I'm thinking about getting some waterproof/resistant socks. I've seen the X-socks winter ones for quite cheap, but I was wondering if it was worth either getting them, or spending the extra dosh and buying some sealskins? Do either of them make much of a difference to cotton socks?
Alex I bought a pair of those waterproof socks last year (or the year before), they keep my feet warm and on most rides in the wet/cold i use them and they have been fine, although I wouldn't like to submerge them in a pool of water as the adverts suggest!!! (Sealskins thats them!!) I also wear my summer socks underneath as well, now all I need is a good pair of waterproof shoe covers.
i use seal skins for open canoeing and mountian biking in the winter. They're fine but take a while to dry out. See if you can find some neoprene socks at a dive shop or something and try those
I've tried Porelle and Seal Skinz before and neither were any good. If you want my two penneth, the problem for feet isn't wet, it's cold, ususally from wind chill. The best way to combat this (and to help with keeping water out) is overshoes or winter boots.
I bought some Altura Stretch Skins in November from Wiggle (cost about £23 I think) and they are much better.
I find Sealskinz do the business for me, the old mid lights worn with a thin liner sock, or the new merino wool socks on their own. What's of equal importance in the colder weather is that shoes\boots aren't too tight.
Alex, To put you straight. I have x-socks winter socks and they are good down to about 5c, after that the windchill sets in after about 20 mins. My thoughts for improvement are to buy some over shoes to couple up with the socks and SPD shoes for the really cool mornings. MBR did a review of some a few months back.
Wore some seal skins this weekend for the first time. My shoes were soaked through but my feet were warm and dry all day.
Very impressed.
I also surf and use neoprene socks, they work by warming a layer of water next to your skin and keeping it there. So if you wore these to cycle your feet would be v warm but wet all day. Unless there are cycling neoprene socks that work different.
No experience of X-socks, but I use SealSkinz MidLights. I wear a pair of those girly thin trainer liner socks underneath (you know - the ones that hardly come up to your ankle but cover your foot) and I have warm dry feet in even the wettest weather.
This sunday was wet and muddy and I fell off in a puddle and was soaked to the skin through my lycra shorts and baggy overtrousers, but still had dry feet.
I've got both the sealskins and the Xsocks. It depends how wet you're going to get I suppose. The Sealskins really do keep you dry, but even the winter weight ones I didn't find very warm. Xsocks are warm untill you get them wet.
Just bought some Sealskins and tried them out in the peaks this week. They saved my bacon as it rained a tad combined with the high winds and a bit of snow. The ground was soden and used them with a pair of trainers. My feet remained dry and warm even though trainers were completly submerged at times.
Simalar thing happend to me this weekend around Hebbden Bridge but I fell off and roled into a stream, my feet thanks to the seal skins were the only things that stayed warm and dry
