Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Socks
Cafe du Cycliste Colour Socks NavyCafe du Cycliste Colour Socks Navy.jpg

Cafe du Cycliste Colour Socks Navy

8
by George Hill
UPDATED Sat, Jul 22, 2017 09:46

First Published Jul 22, 2017

0
£17.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Well made and strong performing socks, but they are expensive
Weight: 
31g
Contact: 
www.cafeducycliste.com
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

The Cafe du Cycliste Colour Socks are well made, high wicking and comfortable, but the price is higher than most.

High? Low? Trainer cut? As the (almost totally inane) debate on sock length rages across the sock partisans, I tested out the Cafe du Cycliste Colour Socks Navy to see if they could bridge what seems like an insurmountable gap that could possibly have destroyed families, livelihoods, and patience.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy these online here

The socks are certainly in the higher cuff category, giving them a more traditional look. They are accented by a Cafe du Cycliste logo on the rear, but aside from that are a simple block colour that looks classy and helps them work with a variety of kit styles.

They are made from a high wicking and fast drying material that seems to do the job well. Like most modern cycling-specific socks they also have more of a mesh material across the bulk of the foot, with a thicker and more elasticated cuff that means they stay in place well even when the heat cranks up and you're into the fifth hour of a long ride. This arrangements also allows for strong ventilation, keeping your feet nice and cool.

The material used is soft against the skin and holds its shape nicely. Cafe du Cycliste has also put in some nice features within the fabric, including an anti-blister yarn and increased material thickness around the shoe opening, which again prevents irritation. However, unlike many modern socks there is no compression band around the centre of the sock, and although there is additional padding at the bottom of the foot, it is not quite as effective as offerings from other companies.

> Cycling shoes: The secret to comfy feet

Washing is simple and I put them through multiple cycles at the recommended 30 degrees, with no kind of softening of the elastic and no colour running. Which is nice.

The high price is the only real downer. To put it into perspective, Rapha's Pro Team socks come in at £15, and Assos' Équipesock_Evo7s are £14. These CduC ones may be around the same kind of quality, but it is still hard to justify spending that kind of money on one pair of socks.

All in, these are good pair of socks and they have some nice design features. Material choice is good and there has clearly been some thought put into the design, but the price is high.

Verdict

Well made and strong performing socks, but they are expensive

road.cc test report

Make and model: Cafe du Cycliste Colour Socks Navy

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Cafe Du Cycliste says: 'Block colour cycling socks constructed for maximum performance and comfort. Super soft against the skin and highly breathable, they can be matched with other colour collection pieces or jerseys from across the full range.'

They are high performance, soft, and breathable, so this seems like an accurate description.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

CdC says:

Colour Collection Cycling Socks

Breathable & High Wicking

Anti-Blister Yarn

Modern Styling

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Very well made with strong elastic and well-ventilated foot area.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Performed very well: stayed in place, offered good ventilation and felt soft against the skin.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Early days, but so far so good.

Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10

Soft material and good ventilation.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

They are expensive, even if they are very good quality.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Easy, washed several times at 30 degrees with no issues.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well, offered good ventilation and stayed in place at all times.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Subtle design and good ventilation.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The price – they are expensive.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

Really strong performing socks, but they are expensive. They've scored 8 across the board apart from value, so I'm sticking with 8 as overall – I'll let you decide how much you're prepared to pay to have comfy feet.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 29  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: Mercian King of Mercia or Cinelli Gazzetta  My best bike is: Cannondale Supersix Evo

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking

Cafe du Cycliste Colour Socks Navy 2017
Cafe du Cycliste Colour Socks Navy
Cafe du Cycliste 2017
Cafe du cycliste
George Hill

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

Latest Comments