Socks

I've tried $30 dollar 100% polyester socks and found they work no better then $3 100% polyester you can buy at Walmart or Target. But I like wool socks better, but I use those for touring and the polyester for everyday riding.

By the way, the same thing is true with jersey's, 100% polyester is 100% polyester whether you spend $12 or $112, they all work the same and they all keep you just as comfortable. I know because I have a couple of $80 and $90 jersey's and I can't tell the difference between those and my $12 ones I got from Walmart and Target...except the cheap ones don't have the pockets in the back which I never use anyways. Again I do have wool jerseys but their used for touring.

But shorts I don't go cheap, I found that expensive shorts are better in comfort then cheap ones, but even there 100% polyester is 100% polyester, it's the panels and padding that makes a cheap or good short.

Yeah, seems like everyone makes poly socks anymore, and they probably all come from the same factory anyway.

The new wool stuff coming out is great.

not true! all socks are not created equal (or in the same factory 🙂 ) i promise if you try balegas youll retract that comment in a heartbeat

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by balega [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

not true! all socks are not created equal (or in the same factory 🙂 ) i promise if you try balegas youll retract that comment in a heartbeat

You would just like to think so because you spent a $10 or more for a pair of socks and don't want to be seen as the fool. We all fell into the trap of marketing by Cycling specific clothing manufactures, all promising us this and that, using fancy sounding words that none of us knew what they meant but thought it must mean something important because it sure sounded good. Well 100 percent polyester is 100% polyester no matter the price. And silver impregnated polyester fiber is just a coating that comes off in about 4 or 5 washings and you start stinking again, so your willing to pay a bunch of money for a jersey with a feature like that when just a simple bottle of underarm deodorant will work better?

My only requirement for socks is that they're less than $5/pair.

Hanes work fine for me..

Chiming in with a female point of view: They just have to match my outfit. [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/IMG]

Just a technical note - polyester is a generic term for "chained" ester molecules. Like Ti, aluminum, steel, or carbon fiber, it is "all the same" but can be "chained" together in ways that no two bike frames are exactly the same. So while polyerster is polyester ... so is pasta, pasta.

White cotton! Everything else is bad!

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by sitzmark [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Just a technical note - polyester is a generic term for "chained" ester molecules. Like Ti, aluminum, steel, or carbon fiber, it is "all the same" but can be "chained" together in ways that no two bike frames are exactly the same. So while polyerster is polyester ... so is pasta, pasta.

I like I said, I have expensive jerseys and socks and cheap jerseys and socks and I can not tell the difference, different "chaining" or not, who knows unless you break down the fiber yourself to see if that's true. I've ridden in 100 degree plus heat and everything in between and still couldn't tell the difference. And TI, AL, ST, and CF are not the same material at all, that's like saying nylon, cotton, wool, and polyester are all the same...THERE NOT!! If it makes you feel good to buy $120 Jersey and $45 socks then do so, I'm not going to stop you because it's not my money so I don't care, I'm just explaining to you that there is no difference other then cost and some of the expensive stuff may last twice as long...so you have to pay $24 total for two jerseys instead of $120 for one big deal, and you with the cheap stuff you don't get the bling and we all need bling right?

I can't say that I have many issues with socks. I do like medium weight or thick wool ones on cold days and only wear wool socks when skiing. But that Icebreaker write up has a lot to do with protecting the environment, which is a good idea. But there are also socks made from recycled plastic bottles and they are only around $10 for two pair at this site:

http://www.uniquesockshop.com/ao2.html

I have no idea if these are any good. I just did a Google search for "socks from recycled materials."

And there are various makers of sports clothing using recycled materials but they are not as inexpensive as the Target shirts (Champion C9) that I find are every bit as nice to wear as more expensive cycling shirts. I also wear them as a base layer for skiing.

On another subject, the 1/2 dozen or so house brand shirts and shorts that I bought from Performance Bike last year was made in the USA. I'm not sure if all of their clothing is made here, but it is so rare to see that today.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by sitzmark [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Just a technical note - polyester is a generic term for "chained" ester molecules. Like Ti, aluminum, steel, or carbon fiber, it is "all the same" but can be "chained" together in ways that no two bike frames are exactly the same. So while polyerster is polyester ... so is pasta, pasta.

