Our Buyer's Guide to Overshoes

When you’re cycling in winter or a cool, wet autumn or spring day, your feet and toes can be the first part of your body to feel discomfort. That’s because your body’s priority is maintaining its core temperature, so blood gets diverted away from the extremities, leaving your toes feeling like ice blocks.

Wind chill can also make it worse, and if the roads are wet, the spray coming off your front wheel will most likely hit your shoes first, adding to the discomfort.

Luckily the right pair of overshoes can really help protect your feet from the wet and cold. If your feet are warm and dry from the beginning, the circulation will likely flow to your feet and toes, allowing you to enjoy your ride in comfort.

Overshoes supply an outer layer of warmth and waterproofing for your cycling shoes. As with most types of cycling clothing and equipment, they are available in different designs, fabrics and weights to offer various levels of protection for different riding conditions. For example, a toe cover or half-overshoe with a waterproof coating and fleecy lining will be sufficient in late autumn or early spring, Whereas for winter, a full overshoe made from 5mm neoprene will supply a high level of insulation against the cold.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s best for which types of weather conditions.

For protection against cold weather, opt for neoprene – the thicker the neoprene, the warmer your overshoes will be – but for milder rainy conditions when neoprene might be too warm, a polyamide overshoe with a PU coating is best for keeping water out. Choose toe covers for extra protection in spring or autumn.

Overshoes have to fit snugly over your cycling shoes so that they can trap warm air and stop water from getting into any gaps – like the gap at the ankle, for example. Road overshoes are designed to go over slimmer road shoes and have a hole in the sole big enough for the three-bolt delta cleat type. The same way that road cycling shoes are not designed for walking around, neither are road overshoes.

However, if you use SPD pedals and shoes that are designed for walking as well as for clipping in like mountain bike shoes or road shoes such as the Triban RC 500 SPD Road Cycling Shoes, both the Van Rysel 100 Neoprene and the Van Rysel RoadR500 overshoes [linked above] have wide openings at the sole to accommodate for a chunkier tread.

Each overshoe size is usually designed to fit between two cycling shoe sizes. For example, if you’re between sizes because your shoes are in a half size, it’s best to go for the bigger one.

Trying on your overshoes on top of your cycling shoes is the best way for you to find what size is best for you because you'll want to make sure you can close off any gaps, especially at the ankle, that might let water or cold draughts in; an extra velcro tab can be helpful if you struggle with this.

Even if you’re not a fan of high-vis clothing, in bad weather or on gloomy winter days, a pair of fluorescent overshoes like the Van Rysel 500 RoadR Neon Overshoes can help make you stand out because they’re moving up and down as you pedal.