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Crisp white socks are the ideal: Here’s how to keep them that way.

I have a lot of socks in various heights and colorways, but I wear the white ones almost exclusively. I like having crisp, white socks. The catch: It’s impossible to keep them that way.

This morning I left my house at 6:45 to meet a friend for a ride. I got to the spot at 6:55, unclipped while waiting for my friend to roll down. I grabbed my water bottle, looked down, and there it was. Chain lube, grease, whatever the substance combo, it was huge black streaks on the outside of my left leg’s crisp white sock.

Somewhere between getting ready to ride, getting the bike out the door, and just getting rolling, I brushed against the chain unknowingly and within the span of less than 10 minutes.

Before 7 a.m., I had ruined a fresh pair of socks. It’s not the biggest deal in the world but it’s annoying. Socks aren’t cheap, but really I just want to know why I can’t keep my white socks crisp.

As one does when searching for answers (or support), I resorted to Instagram to crowd source why this was happening to me. “Is this just me? It’s literally every ride, every pair of white socks, never know when it happens, no warning signs,” I wrote.

“Me as well. It just happens.”

“I switched to wax lube instead of oil and it helped a lot.”

“Just you…then again I wore black socks yesterday.”

“Got to love those cat 5 tattoos.”

“Every time I ride any bike for the last 30 years.”

“It happens until it stops happening. It’s an experience thing.”

Sure, black socks might hide the problem, but that doesn’t present a solution. Saying it stops with experience also doesn’t solve the problem. No one is telling me why. So I ask, is it when I clip or unclip? Is it when I’m carrying my bike down the path to get to my driveway? The answers to those questions is what I was looking for. But I’m realizing no one knows because no one gave me real feedback. I mean, I’m there and I don’t know the moment it happens.

However, with the help of longtime riders on our staff, I came up with some solutions. It turns out that this is a problem for cyclists throughout their lives, and through all spectrums of experience, but it is particularly a scourge for those closer to the novice stage. And while most of the time the right leg takes the hit, with people like me, both legs are vulnerable.

PS: Can one of the sock companies please make a white sock with a black chainring mark pre-applied?