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review

dhb Summer socks

9
£6.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Cool, durable summer riding socks at a reasonable price
Weight: 
38g
Contact: 
www.wiggle.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Mmmm, new socks. Everyone likes new socks and these new Summer Socks from dhb are just the job.

Lots of cycling socks are of the ultra-thin variety. You know the ones; the section on top of your foot is so fine you can see your toes through it, and the soles are just a bit thicker. DeFeet's Air-e-ator design is like that, for example, and it shifts sweat well and keeps your feet cool...

These socks are a little more substantial over your foot. They're actually lighter than the pair of Air-e-ators I hooked out of the drawer, but the foot section is less of a mesh and feels like it has more body to it. There's quite a lot of cotton in here (40%; 50% polyester, 7% nylon, 3% elastane), and that ups the volume a bit.

Cotton? In cycling kit? Well, Coolmax fibres in the weave help shift moisture away from your skin and I haven't noticed any undue sweatiness while wearing these. My feet have stayed a perfectly comfortable temperature in these too, even on the warmest rides; they've felt great.

Whereas many cycling socks double-over at the top so you get a dual-thickness from the ankle upwards, these are single thickness right up to the narrow, Lycra-reinforced cuff. That provides a bit more cooling up here than usual.

The heel and toe are slightly reinforced to help prevent wear - durability is impressive after several weeks of use. The only negative on that front is that, try as I might, I've not managed to keep the white bits particularly white... but that's always the way.

Right, I'm not going to wibble on about socks any longer... These are cool, durable, and a reasonable price. I likes 'em. Oh, and they're available in this 8cm ankle version, or in a taller 14cm version. That'll cost you a pound extra but you'll look all European and sophisticated. Maybe.

Verdict

Cool, durable summer riding socks at a reasonable price

road.cc test report

Make and model: dhb Summer socks

Size tested: Black. 8cm

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?

DHB say, "Get fully kitted out with the new summer dhb unisex cycling socks. Available in 4 colours these lightweight COOLMAX socks are incredibly comfortable and functional.

8cm lightweight ankle sock

COOLMAX fibers for moisture management

Reinforced heel

Reinforced 3D toe box

Arch support zone

Available in; white-black / black-white / red-white / blue-white

A number of technical features make these high quality socks a very sound purchase. COOLMAX yarn manages moisture, transferring it to the outside so it can be evaporated. A soft lycra welt top cuff is smooth and comfortable against your ankle.

A reinforced heel, with volumised 'big heel', allows your ankle to feel unrestricted. The 3D toe box has a reinforced section to help prevent early wear. The arch support zone makes your foot feel secure and comfortably compressed.

If you like lower ankle socks - go for this model. If you prefer a slightly higher rise sock - go for the 14cm Summer Sock (new window)

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Really good quality. I know they're just socks... but they are well-made socks.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

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

Spot on

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Really comfy and durable

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 190cm  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding,

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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9 comments

Avatar
farrell | 13 years ago
0 likes

Fat Birds, are you connected with Fat Birds the bike gear company?

Avatar
Fat_Birds replied to farrell | 13 years ago
0 likes

Hi farrell, I am not. But I loved this nick since 20 years ago and now many people uses it...

To be honest I dunno who was first  3

Avatar
1961BikiE | 13 years ago
0 likes

Are you sure that picture is the 8cm version? If so is I think the 14cm would come to my knees! I'm average height and leg length but going on that pic you must have 3 foot long lower legs?!

Avatar
dave atkinson replied to 1961BikiE | 13 years ago
0 likes
1961BikiE wrote:

Are you sure that picture is the 8cm version? If so is I think the 14cm would come to my knees! I'm average height and leg length but going on that pic you must have 3 foot long lower legs?!

yes, sorry - the pic is of the 14cm 'euro' sock; mat had both

Avatar
Fat_Birds | 13 years ago
0 likes

Half price than usual brands... Well half size than brands, DHB is not a brand, is the Wiggle own brand.

Just copycats! Boring

Avatar
dave atkinson replied to Fat_Birds | 13 years ago
0 likes
Fat_Birds wrote:

Half price than usual brands... Well half size than brands, DHB is not a brand, is the Wiggle own brand.
Just copycats! Boring

So if something's expensive and it's from a brand with a long history, that's bad (Castelli reviews passim), and if something's cheap and from a newer brand, that's also bad?

That means you only like medium-priced garments from fairly well established brands then?

Seriously, stop getting hung up on who makes stuff, Fat_Birds. We don't: we test it on its merits. These are good socks.

Avatar
Fat_Birds replied to dave atkinson | 13 years ago
0 likes

Ok!!

Avatar
gazzaputt | 13 years ago
0 likes

I love the 14cm in black for the Wiggo or Millar look.

As good as castelli socks at half the price.

Avatar
JonMack | 13 years ago
0 likes

The only con I can see is that they're sold out in my size in the colour I want them, damn it!

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