As an alternative to cycling shoe booties, toe covers are convenient. Commonly made from neoprene, they help keep your toes and feet warm during cool weather cycling. As they only cover the front section of the cycling shoe, with a hole for the cleats, you can buckle and unbuckle your cycling shoes with ease.
Australian brand TwoWheelCool released their range of silicone cycling accessories last year which included the Toe Cap. The TwoWheelCool range focusses on commuting accessories and although the Toe Cap may suit regular cycle commuters, it is appealing to road cyclists. The Toe Caps are a straight-forward accessory and the packaging information suggests that they are easy to clean, just put them in the dishwasher. With the road grime that I pick up, they are not going anywhere near the cutlery or dishes in my kitchen, but the basic idea is that they are easy to clean.
Compared with my neoprene toe covers, I found that they do exactly the same job. I was hoping that the Toe Caps were warmer though they were on paar with my neoprene toe covers. This meant that on really cold mornings I would still get to the point where my toes were getting cold. But I will note that warmth is also affected by the style and breathability of the cycling shoes and socks. The Toe Caps however do a better job repelling water and they are easier to clean, grime and scuff marks come off quite easily.
The Toe Caps are not a replacement for aerodynamic booties. To make these suitable for everyday road cycling, the front has slightly thicker silicone which adds a little more protection for your shoes when you kick down the door to your favorite post-ride cafe.
The colour availability is an incentive to invest $29.95 to match your cycling kit and bike. Aside from black, white and red, there are some Out There colours such as the orange [pictured], but also mint, pink and yellow. You can check out the Toe Caps online and also see the range of other silicone cycling accessories such as wearable bike lights: www.twowheelcool.com
A fresh dose of road grime on the bright orange TwoWheelCool Toe Caps
