little pink Rapha tab, that’s about it in terms of design features. Like we said, simple.