Inspire Repeat Cycling Socks

Inspire-Repeat Cycling Socks

by Chris Galley

INSPIRE-REPEAT CYCLING SOCKS
Time for some motivational foot love

So you’ve spent all your hard earned cash on the best cycling outfit. You’ve bought some natty shoes and you’re ready to go. Hang on, what socks do I wear? Cycling socks are often overlooked as part of your cycling attire and nearly always underestimated in their intrinsic value to your cycling experience. After all, your feet are an important element of the cycling process!

Well, there are a number of companies out there who will sell you cycling socks, but are they any good? Are they comfortable, will they provide you with painful blisters or wriggle down your foot into your shoe? Will they wash well, lose their shape and compression. Will colours run in the wash and turn your expensive new white jersey a shade of crimson?

Pedalnorth have tested many cycling socks brands over the years- some great and some not so. So we were pleasantly surprised to receive a package in the post from Inspire-Repeat, a new and bespoke cycling sock brand. Inspire-Repeat pride themselves on their eco-friendly production from yarns to packaging. Using minimal water to produce their yarn and being 100% recyclable may be enough to stand them out from the sock crowd. Inside an elegantly thin box were three pairs of their new sock range. Black, pink and mustard colours. Wrapped up in fine grey tissue and ready for testing.

Their sock profile claims many attributes and we are happy to support their claims in all but one area. Our test socks are lightweight at 38 grams per pair. Very comfortable to wear and pull on easily. The sole is constructed of sturdy but light PROLEN Yarn produced in the Slovak mountains. The yarn is indeed superb and seems to be produced in a way that each strand of yarn sheds water easily. The toe box and heel are also woven from the same material, with a very thin seam along top of the toe line. There is mild compression support throughout the sock, with welcome extra support in the arch. The mesh weave material on top of the foot easily helps to vent moisture away, keeping the foot fresh and dry. After several hours of testing we felt no heat spots from fabric friction, although the inside of the toe seam did have some material bunching at either end. They pull half way up the calf keeping Achilles and Soleus muscle warm and the compression helps to secure the sock in place. The sock top contains quality elastic and easily holds the sock in place preventing that annoying sagging into your shoe.

Chris Inspre socks Road Hero right leg-min

The highlight of these socks is the clearly woven in mantra on the sock rear, allowing people behind to read as you ride away from them…

Okay then, the one area that we did find a slight issue with was where their brand sock profile states these are waterproof socks. During our tests here in North Yorkshire, in both heavy conditions and fine mist conditions we have to conclude that we didn’t actually find them so. Yes, whilst they do however allow for great foot and lower leg ventilation and we are confident they would dry quickly depending on conditions, the sock itself did get wet. It dries quickly and indeed on washing, it comes out of the machine almost dry – seriously! But the weave seems to hold water between the yarn strands, which themselves are indeed waterproof; and this holding of water – which not uncommon in any sock weave – simply means that the waterproof element is not as ideal as anticipated. However, as we’ve stated, the sock does dry quickly due to the superb yarn, and this is also so whilst wearing.

With a range of 7 colours to choose from, 6 differing mantra’s and costing 20Euro per pair, these are good value for money and are a high quality cycling sock. The Inspire-repeat range is limited at the moment, but with unisex colours and a range of size options, they give all cyclists the opportunity to wear a pair of their stylish foot love yarns. Only time will tell if they stand up to longer term wear and washing, that they keep their shape and compression – but if you want to save the planet and ride your bike with comfortable feet then these socks are a great choice, great quality and definitely a very comfortable performance sock.