Keep warm and cycle: Rapha Winter Overshoes review

Riding in the winter can be a cold and dark experience unless you have the right gear. From Bib tights to jackets and gloves, I’ve tried a lot in an attempt to keep me warm on the bike – one thing I cannot stand, though, is cold feet. Enter overshoes.

If you’re unfamiliar with cycling overshoes, as the name suggests, they are covers that go over your cycling shoes to protect your feet (and shoes) from the elements. There are many varieties, but Rapha sent its Winter Overshoes for What’s The Best to try.

Rapha has two kinds of overshoes, a standard wet weather overshoe and the Winter overshoe, with the difference being that the winter overshoe has a brushed liner on the inside. They’re made up of a three-layer laminate fabric with a waterproof PU coating and a Kevlar-reinforced sole panel for durability when walking. Reflective stripes on the rear and logo add to the visibility if you don’t have them in bright pink.

They provide an excellent close fit, designed to go on before your shoes. They grip fantastically to your bib tights or leg - I was impressed by their waterproofing and how they kept your feet warm.

Verdict: Great at keeping your feet dry while offering a small amount of insulation.

What’s good?

Water on these overshoes beads up nicely to stream off when you’re riding at speed. The surface doesn’t allow water to soak in unless you tread in a puddle, and water ingresses underneath the overshoe from beneath.

When riding, it’s all about being comfortable. Cold and wet feet aren’t nice. On the opposite to that, your feet being too hot and sweaty isn’t comfortable either. The subtle brushed fleece inner of these overshoes is designed for British winters. In extreme cold, you’ll still need thicker socks to keep your feet warm, but these Winter Overshoes will protect you from the elements nicely.

The grippers on the overshoes are super grippy and do not allow space between your leg and the overshoe. Similarly, these are tight-fitting overshoes, so they do not flap around on the bike.

What’s okay?

The fit is excellent on the bike, but with overshoes, they can be a faff to get on and off. Rapha says openly that these are to be put on before your shoes. While this works, if your shoes are wide, it is challenging to get over them and fasten underneath.

When new, the Velcro can hold them together, but I’d imagine that after some heavy use and if you’ve been walking on them a lot, they won’t hold as well as they would when new.

In winter, bright colours to be noticed in low-light conditions is excellent; however, Rapha only offers these in pink or black. Rapha does not normally object to bright colours, so neon yellow or orange would be nice colour options. Additionally, matching your bike kit is essential to some, and it’s nice to be colour-coordinated and visible.

I didn’t notice this before I tried them on for the first time, but they are a left and a right overshoe. The only subtle way of knowing is that the Rapha logo should be on the outside of the shoe. Bear that in mind before you fight to get them on and then have to get them off again.

Any negatives?

There are a few niggles with these overshoes, which comes down to fit and ease of getting them on and off. They go on well if you’ve got thinner legs, but they can be incredibly tight on thicker calves, making them uncomfortable. If blood flow is restricted, you won’t notice the warmth-keeping properties because your feet will feel cold.

While the material does have a bit of stretch, getting them over thicker socks can be challenging due to how grippy the gripers are – whether you wear socks over tights or tights over socks, you may be adjusting for a little while to get the overshoes right.

They’re tough to get on and off, as with any overshoes, and this should be considered in your warm-up routine as you might find yourself out of breath before you start.

While I understand an excellent tight fit for performance and to keep heat in, once they’re on, they are on. This annoyance can put some people off; however, they work well. I recommend trying them over your shoes alone before putting them on for a ride.

More items to consider

How the product was tested

I tested these overshoes over three different types: Udog CIMA, Fizik Tempo and Rapha’s classic shoe. This tested for fit, ease of getting on and off and warmth levels. They were also tested in the cold and dry, cold with wet roads and while it was raining in the autumn months.

Myles is a Commercial Content Writer for What's The Best, Parkers and CAR. His areas of expertise include cycling, fitness tech and hot hatches.

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