Once we went to Japan for a pair weeks of biking, there was a mixture of driving kinds on the docket, and we needed to put together for every little thing from sunny warmth to plenty of rain. CEP supplied socks and (full disclosure) helped help our journey, so we dug by way of their sock drawer to seek out the very best choices for lengthy days within the saddle and blended situations.
CEP Compression is the sporting division of Medi, a German model main within the medical-grade compression socks enterprise. Which makes it sound like this stuff can be tight. Possibly too tight. Luckily, they turned out to be very comfy, with their knee-height journey/restoration socks being a lot lighter than we anticipated, and far simpler to drag on and off than some competing manufacturers I’ve tried.
That stated, CEP isn’t a “biking” sock model. Their present catalog is tailor-made for working, strolling, climbing, or on a regular basis/workplace use. So we over-shopped to verify we had one thing that might work. My sock dice was stuffed, and over two weeks, we tried each attainable choice to see what labored finest for biking. Just a few stood out – right here’s what we favored:
CEP Mountaineering, Operating & Wool socks are the very best
Most of what we rode had been the “Mid Lower” fashions. Our favorites had been the Mountaineering Gentle Merino, Run Compression, and Ultralight Mid-Lower socks.
The Ultralight (proven above in black, at prime of publish in white) are the closest factor they make to a pure biking sock. It’s extraordinarily light-weight, making it nice for decent climate. And the impartial white, black, grey, and navy coloration choices ought to work with most biking kits. In the event you’re the kind of rider who makes use of their socks so as to add a splash of coloration to your equipment, look elsewhere. CEP’s palette is reasonably reserved.
The Reflective Mid-Lower Compression socks (on proper in olive inexperienced) add two reflective stripes to reinforce visibility. They’re a general-purpose athletic sock that held up effectively, too, and was considered one of our faves.
Actually, all of their socks held up rather well all through the journey, and proceed to take action. I’ve worn mine on plenty of different street journeys, hikes, and rides, and we spent loads of time in Japan strolling round in simply our socks. They’re exhibiting no indicators of wear and tear, regardless of trekking throughout bridges, tatami mats, gravel, and extra.
All of their socks have intensive zonal knitting, including compression right here, padding there, and usually being very effectively thought out for the meant use. For biking, I want the cuffs had been about one inch increased, however they by no means regarded misplaced…and I’m kinda tall, in order that’s simply my private desire. Steve favored them simply tremendous.
Due to all that zoned building, they’re left- and right-specific, which I like. All that knitting does have a tendency to select up “stuff” off the bottom simply, so examine the underside of your socks earlier than sticking your ft again into your footwear if you happen to’ve been traipsing round in them.
Most of their socks are available “regular” sizing schemes, however their full-height journey compression socks are based mostly on ankle and calf dimension, so that you’ll must perform a little measuring for these. We examined their light-weight Infrared Restoration mannequin, which gave the impression of they had been going to be scorching, however ended up being very comfy on the very lengthy flight to and from Asia.
The Mountaineering Gentle Merino (proven above in Low Lower, additionally accessible in Mid Lower) was considered one of our favorites on the bikepacking a part of our journey. It’s effectively padded on the underside, however skinny and light-weight on prime. That makes it comfortable for hike-a-bikes and off-bike adventures, however with out including bulk or undesirable heat.
The merino wool additionally stayed stink-free all through consecutive days of carrying and driving in them. Word that the fashion has modified barely since we bought ours, however the options are the identical. Additionally be aware that every one hyperlinks on this story are to the lads’s variations, however they’ve ladies’s variations of every little thing, too.
The Run Compression Mid-Lower socks (on proper) are the exception to their rule by way of coloration. These supply all kinds of hues with hits of brightness right here and there.
For kits, we wore all Gore Put on biking kits and jackets. Surprisingly, we had been capable of finding sufficient CEP choices to match a few of Gore’s newest Spinshift and different kits. So it’s not like there’s no good colours from CEP, however most fashions are kinda restricted to muted choices. Virtually all fashions have white, although, and everyone knows white is the quickest coloration, so…
Coaching Socks and different stuff we tried
Steve tried the Allday Compression Socks, that are very very like gown socks. These really look probably the most like a standard biking sock from DeFeet or Swiftwick, with strong colours, minimal branding, and a really skinny, light-weight knit.
However sadly they’re not superb athletic socks primarily as a result of the cuff would sag down after a couple of miles of spinning. In order for you one thing light-weight and mildly compressive for workplace work, these needs to be nice for that.
I attempted the Coaching Socks for 2 causes. First, they appeared like a great all-purpose athletic sock. However second, and extra importantly, I actually like the way in which the stripes look on them, and I favored the navy blue coloration. Different colours additionally accessible.
These are, certainly, very comfy socks, however they’re additionally actually thick. They had been too heat for the warmth of Japan’s summer time driving, and a bit thick for my biking footwear. I can see these being a go-to in winter and/or with larger-volume footwear, although.
Closing ideas
Total, CEP’s vary of socks are comfy, supportive, and have sufficient selection to fulfill nearly any want in any season. There are many different fashions which are extra specialised (heat, arch help, and so forth.) that we didn’t attempt. For cyclists, the Ultralight, Mountaineering Gentle Merino, and Reflective Mid Lower socks are in all probability the very best choices for many seasons.
I additionally wore the socks whereas strolling and climbing round Japan for an additional three weeks after the biking segments, including in a couple of of Low-Lower kinds. Characteristic smart, the Mid- and Low-cut choices are comparable, so if you happen to discover one you want, you’ve bought choices. I like the sturdiness and help, particularly on actually lengthy days on our ft. Value a glance if you happen to’re attempting to pack gentle for quite a lot of adventures.
