When you need to ride, regardless of frigid winter temperatures, the Specialized Merino Deep Winter Tall Socks rise out of the sock drawer to your rescue. As with the midweight version, the Deep Winter takes full advantage of the natural heat retention of Richter Merino wool fibers, as well as it's wicking properties by enhancing both with polyester fibers to form a blend referred to as VaporRize. Within a cycling shoe, releasing moisture from the skin and getting it as moving to the next layer is crucial for warmth. This sock uses a knit with more loft to create more heat retention and freedom for moisture vapor to escape, most definitively seen with the full length terry foot panel and the zone in the front of the ankle- the two places you can accommodate bulk in the shoe, and seriously need more warmth.

In the toe box area, where you generally can't have bulk, the Specialized designers found a somewhat unique solution. Knowing that the dryer an area is, the better chance it has of staying warm, they turned to carbon infused yarn with high conductivity characteristics that seriously speeds up wicking by creating vapor- which can escape faster and keeps the skin drier. This Resistex® Carbon monofilament is being widely tested and used in a range of athletic and military wear and equipment because there are many benefits to this process, and here in the Deep Winter Socks it serves to keep your toes as dry as possible, while eliminating the need for bulk.

The sock shows all the care and attention to detail you find from Specialized, along with some very targeted innovative technologies. The 7" (calf-height) tall cuff maintains thermal consistency far up under a tight, and is much softer on the skin. You have love the very effective blend of tech and natural fibers used to help a cyclist, utilizing simple bi-pedal leg power to drive what is likely an impressively technical carbon fiber bicycle on a ride through temperatures and conditions that most people assiduously avoid.