The new DeFeet Evo Jet socks claim to save a massive 24 watts of drag compared to bare, shaved legs. That’s a massive gain, and a big improvement over their already good Evo Disruptor and competing aero cycling socks on the market.
DeFeet says their journey into aero socks started in the A2 wind tunnel in 2017 with QuickStep. The result was the Evo Disruptor, a sock made with traditional circular knit manufacturing (how most cycling socks are made) and set an 8-watt savings benchmark. Quickstep’s Julian Alaphilipe wore them to stage wins at that year’s Tour de France.
Soon other teams wanted them, too, but in 2022, Victor Campenaerts asked for a faster sock. By this, other brands had developed aero cycling socks with faster claims, but DeFeet’s founder Shane Cooper says their testing methods were static, and they were very expensive.
So, they went back to the wind tunnel in 2023 to test a mix of knits and regular fabrics. Once they found the fastest fabrics, it was back to the cutting boards, then back to the wind tunnel.
“We tested two moving athletes and used several yaw and speed settings,” says Cooper. “As you know, a foot is not only traveling forward but also in a circle, so (they create a lot of vortices). Very much like a wheel, but wheels have lots of room to clean the air. With a sock, cleaning up the wake is an area that can create major watt savings.”
Unlike their Air-e-ator and Evo Disruptor, the Evo Jet combines a knit foot with ribbed woven fabric cuff that’s stitched together in the back. For teams, this upper cuff can be sublimated. For you and me, it’s available in black or white.
The end result is what they claim is the world’s most aero sock, saving 24 watts compared to a bare, shaven leg. Cooper says they’ve received third-party test results that support their claims, too.
Look for them on several riders in this year’s Tour de France, and grab your own pair for $55. Available in short (6.75″ cuff) and tall (8″ cuff) heights.
