I don't think that long socks will do much, I managed to have a few issues getting cliped into my new Crank Bro. Smarties the other day, and in not falling on my SO I managed to put a small hole in my skin but not in my long pants ?!? I haven't had many problems with bruising or scrapes other than the time that we had to push our bikes up a nice steep hill that had no trail and when I fell going up an nother steep hill and falling onto a small tree but most of my problems can be covered by a skirt or proudly displayed as proof of my new 'thing' that I do.