Louis Garneau Tuscan Long Socks

The Louis Garneau Tuscan socks are really thin and they provide good moisture transfer to keep your feet comfortable in warm conditions.

They're made mostly from Meryl Skinlife fabric with nylon and Lycra making up the remainder of the mix. The Skinlife is said to be bacteriostatic. Whassat? It means that rather than killing off bacteria, it is designed to keep the bacteria level on your skin at a constant level. Does it work? To be honest, I don't know – my eyesight really isn't that powerful – but these don't get stinky very easily at all so I'm guessing that it's pretty successful.

Louis Garneau reckon: 'The lack of bulk minimizes loss of power transfer caused by friction between your feet and shoes.' So they're saying these are efficient socks? I must say, that sort of claim makes me suspicious. Much more relevant to me is the fact that these kept my feet very cool.

The top of the foot is mesh so air can flow in through any vented sections in your shoes while the sole and the upper section – the bit that sits outside your shoe – are a denser weave. Those areas are still cool, though, the only double thickness being the 1cm cuff right at the top.

The downside to that is that these aren't warm in the winter. You'll want something thicker and more insulating when the temperature drops... but that's pretty obvious.

They shift moisture fast, and being so thin they don't hang on to dampness – so if your feet do tend to sweat, these will do a good job of coping. They are lasting well too. After about three months of use they're still looking good without any particular signs of wear. I've been using both white and black versions; the white ones aren't coming out of the washing machine as bright as they once were, but that's normal after a few wet rides.

One final thing, as you can see from the pic, these are slightly longer than ankle socks, bang on trend for that Euro-style look if that floats your bateau.

At the time or writing, Evans are selling these at £6.99, making them a bit of a bargain.

Verdict

Cool moisture-shifting socks for the warmer weather.