First they gave Twitter the figurative bird with a special sock that asked “who gives a f***?” on the instep.

Then their other pair honored the artwork of Hawaiian tattoo legend Sailor Jerry and his spiced rum. Wearing these socks are the ultimate chance to give your riding buddy a little FU on the final climb when you pass him and offer this “Aloha.” The socks are still white but hardcore enough for a little pre-ride posturing at any club ride lineup.

This isn’t the first time Sockguy has been known for hilariously commenting on cycling and society, their Dr. Fuentes classic would still be worthy of mainstream production. But unfortunately these special edition socks only show up once a year for insiders only and won’t be found for sale anywhere except in a lucky search on eBay.

Still, these socks are an example of Sockguy’s comfort and craftsmanship. A pair of Sockguy socks will keep your feet super cozy and cranking for years. Their crew socks like the Sailor Jerry’s wick away moisture keeping feet dry even when the heat is on. They are knit to eliminate wrinkles and hot spots so they feel as good as they fit. Besides a little more cuff up the leg is sometimes more fashionable and fun instead of common cycling sock. They are also a little warmer for early mornings and cooler temperatures.

Plus these socks are all examples of Sockguy’s ability to create a custom look for any shop or team kit. But Sockguy makes a wide range of colorful and fun footwear. With so many sock designs to choose from you’ll be sure to find a favorite style. Their socks come in two sizes and all Sockguy socks are made in the USA.

Sizes: S/M, L/XL
Price: $9.95

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Bontrager's new shoe for women provides all-day comfort

The newest model released this week is called the Cadence and is built for the off-bike versatility as well as being ideal for the active bike commuter on the go.

The shoe looks a lot like a tennis shoe with low profile tread suitable for walking without the need to change shoes after riding. These would be a great choice for any woman who doesn’t use clipless pedals, even though they do accept optional pedal cleats.

Bontrager Brand Manager, Natascha Grief, was quoted saying “It’s the perfect shoe for when you want some of the performance benefits of a cycling shoe without looking like you are wearing one.”

Bontrager constructs their shoes with four aspects of shoe design technology. They call them the four C’s: Construction, Cut, Cup, and Customization. This time all that attention is directed with women athletes in mind.

Construction
Bontrager starts with a women’s specific form (called a last) and uses a Strobel construction method that gives the Cadence a good blend of stability and comfort.

Cut
The Cadence features non-stretch synthetic uppers chosen specifically for their ability to provide support for on-bike efficiency and suppleness for street-shoe comfort, but again with a woman’s specific design in mind.

Cup
The Cadence uses an internal heel cup instead of a bulky looking external cup found in higher performance racing shoes.

Customization
All Bontrager inForm shoes can be customized. The Cadence will accept any custom or customizable insoles.

The shoe laces up with normal shoelaces. If you are shopping for this shoe you might want to make sure these won’t get caught and torn in your chainrings.

The Cadence will be available starting in October 2009 from Bontrager dealers.

price: $74.99
US sizes: 5.5 to 11

Maybe I shouldn’t have titled this article with boring because nothing about a pair of Ergo 2′s is boring – they are one hot shoe with more cool factors, fit and features than anything on the market but a simple Italian stripe down the side doesn’t cut it for me.

Take the National Football League. That’s right, American Football – the NFL. It takes a lot of money to score a touchdown in the NFL so celebration is expected, almost required in this day and age. You gotta dance, maybe spike the ball, even if it costs you a fine come Monday it takes a lot of work to get a football in the endzone in the NFL. And in this case Sidi fumbled.

Usually Sidi is known for their style, their flare, and they regularly deck their athletes out in some pretty dope shoes. This shoe represented their home countryman, Filippo Pozzato’s big National win so they had license to really show off but they didn’t. Now Pozzato will sport the colors of the Il Tricolore for a year but his shoes will appear mostly white… and a little boring.

Oh well, the Italian National Championships were held in the Bologna town of Imola one week before the Tour de France on June 29. Filippo Pozzato won ahead of Damiano Cunego.

Not terribly far off from a stock pair of Ergo 2′s, the special edition shoes show off the three colors of the Italian flag on the sides and the front Velcro strap. That’s it. Come ‘on, this is your homeboy Sidi!

Team Katusha jerseys are red, white and blue so maybe Sidi was trying to downplay the color combinations. But Pozzato is also the captain of Team Katusha, and he designed his own version of the Italian National Jersey and wore it during the Tour but was hounded by the Italian Cycling Federation for a lack of respect saying that his redesign “does not conform to the tricolore design.”

