Which Overshoe?

[XmisterIS]

I was reading the thread on what do you do when it rains, and got thinking about overshoes!

The winter before last, I had lots of wet, cold feet! (not all at the same time, obviously!).

Anyway, I want to get a pair of waterproof overshoes in the autumn.

I have two bottle cages on my road bike, one cotains my waterbottle, the other is used as a general purpose carry-all. In the winter I stick my roll-up waterproof in it, which occupies half the cage. I want a pair of overshoes that are properly waterproof and will roll up small enough to comfortably fit in the bottle cage with the jacket (I tend to roll everything inside a plastic bag and stuff that into the cage.

The neoprene ones look bulky, and I'm not bothered about insulation, I wear a pair of thermal socks and one pair of shoes all year round. The cold doesn't bother me, as long as I am dry!

Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[Kestevan]

The endura ones get consistently good reviews.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Endura_Road_Overshoes/5360020535/

Personally I've never found one that actually keeps my feet what you'd call "dry". Warm, yes, but actually dry seems to be a step too far.


Still...I'm not made of sugar, and I do like the Enduras

 

[Lozatron]

Last year I got some neoprene winter shoes from Specialized - not "overshoes" but replacement shoes - absolutely saved my life and made winter commuiting enjoyable...

Also - what about sealskinz socks with your current shoes?

 

[fossyant]

Quite often overshoes will let water in - usually from the top. Neoprene is not waterproof.

I use both neoprene ones, and some natty Northwave H2O thingy's. The Northwave's I'd not use on the commute - expensive, but lightweight, and resist splashing - use these on the road bike.

For commuting I use some neoprene ones, but with a couple of 'corners' of a plastic bag over each toe and top of shoe - that stops the water seeping onto the shoe. To stop the rain going down from the top, then if the weather is bad enough I'll have waterproof trousers on, then the water runs off.

This keeps the shoe pretty dry - helps to stop them becoming smelly. If they do get wet, use newspaper and pop them somewhere warm.

 

[XmisterIS]

I know this might sound amusing, but can you get waterproof socks? Lol! That way, the shoe could get soaked and your feet would still be dry.

EDIT: Yes you can! From sealskinz. Mind you, looking at the prices, instead of buying a couple of pairs of them, I might be better off just buying a waterproof winter shoe.

EDIT EDIT: All the waterproof shoes seem to be gore-tex ... which is amazing stuff, but very expensive! I think a couple of pairs of the cheaper waterproof socks are in order ...

 

[Foundation]

Endura

I have the endura ones with the big rubber toe. Really happy with them. Put em to the test last winter. Normally I wear a pair of adida winter boots, two pairs of socks and the overshoe for first thing in the morning. Now you may think all that is over the top. Believe it or not, over an 18 mile commute my toes still got nippy.

One thing to point out about the endura overshoes is that the zip can be a bit sticky, so dont tug too hard or you can break it. There seems to be consensus on this.

 

[garrilla]

I have the altura night vision waterproof over shoe, they are quite acceptable.

 

[Davywalnuts]

I've gone through and got "waterproof" sealskins and Altura overshoes, and the only time i've found my feet to be completely dry from rain/puddles is when i've wrapped a cheap plastic shopping bag over the shoe and under the overshoes..

So i've just had a thought, but not sure if it will work, but if you want lightness and waterproofness, wont a plastic bag job like above and a TT overshoe work? Am sure it will fold down smaller than the overshoes.. Sure the overshoe will be wet, but your feet wont.. Or is it tooo early still to be thinking technical? lol