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As a yearly ritual, I’ve gotten used to spending the better part of February poring over the REI catalog in anticipation of the arrival of my yearly dividend. This ceremonial pondering isn’t completely free of enjoyment, but this year when KEEN announced they were going to make an SPD-compatible sandal, tradition was abandoned; this year’s decision was easy.

Sometime back in the ’90s, Shimano made an SPD-compatible sandal. For those of us who had road shoes and clipless pedals way back in the day and wanted a way to tool around town without sounding like a drunk Fred Astaire at the local ice cream parlor, they were a godsend. And if the Shimano offering was a bit too blue-light-special for your taste, John Fluevog also put out a significantly more “haute couture” SPD-compatible shoe that in a pinch could be worn with a tux if you happened to be commuting to a wedding and forgot to bring your Florsheims.

Sadly, it seems, what started as a great idea lost its momentum, and quite a few years passed without much choice in a casual cycling shoe. In part, I’m sure, to the emergence of mountain style SPD shoes, which started to incorporate lugged rubber soles that protruded beyond the cleat and made walking slightly less clumsy. Even so, they lacked style and still weren’t something you’d want to want to wear to the office.

So, thanks to KEEN for giving new life to an old idea whose time was never really past… it just needed a toe bumper.

Sometime around May, as the days start to get longer and the nights begin to shorten, most people look forward to the onset of summer with thoughts of picnics, pool parties, summer vacations, and walks in the park. Not me. As the warm weather approaches, I think of one thing only: time to seal up the sock drawer.

Yes, as long as there isn’t snow on the ground, you’re not likely to see me wearing socks anytime between May and October. I’m fortunate enough to have a job at a University where there isn’t much of a dress code; professors by their nature aren’t huge proponents of mandated anything, so us little people get to enjoy the benefits too. So, out come the sandals, and away go the socks all summer long for both work and play.

It’s not that socks are bad. In fact, my wish is for everyone else to wear them to keep their ugly dogs covered. Me, on the other hand, well, I just can’t get used to the idea of wearing little sweaters on my feet.

BUT! My old dogs have learned of some new trick socks. Yes, the company that made us all say: “doh, why didn’t I think of that?” by introducing a sandal with a built-in ‘toe bumper’ now makes socks.

Although a bit on the expensive side, KEEN socks are a sizable improvement over all other socks I’ve tried.

The model I have, the Bellingham, is made primarily of very soft Merino wool, which, aside from being very comfortable against the skin and quite adept at wicking moisture is also a natural fiber with the added benefit of being sustainable and renewable.

They’re thin and unobtrusive in non-contact areas, and thicker (but not too thick) in the heel, toe, and ball area to provide a small amount of extra padding in high-pressure areas.

What seemed like a gimmick at first glance turned out to be one of the features I favor most about these socks. They are specifically designed to be worn on either a left foot or a right foot, and they’re marked to indicate which is which. In addition to fitting the arch better than any other sock I’ve tried, this asymmetrical shape fits all five toes perfectly with none of the alternating tight and loose spots inherent in socks designed to fit either foot. Bravo, KEEN.

There’s still more, and I saved the best for last. These are without a doubt the smoothest, flattest seams I’ve ever had the pleasure of standing on. The only seam I can feel at all with my fingers traverses nicely under the bridge of your toes and goes completely undetected while wearing. You absolutely will not be rubbed wrong no matter how many miles you may hike in these socks.

But honestly, as much as I think KEEN has raised the bar for other sock makers, it’s hard to say how this will affect my penchant for swaggering sockless. See, for all the nifty improvements KEEN has made, they still haven’t cleared the biggest hurdle… these socks STILL don’t launder themselves!