Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

review

Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Socks

7
£35.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Aero doesn't always mean comfortable, but it does here
Impressively comfortable
Excellent quality
Expensive
Weight: 
46g
Contact: 

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

When you've gone aero everywhere else and it's only your feet left, you're going to need a pair of socks co-developed with an aerodynamic specialist... and that is what you have here with the Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Socks. They're impressively comfortable and excellent quality – as you'd hope for the price.

In collaboration with McLaren, of Formula One fame, Le Col has developed a whole aero collection which incorporates a speedsuit in long (£375) or short sleeve (£350), a short sleeve jersey (£170) and a long sleeve jersey for £195. These socks are the finishing touch, for a mere £35.

> Buy these online here

What you've basically got here is a main foot section that's 100% knitted polyamide and feels like a traditional sock material, with terry padded sections for the toe and base, and an 82% polyester, 18% elastane blend for the lower leg section.

This upper section is basically similar to a lightweight overshoe that you'd likely find covering the shoes of most time-triallists; minimalist, with a virtual skin-like feeling. The stretch of the fabric and the silicone gripper at the top keep things in place.

2021 Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Socks 5.jpg

The aero benefit? Well, for the majority of us it's not going to make the slightest bit of difference, but if you've covered every other base you can to remove drag then I suppose the theory makes sense.

I'm not here to belittle the effectiveness or the claims made – these socks are a tiny piece in what has been designed as a full aero clothing system – but I can't confirm them either.

> How to get more aero without spending a fortune

I did spend years riding time trials and while I was pretty drawn into the whole aero kit thing, spending a fortune on a skinsuits, helmets and so on, I was nowhere near the extreme level of some who were touching the podium, and I know for some riders these (very) marginal claims are important.

2021 Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Socks 4.jpg

What I can confirm, though, is that these are very comfortable socks.

The foot section with that padding feels sumptuous in your shoe, while the lighter-weight sections are breathable and also create a very snug fit.

2021 Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Socks 3.jpg

The material is soft to the touch, too, and all of the seams have been positioned out of the way. I could wear these things for hours.

The quality is exceptionally high as well.

As for the cost, while double the price of most 'normal' cycling socks, they aren't alone in being a little extravagant. Defeet charges £29.99 for its Evo Disruptor socks which it claims offer a watt reduction over bare shaved legs.

Conclusion

I can't quantify the aerodynamic gains, and they are going to be very marginal anyway, but I will say that these are some very comfortable and well-made socks. Whether that justifies 35 quid is up to you.

Verdict

Aero doesn't always mean comfortable, but it does here

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Socks

Size tested: Large/XL

Tell us what the product is for

Le Col says: "The Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Socks have been refined to offer compressive and wind tunnel proven air tripping fabrics over the compressive silicone gripped upper to offer efficiencies that take you faster and further for free.'

'Tested against Team Issue WorldTour kit at races, in the wind tunnel, and on the track. In every scenario, this kit has outperformed them all"

MATTHEW WILLIAMS

Aerodynamics Specialist

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

From Le Col:

WindTunnel tested and developed with McLaren Experts

Terry padded toe and base.

Reinforced toe box

Hex Construction base for improved breathability

Aero Channelled Speed fabrics over upper

Pre-applied bonded gripper for secure sock height

Flatlock seam for strength and comfort over the rear

Knitted & sublimated Le Col x McLaren Branding

Direct applied silicone on internal cuff

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

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

Following the washing instructions, no issues whatsoever.

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

As a pair of socks they are durable and comfortable, a pleasure to have on your feet for many hours.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Foot section is impressively comfortable.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Aero gains are minimal for the money.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Defeet aero offering comes close, but most non-aero socks are half the price (or less) and can be just as comfortable.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, they are very comfortable.

Would you consider buying the product? No, the cost would outweigh any aero benefits.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, if they wanted a comfortable aero sock and price wasn't an issue.

Use this box to explain your overall score

Excellent quality and very comfortable, although the claimed gains wouldn't be enough for me to part with £35.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

Latest Comments