La Passione Duo Socks

If you like your socks stylish but subtle, La Passione's Duo socks are some of the best we've ever seen, and not only do they have the performance and quality to match their looks, they are reasonably priced too.

I'm not a big fan of garish, logo-loco socks. If anything, I like my socks to look like they could be worn off the bike at the office or at a posh bar. So, La Passione has really nailed it, for me, with the style of its Duo line of socks (and that goes for the rest of the range too – there are loads of different styles and colours to choose from).

> Buy these online here

This particular colour combination (one of five available combinations in the Duo style) is perhaps a little more grey and minty green than our photos suggest (blame white balance, I guess). I would have loved the colour even more if I hadn't just built up a new road bike that is a total colour clash, but there you go (disclaimer – I've already ordered some more pairs from La Passione to suit).

The Duo socks – as with the entire La Passione sock range – are 15cm in height, which is basically my ideal sock length, having longer legs than your average human.

Trying them on, the first thing you notice is how thin yet soft the Meryl Skinlife material feels against your skin – they're probably the softest cycling socks I've ever worn. The second thing is that these are tighter than your average cycling socks. They're also quite narrow, which is good for my sparrow-like feet. There does seem to be a lot of stretch to them, but I suspect those with non Italian-spec wide soles might struggle a little.

The Duo socks come in three sizes – XS/S (3.5-5.5), M/L (6-8.5) and XL/XXL (9-11). I am a narrow 11 and they were perfect.

Part of the reason for the extra tightness is down to the slight compression that they offer, which La Passione says is meant to increase blood flow and muscle support. I can't say that I noticed that much difference between these and any other socks I usually wear.

One of the things I did notice after a long ride on a hot day was that my feet were totally free of sweat (not that they sweat loads, admittedly) and that the socks smelt brand new. Even after five hard rides over the course of a couple of weeks they didn't pong at all. I have washed them several times, but I reckon you could go for long periods in between rides without bothering to wash them – even if you have particularly tangy feet.

The 80% polyamide/20% elastane boasts anti-bacterial/odour-resistant properties, which most cycling socks tend to anyway, but in the case of the Duo socks it really does seem to work.

Since I've been wearing them they've held up nicely, though there's a fleecy area on the underside, near the balls of the feet, which has started to bobble quite quickly. Thankfully, you can't see it.

> Read more road.cc reviews of cycling socks

In terms of pricing, I think £12 is bang on the mark. Considering the quality, looks and feel, it's not bad value for money, Most other socks on the site seem to be somewhere between £10-20. In my opinion these are better looking and just as capable as the more expensive Cafe Du Cycliste Block Colour socks, though not quite as cheap as the very good Chapeau Tall socks. 

My only complaint about La Passione stuff is the cost of shipping – if you want a pair of these lovely socks, you'll have to buy an extra £78 worth of stuff as the cost of shipping under £90 is £9. The reason being is that they come direct from Italy. At least it gives you an excuse to buy a few more goodies!

Verdict

Some of the best looking socks around, they're also cool, comfy and feel wonderful, if a bit narrow for some