Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Socks

When you've gone aero everywhere else and it's only your feet left, you're going to need a pair of socks co-developed with an aerodynamic specialist... and that is what you have here with the Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Socks. They're impressively comfortable and excellent quality – as you'd hope for the price.

In collaboration with McLaren, of Formula One fame, Le Col has developed a whole aero collection which incorporates a speedsuit in long (£375) or short sleeve (£350), a short sleeve jersey (£170) and a long sleeve jersey for £195. These socks are the finishing touch, for a mere £35.

> Buy these online here

What you've basically got here is a main foot section that's 100% knitted polyamide and feels like a traditional sock material, with terry padded sections for the toe and base, and an 82% polyester, 18% elastane blend for the lower leg section.

This upper section is basically similar to a lightweight overshoe that you'd likely find covering the shoes of most time-triallists; minimalist, with a virtual skin-like feeling. The stretch of the fabric and the silicone gripper at the top keep things in place.

The aero benefit? Well, for the majority of us it's not going to make the slightest bit of difference, but if you've covered every other base you can to remove drag then I suppose the theory makes sense.

I'm not here to belittle the effectiveness or the claims made – these socks are a tiny piece in what has been designed as a full aero clothing system – but I can't confirm them either.

> How to get more aero without spending a fortune

I did spend years riding time trials and while I was pretty drawn into the whole aero kit thing, spending a fortune on a skinsuits, helmets and so on, I was nowhere near the extreme level of some who were touching the podium, and I know for some riders these (very) marginal claims are important.

What I can confirm, though, is that these are very comfortable socks.

The foot section with that padding feels sumptuous in your shoe, while the lighter-weight sections are breathable and also create a very snug fit.

The material is soft to the touch, too, and all of the seams have been positioned out of the way. I could wear these things for hours.

The quality is exceptionally high as well.

As for the cost, while double the price of most 'normal' cycling socks, they aren't alone in being a little extravagant. Defeet charges £29.99 for its Evo Disruptor socks which it claims offer a watt reduction over bare shaved legs.

Conclusion

I can't quantify the aerodynamic gains, and they are going to be very marginal anyway, but I will say that these are some very comfortable and well-made socks. Whether that justifies 35 quid is up to you.

Verdict

Aero doesn't always mean comfortable, but it does here