Six sick socks from Sea Otter – Sock Guy, DeFeet, SOS
The Sea Otter Classic brings out the bargain hunters and some of the most popular booths are the clothing and apparel brands. Many manufacturers bring their close-out products and offer them at great prices and socks, in particular, can be had at a great price. The DeFeet and SOS (Save Our Soles) booths had plenty of frugal bikers searching for deals. But besides good deals, SockGuy, DeFeet and SOS also had some sick socks for sale (for those of you counting, yes, there are actually seven highlighted here.)
SockGuy Taco Tuesday and SGX Tall Boy Socks
SockGuy is a brand that is well known for their comfortable fit and “saucy” designs. SockGuy offers socks in these categories: Bike, Hike, Lacross, Run, Snow, and Tri. Besides socks, they also make base layers, booties and arm warmers and they have a custom program for your bike club or shop needs.
The SockGuy Taco Tuesday is a standard 6″ crew sock made with 75% ultra-wicking micro denier acrylic, 15% nylon, and 10% spandex. It has nice moisture wicking fiber to keep your feet nice and dry to help eliminate blistering or slipping around in your shoe. SockGuy considers this their “go-to” mountain bike/cyclocross sock but they say roadies dig it as well. It is available in men’s and women’s sizes and has an MSRP of $10.95.
The SockGuy SGX Tall Boy is a perennial favorite with a construction that is now in it’s third year. The SGX socks offer a a compression fit and our made from a polypropylene material so it’s stretchy on your foot with a nice “hugging” feeling that won’t slip down. The SGX socks is in its third year, but the Beer Mug is a brand new style for 2014, the heel says “I “heart” BEER”. It has a 6″ cuff (higher socks are all the rage these days), comes in men’s and women’s sizes and has an MSRP of $13.95.
For more styles or to shop online: www.sockguy.com
SockGuy – “Spreading the LUV all over your feet with the most comfortable socks you will ever wear!”
DeFeet Cyclismo, Levitator Lite and Levitator Trail Socks
DeFeet has been making bike socks for many years (since 1992 to be exact), including their popular Aireator line. They make socks for running and cycling and they also have base layers, HiViz products, a Woolie line, booties, gloves, arm warmers and kneekers (shortie style leg warmers). DeFeet also has an extensive custom program for your bike club or shop needs.
The DeFeet Cyclismo has a 5″ cuff and comes in a Hi-Vis pink with black stripe. Can a sock make you faster? We don’t know, but we do know that the Cyclismo was first used at Italy’s Giro d’Italia in the fastest stage ridden in the history of the Giro, the Cyclismo crossed the line first. It is made from ThermoCool material and has a pedal pad on the underside of the toe box. The Cyclismo also sports an arch support band across the top and a waffle weave cuff. DeFeet calls this their “elite road sock” and has an MSRP of $14.99.
The DeFeet Levitator Lite has a 5″ cuff and comes in a Hi Vis yellow with black stripe. The Levitator Lite uses a CoolMax ecoMade material which is a polyester fiber made from recycled water bottles (a true “green” product). The construction on the cuff has been updated to a waffle weave (which helps the sock stay up) and it has a slight aerodynamic push as well (according to DeFeet). This is also considered an elite road sock and has an MSRP of $12.99.
The DeFeet Levitator Trail is a mountain bike specific sock that has a 6″ cuff and comes in several colors and styles (including black and camo options). Shown here in Hi Vis orange with “Camo” stripe, the Levitator Trail also uses the same CoolMax ecoMade material as the Levitator Lite. The Levitator Trail uses a padded toe box specifically made for mountain bikers (who may do more walking than their roadie brethren). The taller 6″ cuff is also ribbed for comfort and the Levitator Trail has an MSRP of $12.99.
For more styles or to shop online: www.defeet.com
DeFeet – “Bicycling Sock manufacturer offering a wide variety of socks and various accessories.”
SOS (Save Our Soles) Ascent 7 and Native Socks
SOS (Save Our Soles) socks is a Colorado based company (started in Denver, now in Westminster) started by Steve Tofan who was “inspired by the need for a technical cycling sock with exciting designs”. Besides, making some very innovative socks, SOS just happens to be the current supplier of the official Mtbr and RoadBikeReview company socks. SOS make socks for these categories: Cycle, Run, Trail Run, Ski/Snowboard, Nordic Ski, Hike, and Tri. We talked to Tofan about their CoolMax and he told us, “We put the CoolMax on the inside of the sock and a 3 ply nylon on the outside of the sock. The CoolMax is corespun meaning that the fibers are spun around a strain of lycra so the entire sock has elastic in there. Other companies don’t do that, that’s why our socks stay in place. You want you foot to move with the sock in the shoe, not your foot in the sock, that’s how you get blisters. The CoolMax is 4 channel polyester to wick moisture away and it’s proved to be the best stuff out there. So that’s what really makes our SOS socks special.” Besides wool and CoolMax, SOS also makes socks out of bamboo fiber.
The SOS Ascent 7 shown in a See Me Green (also available in Electric Blue) is made from corespun CoolMax and has a 7″ cuff. The Ascent 7 is part of SOS’s Team Visibility line, comes in MD, LG and XL and has an MSRP of $10.95.
The SOS Native shown in Lavender (also available in Black Forest) is a women’s specific sock made from corespun CoolMax and has a short 1.5″ cuff. The sole seam is something that SOS called “Rosso” (an extra smooth looped toe seam to make them “incredibly comfortable and durable”.) The Native also has an air-sole mesh for maximum breathability. The Native is part of SOS’s Womens Print line, comes in SM and MD, and has an MSRP of $10.95.
For more styles or to shop online: www.sossocks.com
SOS Socks – “SOS Socks – Custom socks for the enlightened athlete. Save Our Soles is THE maker of custom cycling socks, custom running socks, custom ski socks or custom socks for any other athletic endeavor. We also offer arm warmers and Vino Calzinos (the Wine sock) – which are also customizable!”
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