Very true. I work in the textile industry in rope making. Not all poly is the same. Also keep in mind we will be seeing some dramatic upticks in polyester products very shortly. Due to a poor year in cotton crops in Russia. Clothing manufactures have been forced to increase poly content in their blended fabrics.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Froze [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I like I said, I have expensive jerseys and socks and cheap jerseys and socks and I can not tell the difference, different "chaining" or not, who knows unless you break down the fiber yourself to see if that's true. I've ridden in 100 degree plus heat and everything in between and still couldn't tell the difference. And TI, AL, ST, and CF are not the same material at all, that's like saying nylon, cotton, wool, and polyester are all the same...THERE NOT!! If it makes you feel good to buy $120 Jersey and $45 socks then do so, I'm not going to stop you because it's not my money so I don't care, I'm just explaining to you that there is no difference other then cost and some of the expensive stuff may last twice as long...so you have to pay $24 total for two jerseys instead of $120 for one big deal, and you with the cheap stuff you don't get the bling and we all need bling right?

That was my point. All Ti is not the same. All aluminum is not the same ... even if people claim them to be so All Poly is not the same. It is true that 100% poly is 100% poly, but the physical properties of the fiber may or may not be the same depending on the chemical structure of the ester molecules.. The functional property is the "hollowness" of the fibers and their ability to wick moisture. I can tell the difference between the feel and performance of different jersey materials - for example the base level fabric Pearl Izumi uses is not as effective as the p.r.o. level fabric. I have both and wear both. For wicking to truly work, the fabric needs to be touching the skin, so when it is really hot or really cold my base layer gets "snugger".

FWIW I don't wear socks in my cycling shoes. I would (and have done) the same with my ski boots, but they are a beyotch to get on and off without, so I wear the thinnest that I can find ... a pair of women's nylon knee highs. The "wicking stuff" isn't a concern for me with ski boots since the moisture just wicks into the liner of the boot where it is trapped by the plastic shell anyway. Eliminating movement of my foot inside the boot is most important..

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by davereo [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Very true. I work in the textile industry in rope making. Not all poly is the same. Also keep in mind we will be seeing some dramatic upticks in polyester products very shortly. Due to a poor year in cotton crops in Russia. Clothing manufactures have been forced to increase poly content in their blended fabrics.

Small world ... a friend started and runs Sterling Rope in Maine.

Team probably got a lot of free socks for that review.

I was looking for the 1920s college cheer, "ssssssssocks!",

oh, I found Rowan instead.

Hand socks with snakes made by Aunt Gail are much cooler than any other fabric.

http://jeffandang.blogspot.com/2009/04/sssssocks.html

I was looking for the 1920s college cheer, "ssssssssocks!",

oh, I found Rowan instead.

=Hand socks with snakes, made by Aunt Gail, are much cooler than any other sox.

http://jeffandang.blogspot.com/2009/04/sssssocks.html

I was looking for the 1920s college cheer, "ssssssssocks!",

oh, I found Rowan instead.

=Hand socks with snakes, made by Aunt Gail, are much cooler than any other sox.

http://jeffandang.blogspot.com/2009/04/sssssocks.html

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by sitzmark [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

For wicking to truly work, the fabric needs to be touching the skin, so when it is really hot or really cold my base layer gets "snugger".

Actually I found the reverse to be true! I use to live in the Mojave Desert of California where temps in the summer routinely got over 100 degrees, I also use to ride in Palm Desert and Palm Springs area where again temps got above 100, and also in Death Valley and you know what that's all about. And what I found was I was COOLER with a loose fitting 100% polyester jersey then a tight one. With a loose jersey the air is allowed to move between the skin and the fabric cooling me off way better then a tight fitting one that allowed no air to move between the two. It took me a while to try a looser fitting jersey but people I ran into who lived in those places all their lives and rode bikes told me the looser fitting jerseys worked better...and they were right. I noticed an immediate improvement in body temperature reduction when I went loose. You could always tell a newbe was in town when they rode around with tight fitting jerseys on.