Mountain bikers get cold feet for a variety of reasons. Anyone who has ever stood in front of the big drop in the bike park knows what we are talking about. The only thing that often helps is to pinch your arse cheeks together and get through it. In winter, the cause is usually easy to find: icy cold. However, the solution is almost as banal and manifests itself in warm socks. Manufacturers usually knit them from the wool of New Zealand merino sheep. It provides a particularly high level of warmth. Polyamide and elastane are added to ensure that the sock fits the foot perfectly. Shimano uses a fibre called "Breath Hyper" in its sock, which is supposed to generate warmth in combination with moisture. Does it work? We say no, at least we couldn't feel any noticeable effect.
Too warm gives you cold feet
Whether you choose short, medium or long socks is purely a matter of taste. One thing is certain: The sock should never be too warm. If your feet sweat in your bike shoes, the icy wind will cause evaporative cooling, which is guaranteed to lead to what? Exactly, to cold feet.
You can find these MTB winter socks in the test:
- Gore Bike Wear MTB Thermo
- Icebreaker Hike+ Mid Crew
- Pearl Izumi Elite Thermal Wool Sock
- Shimano Breath Hyper
- X-Socks Winter Biking
You can download the test results of the MTB winter socks as a free PDF below.
Downloads:
Stefan Frey
Editor
