With all the despondent talk of autumnal riding conditions, headwinds, rain, the prospect of a long, hard winter and so on, it is easy to forget that some items of clothing are just made for them.
Oversocks, for example. This morning’s downpour was not, for me, the unpleasant affair apparently experienced by my colleagues, perhaps because I took the trouble to ride a bike fitted with mudguards. Their presence was not enough to keep my feet dry, water falling on them from the sky in surprisingly large quantity, but they did enough to justify their existence.
That is to say, they kept grit and foul grey sludge off my shoes and, going by the amount of water I squeezed out of them on arrival, they soaked up plenty that would otherwise have ended up on my feet.
Now, overshoes might – indeed, almost certainly would – have done a more effective job. However, at this time of year I find them overly warm when wet and downright sauna-like if it doesn’t actually get around to raining. And, since I don’t like having to stop, get them out of my bag, fit them and ride off only to find the rain easing, overshoes are out.
Oversocks are, for me, the perfect autum shoe covering, wet or dry. There, something to be pleased about.