Winning the prestigious race allows him to wear the special jersey for one year as the representative of Italy and road racing… kind of like winning the Super Bowl. Care to dance Sidi?

The Italian Federation was upset with the design Team Katusha used because integrating the Italian colors to the sponsor’s logo resulted in very little green. Before the end of the Tour de France, apparel maker Santini delivered a new jersey to Team Katusha for Pozzato.

Problems like this one have erupted before such as when Caisse d’Epargne captain Alejandro Valverde had to change his Spanish Champion jersey last year. In that instance it kept too much black from the standard Caisse d’Epargne team jersey than the nation’s traditional red and yellow stripes.

Filippo “Pippo” Pozzato has had a tremendous year. He also finished second in the 2009 Paris-Roubiax commenting that winner Tom Boonen benefited by using motocycles to expand his solo victory. Next year he may win the Paris-Roubaix and only then when he has cobbled, muddy grime on his shoes will his Sidi’s appear a little less boring.

These little jumpers are a classic case of when not to judge a shoe by its cover. They do look slightly quirky – even a funny. The time saved on styling definitely went into putting together a well thought-out rider.

There is a raised and padded inner ankle protector and a protective pad over the laces to keep water, mud and rocks from beating you up.

Grip

Shimano is also using an exciting new material for the outsole. Vibram, an Italitan sole company long used in hiking boots, partnered with Shimano to produce the IdroGrip – a super sticky compound that secures riders on wet rocks, mud and matted grass as well as their pedals. IdroGrip was derived from Vibram’s expertise manufacturing climbing soles.

On the bike, the grip and feel contact to the pedals is second only to FiveTen Impact 2 Low and Freerider shoes – which is quite an accomplishment. They cost about ten bucks more than FiveTen’s, but they might perform longer. Shimano might be the answer to the wet rainforests of the North Country, eh?

Tunability

In addition to that sticky outsole, shoe stiffness can be altered with two different inserts slid in under the insole. I decided that the more flexible insert, or none at all, gave the best pedal control. However if you are headed to the groomies at the jump park and want some speed you can feel a power increase with the stiffer insert.

Verdict

While Shimano’s AM40s are very supple and offer armored shield protection from flying debris and rocks, but maybe not from your friend’s jokes and laughs.

Sizes: 36 – 48, whole sizes
Weight: 837 grams (size 40)
Price: about $100-$110 online

Here’s a moment from Cadel you don’t often see from the pro’s…

As if it were as fashionable as white tie attire at a wedding, wearing a white shoe is the popular choice for cyclists who keep it on the road. It’s just another aspect for mountain bikers to rebel against along with their baggy shorts and hairy legs.

As germane as white shoes and matching socks may be, all formal correctness may change and the Euro snobs may be in for a shock. That’s because last week Lance Armstrong made his thundering reemergence to professional racing and with all eyes trained on his epic return to the Pro Tour, he had the unbecoming audacity to wear black shoes and black socks in the face of the best cyclists in the world.

It was ever apparent from the live streaming video online, Lance showed no fear as he protected Amgen Tour of California race leader Levi Leipheimer for 9 days whether rain or shine. As usual he rode near the front of the pack, and as usual Nike provided him with his shoes. Nike never stopped sponsoring Lance and his Livestrong Cancer Organization even while he was retired.

Now, it is true that 2008 did see an emergence of more UCI teams incorporating black shoes into their kit, but Lance’s image in California was more distinct because along with his black and yellow Livestrong gilet and black bicycle, his shoes were also different from the rest of Team Astana. Last week he just seemed to stick out more, divergent from his team and the rest of the racers who all continued to wear white.

Looking back to Lance’s career he has always been a proponent of a darker shade of shoe and the seven time Tour de France champion started rocking black shoes again in the Tour Down Under this past January. Only at the Interbike’s Cyclocross race last fall in Las Vegas did he wear a mix-colored shoe, a discipline fitting for black.

However, in the Pro Tour he is constantly surrounded by white kicks including those of fellow countrymen Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriskie, and longtime lieutenant George Hincapie. Even Rock Racing and their bad boy civil disobedience is consoled by their white feet, probably because their team is more populated with Europeans this season.

But even with Armstrong’s comeback, most riders and racers will probably stick with white for a while. White shoes still remain the chic and hip choice for club riders everywhere as each cyclist pays homage to the European roots of cycling. However, when applied with a black sock, a dark shoe can make a statement that might stand out as much like Rock Racing’s anarchy. But for now the tradition remains, and white shoes cast a brilliant reflection on a sun-drenched day drawing the eye to the center of the fun, the spin of the pedals, the power and the grace of our sport.