Best list of heated socks
Best list of heated socks: If you're sweating your way up a hill in the summer, sipping the last drops from your water bottle and feeling your sunscreen failing, you really have no reason to complain - there are other options. Once you've reached the top, you can sit in the shade, wait for slower riders and think about winter.
Cycling becomes really uncomfortable when the temperature is around or well below zero. You can still keep your torso somewhat warm, but it's not easy to find the right amount - if you start to sweat a little when going uphill, you risk getting cold because your outer layers are damp on the inside.
However, it is really difficult to keep hands and feet warm. There are physiological reasons why these get particularly cold in winter: the blood vessels there constrict so that the warmth stays in the center of the body. What makes things even more difficult is that hand and footwear always involve compromises: cycling gloves have to be fairly tight so that you can operate the brakes and gears and grip the handlebars securely - this is difficult with mittens. And cycling shoes are also cut tightly, so that in many cases you cannot even wear thick socks, let alone warm insoles. Overshoes may keep the wind out, but they cannot actively warm you either.
And that's the key word: an active heat source is needed! Heated socks, for example, which are often used in winter sports, can also be a solution on a bike. But what do you have to pay attention to if you put the socks in a tight cycling shoe instead of a ski boot?
First of all, you have to be clear: heated socks are more like heated knee socks. Many models are extremely long, some reach down to the back of the knee. A typical feature is a small compartment at the top of the waistband where the battery is stored. This naturally affects what kind of pants you can wear over the heated socks. Tight-fitting, long cycling pants are practically out of the question; for sporty cycling, training pants with high-reaching zips are the most suitable, like those you wear to warm up before cyclocross races. MTB pants that are not too tight are also possible.
With the integrated heating wires, the socks themselves are a little thicker - so the shoes you want to wear them in shouldn't be too tight. If you're wearing cycling shoes with a typically hard sole, the cable that runs along the bottom of some heated socks could be uncomfortable. Most heated socks only warm the toe area; the rest of the foot will therefore benefit from a warm material. A high proportion of merino wool has proven to be a good choice - this also ensures that the socks don't get damp and prevents odors from forming.
The more expensive heated socks are operated via an app; some models also have a remote control in keychain format. Both have their advantages, although a remote control is the simpler solution. An app does have to be set up, but then you have more options - for example, you can control the heating power of both socks separately.
Heated socks are quite expensive - the price range is around 150 to 350 euros. Whether the purchase is worthwhile depends, of course, very much on individual needs: If you get cold feet quickly and have already tried all the conventional methods, you will not be put off by such amounts. People with a "normal" temperature sensitivity should find out how long they can cycle comfortably with winter shoes or overshoes and wool socks. The next question is whether you even go on long tours in the cold season - if not, the investment may not be worth it. But if you do, there is definitely a suitable model among the seven pairs of heated socks that Velomotion has tested. We have tested the heated socks from the following brands: Alpine heat, G-Heat,HeatPerformance, Hotronic, Spring, Therm-IC, Zanier.
