Santini Mille High Profile Socks

The Santini Mille High Profile Socks are good quality, comfortable, Italian-made socks designed to complement Santini's own jerseys. But don't overlook them if you don't have a jersey – they're an excellent choice in their own right.

Santini has some bold colours in its range, and the Mille High Profile socks come in four schemes, each one to pair with a particular Karma Luce jersey. Our Teal sample looked incredibly smart with the corresponding jersey I reviewed at the same time.

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But a strong sock game is about more than just matching the jersey: pulled up, the Santini sock measures 25cm from heel to cuff. That puts it just below the calf muscle and firmly in the 'pro zone', as defined by bike fashionistas and #sockdopers alike. Any lower and you're heading into tennis player territory.

The pro zone is all well and good, but a sock has to stay tall and wrinkle-free throughout the ride – and Mille does that. It grips the lower calf with an even pressure that stays comfy, and even a month of washes hasn't dampened their elasticity.

There's a ribbed band over the top of the foot and running under the arch. I haven't seen any claims for compressive properties, but I can feel a little bit of extra support; especially helpful if you have flat feet, as I do. The stretchy fabric is very soft and comfortable next to the skin.

I've been incredibly impressed with how quickly they dry, and how well they wick during a hot, hard session (on the road, the turbo and even running). They're very thin, allowing the feet to breathe as effectively as possible and not interfering with the fit of cycling shoes.

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Like Santini's other kit, these socks are made in Italy and have a feel of quality about them, with a light but durable polyamide/elastane mix.

Value

At £14, the Mille High Profiles are cheaper than socks such as the Defeet Levitator Lite 6 or Pongo Grey Breton Stripe, both of which are great, but some might say they don't quite have the value or cachet of the Italian brand. Whether you have a matching Santini jersey or not, these are great socks at a good price.

Overall, the Mille High Profiles perform exceptionally well in hot weather, wash up well, stay really comfy and add that little bit of Italian flair to your rides.

Verdict

Stylish and very comfortable Italian-made socks that perform very well