Christmas Gifts for Cyclists

There's a long-running joke about giving and receiving socks for Christmas. This year, to pre-empt the joke, I asked for cycling socks. Happily, I got exactly what I asked for.

Endura Coolmax Race Socks [at Chain Reaction Cycles]

I chose these blue socks as they go nicely with my current preferred colour scheme. Although they claim that one size fits all, these are a teensy bit snug for my not-very-large size 8 feet. I suppose they'll stretch with use. And they are very comfortable.

Defeet Aireator Worldchamp Socks [at Chain Reaction Cycles] and SockGuy Elite 4" Socks (in World Champion White) [at Chain Reaction Cycles]

World Champion socks, with the rainbow stripes that the cycling world champion wears!

I'm a long, long way from being a world champion, but I love these socks.

Do these socks make me a better cyclist, make my commute easier? Hardly.

Do they make me smile, lift my spirit, make me feel that fraction more inclined to cycle on those cold, dark mornings? Absolutely! And some mornings the difference between talking myself out of cycle commuting, and getting on with it, might be as small as a pair of socks.

They're already a regular feature in my commuting wardrobe.

Oh! And it turns out I am cool enough to wear Twin Six.

Available in the UK from Always Riding, hurrah!

Related articles:

• My Cycling Fashion Ethic