Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Well due to the Sydney weather (read high chance of plenty of rain from now until end of winter) I am considering purchasing a pair of overshoes.

Experiences of any other riders are most welcome. My criteria would be:
- durability (refers to zips, material in general and seams/stitching)
- waterproofness
- fit (getting on/off specific shoes - I have Northwave size 43 and Sidi size 42)

Also wouldn't mind if they made me look cool and ride super fast

I have these in L (size 43 shoe), nice fit, easy on/off but you still get wet feet eventually because the water runs down your leg.

http://www.this link is broken/Mode ... elID=91160" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My favorite is the cheap ones from T7 http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7W ... F41A7D4558" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
but they're currently out of stock. They maybe won't pass muster on looking cool, nor
riding faster.

As with any shoe-cover, there's two more serious weak points. Firstly, there's a hole in
the sole for the cleats to clip into the pedals. Rain can get into the shoe via the
"spare holes" and gaps in your shoe-to-cleat fitting. Solve that by filling with a good silicone sealant.

Second is the fit to your ankle. It's pretty hard to get a water-tight seal against your calf - so water
running down your leg can easily get into the shoe.

Best approach is to have rain overpants that overlap the top of the over-shoe. Second-best is to use
some cord tape (double sided velcro) to secure the top of the shoe tightly to your lower leg.

Durability will depend on how often you put your foot down. Any fabric based shoe cover will not be
as tough as the soles of your shoe - so you will tend to get wearing and fraying of the fabric where
it contacts the ground. Having said that, I've got a pair of the T7 ones that have lasted nearly 4 years.
Looking worse for wear, but still keeping my feet dry.

Cheers

Cycling is not skiing or snowboarding. You cannot avoid getting wet if it gets crazy because the gear isn't watertight. You CAN avoid that being a deeply unpleasant experience though, and that should be the focus. I've found plastic bags over the feet can help you wanting to kill yourself because it is so cold from windchill. If you can't handle some wet, you shouldn't ride in the rain. Consider a second pair of socks for the return journey and a clothes horse to dry your gear out. I've ridden in literally torrential conditions and the worst I dealt with apart from submerging both feet in Parramatta River was the sweat in the helmet padding running into my eyes (one of the painful experiences in recent memory). Once you're wet, you're wet.

Sealskinz merino waterproof socks.... Essential to keep feet warm on wet subzero days....

I have the Torpedo 7 ones. Great for toasty warm toes, only tested down to about 5degres though. Easy on and off. not exactly water proof though, mine seem to let the water in from underneath and my shoes end up wet on the back on the inside of the shoe. Spray seems to get in there off the road but overall the shoe remains dry - especially compared to no overshoe. Had them for a couple of years and still holding up but I don't use them all that often and don't walk in them other than a few metres from house to garage and bike rack to locker room at work. The reflective bit on the back also seems to wrap around my ankles too far so ends up on the bike side, not out where the traffic would see it better.

I have BBB ones (can't remember exact mondel) but they last about 10 minutes in Brisbane rain. I use them more in winter to keep my feet warm

Thanks all for your input.

X, I was just after some feedback from others who have tried overshoes to decide which ones to try myself. I am aware I will get wet in the rain, especially in the big downpours (I cycled in the recent big ones and still have fond memories of the massive downpour last year around March - wet but not unpleasant as it was warm).

I expect that overshoes will provide most assistance when there is lightish rain/wet roads. I only commute 12km each way now (cut in half due to moving house), so the exposure time is not an issue. Getting wet is not too much of an issue, but cold and wet is not so nice.

Anything that I can do to make the commute "nicer" is worth it in my book, especially if it is only going to cost around $30 (the mudguards I got for the Bianchi were one of the best additions I have made!)

i had castelli pioggia 2 ones, they had an extra velcro strap around the top and were pretty much waterproof, great fit and design. but they tore apart after ~6 months

not what i'd expect out of ~$50 shoecovers

snortin wrote:Thanks all for your input.

Getting wet is not too much of an issue, but cold and wet is not so nice.

Sorry i didn't probably describe earlier what i meant by the waterproof socks. Try them under your overshoes, as they are a very good second line of waterproofing. Instead of wet & cold with normal "waterproof" overshoes, u end up wet and warm with the merino/waterproof membrane socks.

I've used Endura Road overshoes extensively, and they do the job well. Made out of neoprene, with a hard wearing sole. Reflective piping on zips is handy. Sell for $30 to $35...

http://evanscycles.com/products/endura/ ... =Affiliate" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I put my shoes into plastic shopping bags, then put my overshoes over the plastic bags to hold them in place. Presto, I have waterproof overshoes!

I am yet to find an overshoe that has a durable sole for the toe. all mine are ruined on the left foot because that is the foot I use to touch down with when I stop. I was thinking of rigging something up, such as a replaceable clip on piece of rubber. Once the toe part is gone, there is nothing to stop the shoe covers from sliding off your foot!

antipodean wrote:I have these in L (size 43 shoe), nice fit, easy on/off but you still get wet feet eventually because the water runs down your leg.

http://www.this link is broken/Mode ... elID=91160" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have had these twice, first set lasted a good 2 years.
2nd set, as of about only 10 wears and last night - snapped the zipper and the zipper disengaged.
So sorta 50/50 on these now.

I use BBB Waterflex and they have served me well in the Melbourne weather for almost a year now (on the rainy days only, mind you), although your mileage may vary. I have ridden in downpours and the shoes and socks came out dry or the socks were only slightly damp but are dry for the ride home, which was a huge difference to the time I rode in torrential rain without overshoes on and the shoes took two days to dry! As for durability they still work but I am noticing signs of wear on the fabric now that I'm coming up to a year of use.

