Aero SocksUpdated 5 days ago
In 2019, Josh convinced one of our ProTour teams to move every rider to aero socks for every event. The savings from aero socks are one of those crazy things in cycling that we mostly still can't believe, but repeat in the data every time. 8-12 watts of savings at 50kph, unbelievable.
Little did Josh realize that he was about to be responsible for a mutiny among the riders. Early in the spring classics, the problems began; the ribbed Lycra cuffs, which led to improved aerodynamics, would constantly fall down. It would start raining, and everybody's socks would fall off. We even had a race-winning finish line photo with a rider crossing the line one sock up, one sock down. Riders were also complaining about the seams where the Lycra was sewn to the knit foot of the sock. For improved aero, you want this seam as low as possible, but then some riders ended up with chaffing on the ankle from the seam rubbing the foot. By Flanders, the experiment was over. The aero socks were relegated to time trials.
Thus started the mission. Can we make an aero sock, that is, first and foremost a really good sock? Josh worked with a team in Italy who is quite famous for making the finest socks in the world, and who also has some of the most modern kitting machinery in the world. The goal was to make a knit sock that won't fall down, but has a combination of smooth and rough textures to trick the air into flowing around the lower leg more efficiently. The result is a sock that matches the aerodynamic performance of ribbed Lycra cuff socks, while retaining all of the features you demand from a cycling sock.
SILCA aero socks are knit from Q-Skin, a silver ion-infused polyamide which is anti-bacterial, odor resistant, and more importantly, has better softness and moisture control than any of the yarns commonly used to knit socks. Not only are these socks fast, they're the most comfortable socks you've ever worn.
The technology:
Custom knitting machinery allows us to produce a sock with a smooth frontal surface where the airflow is laminar, with the addition of 3 rows of turbulators starting just ahead of the flow separation zone. These turbulators introduce small vortices in the boundary layer, which energize the flow and promote flow attachment further around the leg. More attached flow means a smaller pressure wake behind the leg, less wake = less drag. 4-8 watts drag reduction when compared to standard socks and equal to ribbed Lycra socks of similar height.