ranger39000 said:
THEY STINK
!!
To prevent the stink before it ever happens:
Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, wear the same socks twice before washing them. This goes for on-the-bike and off. I mean religiously!
To be realistic, when commuting I would wear my cycling socks to work and then back home, but I would always have fresh cotton socks waiting for me at work which I would wear throughout the work day. (Same for the shoes too.)
This worked well for my commute: 31mi, 2days/week, + weekend long rides. My shoes only smelled when I stuck my nose directly in the shoe and took a whiff. Even then it was easily bearable. I work in an office where the more primal smells were less tolerated than say a laborer type job
.
One of the reasons why changing socks is so important is because bacteria/fungus needs moisture + oxygen to metabolize. By reusing socks it allows plenty of oxygen to reach the socks where bacteria/fungus congregate and keeps the moisture levels just right - thus the stink.
Hope this helps,
Dave