A helpful shop assistant in store said another way to keep the water from coming in the top of the overshoes (in addition to putting your pants/tights on the outside of the overshoes) is to put a dollop of vaseline all around the outside of the top. Now, I haven't tried that trick yet, but it certainly has stuck in my mind!

queequeg wrote:I put my shoes into plastic shopping bags, then put my overshoes over the plastic bags to hold them in place. Presto, I have waterproof overshoes!

I am yet to find an overshoe that has a durable sole for the toe. all mine are ruined on the left foot because that is the foot I use to touch down with when I stop. I was thinking of rigging something up, such as a replaceable clip on piece of rubber. Once the toe part is gone, there is nothing to stop the shoe covers from sliding off your foot!

Have a look at the endura mtb version... As the have a reinforced hard wearing toe

http://www.this link is broken/Mobi ... elID=17096" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I used my new BBB Hardwear overshoes for the first time thismorning. Turned out I didn't really need to wear them as it didn't rain.
So can't comment on their waterproofness, but there were very easy to put on and comfortable

I wouldn't recommend BBB overshoes as they just fall to bits after a few months

jamesn184 wrote:I wouldn't recommend BBB overshoes as they just fall to bits after a few months

As I said above, your mileage may vary. Mine have held up quite well coming up to a year now.

I've found the cheap T7 ones are hard to beat in terms of bang for buck. I prefer the velcro join at back designs rather than the zip, as the zips I've used all tend to give way first through abuse. One thing about the Endura overshoes, which I've tried, is I found them a very snug fit, so I'd recommend going up a size for ease of putting them on. These cheapies are good for road shoes as they are very light, much more breathable than neoprene ones, and surprisingly waterproof and warm but they do lack a reflective strip on the back. They probably wouldn't last long if you did much walking in them though as there's little reinforcement on the sole.

wombatK wrote:My favorite is the cheap ones from T7 http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7W ... F41A7D4558" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
but they're currently out of stock. They maybe won't pass muster on looking cool, nor
riding faster.

I have these; they do a decent job of keeping feet warm down to about 0°C but not really effective at keeping the water out in more than light rain.

I've found them to be very durable; after about five years' use, the only real wear is that the reflective tape has become brittle and cracked and loop side of the velcro closure has become a bit fuzzy. The neoprene is a bit worn in patches but the reinforcing fabric on the bottom of the toe is pretty much bombproof.

The large size (from memory) is a snug fit over my size 45 Shimanos and Sidis.

I use the Pro Aerofoil which still let in water at the cuff unless I actually tape them to my leg

jamesn184 wrote:I wouldn't recommend BBB overshoes as they just fall to bits after a few months

I've had my BBB waterflex for years and still going strong

Crawf wrote:

antipodean wrote:I have these in L (size 43 shoe), nice fit, easy on/off but you still get wet feet eventually because the water runs down your leg.

http://www.this link is broken/Mode ... elID=91160" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have had these twice, first set lasted a good 2 years.
2nd set, as of about only 10 wears and last night - snapped the zipper and the zipper disengaged.
So sorta 50/50 on these now.

Tried those for the first time today riding home in the rain. Same result as my other Endura Overshoes http://www.this link is broken/Mode ... elID=59928

Wet feet. Don't think any overshoe will keep your feet dry.

Having said that, these Endura's seem well made and 'should' last.

I had a bit of an experience trying to find a decent set of in-stock, waterproof(ish) overshoes that don't cheap and nasty.

Ended up with Shimano Tarmac H20 ones, they weren't too expensive (AU$35-ish) and they look ok in black.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... himzosh205" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As far as the wet feet discussion goes, they will keep you dry in rain of pretty much any type, what you have to watch out for is large puddles and the spray that comes off your front wheel. The only time I have soaked my foot through (sloshin around style) was riding up a hill that had a 3-5mm of water consistently across the entire road, and was acting pretty much as a river.

The Shimano overshoes remain windproof when wet your feet do get sweaty or wet, they don't go freezing cold from the wind.

what about these ones from uno on special for $15

http://www.abcoutlets.com.au/shop/windstopper" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Although they are not sold as waterproof, they are close to it. They will keep your feet warm even after they get wet - it takes a fair while for water to soak through the Windstopper, and even then Windstopper has wonderful insulating properties that keep the toes warm.
Tip: pull your longs or leg warmers over the top of the band of the shoe cover, and you'll avoid rain getting into your shoe covers.

boss wrote:I had a bit of an experience trying to find a decent set of in-stock, waterproof(ish) overshoes that don't cheap and nasty.

Ended up with Shimano Tarmac H20 ones, they weren't too expensive (AU$35-ish) and they look ok in black.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... himzosh205" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As far as the wet feet discussion goes, they will keep you dry in rain of pretty much any type, what you have to watch out for is large puddles and the spray that comes off your front wheel. The only time I have soaked my foot through (sloshin around style) was riding up a hill that had a 3-5mm of water consistently across the entire road, and was acting pretty much as a river.

The Shimano overshoes remain windproof when wet your feet do get sweaty or wet, they don't go freezing cold from the wind.

They look really good Boss, thanks for the review. I'm currently using tt aero covers or the t7 neoprene covers for extra cold days. Those shimano look better.
How stretchy are they? I'm a size 45 shoe and should be XL according to Ribble. Do you think a L would stretch one extra size for a more snug fit?