Can’t afford winter spd shoes and even with two pair of socks (standard pair under sealskins), my toes are getting freezing the last couple of rides. I’m wondering whether to try overshoes or not? Kind of feel they won’t work well on a mountain bike, but not sure why I get that feeling

They work best with stiff soles so performance on a MTB will be down to your shoes. You’ll also wear them out with any significant hike-a-bike

Probably don’t get as much benefit on a mountain bike, as the biggest thing I find is they keep the wind chill out. But They do make a big difference. And they’re cheap.

Try loosening off your laces. Having then too tight will really make your feet cold, even if they don’t *feel* tight.

Definitely from me – I did the brass monkeys race in snow yesterday in them, cleaned them off then commuted in them this morning – toasty feet both days, even though yesterday was muddy and wet. A cheap way to warm feet in my opinion!

I have the cheap planet x neoprene ones for commuting 25km a day through splashy puddles, worn over shimano MTB shoes..I think they are great for the cash.

good but i still get colf feet after 2 hours on road. bbb ones with endura thick merinos.

If you can, get closed-cell neoprene. Think dry suit rather than wet suit. I found open-cell too cold, they’re not next to anything warm, so all you have is a cooling system when they get wet.

I been using endura mt500 overshoes for a few years now, they are good, a lot better than just socks.
But they do wear quicker on the mtb than my roadie ones, but that goes without saying

I like them – big difference in feet warmth. You need to work out the sweet spot for price, though – they get trashed winter mountain biking, so it’s not like on the road where it might be worth spending a bit on a nice pair that will last.

Joat: “I found open-cell too cold”
Open-cell neoprene? What, like a sponge? 😕

Joat: “I found open-cell too cold”
Open-cell neoprene? What, like a sponge?

Sounds daft, but yes. I’ve bought a few pairs over the last few years for my commute. One pair I had were just ‘neoprene’, closed cell or open cell was not specified. They were basically 5mm wetsuit neoprene, so absorbed water like a wetsuit. For a 10 minute commute the water wouldn’t have time to soak through to the shoes, but longer than that then I’d get wet feet. Every pair I’ve seen since then in shops have been the same. Essentially you are going to get wet feet, but I guess they may keep you warm in the same way that a wetsuit does in the water.

In the climate I live in, cold isn’t an issue (never drops below zero), I just want dry feet.

You can get some that are neoprene with a rubber coating, so properly waterproof. Generally not cheap though, and for MTB use I suspect they would be unlikely to last long.

Uh, no. You’re mistaken. Wet suit neoprene is closed cell. If a wet suit absorbed water, you’d have a lot more people drowning since their bouyancy would be reduced.

Back to topic. I went down the mt500 over Shoe route. They made my feet massive, rubbed my crank arms, and were really messy and horrid to deal with at the end of a ride. They were also quite flimsy and didn’t make it through a season before they were useless. Not comparable with proper winter boots.

Haha I’ve just ordered the mt500 ones about 6 minutes ago! discounted to £15 though so not a bad price to test concept. I’d love to have winter boots too but that would be too expensive.

Mt500 over shimano xc30 shoes for me on the hour long winter commutes. Work brilliantly, toasty feet…

To be fair though, the mt500’s probably wouldn’t last long doing proper mtbing.

Decathlon for me – cost about £10, and don’t last much more than one winter, but inevitable given the abuse they get. Keep the water out, though for a really wet ride I’d go for seal skinz as well.

BBB Heavy duty ones here, cheap from Wiggle, work really well, with slightly too big shoes and ski socks.

As well as giving a bit or warmth they keep your shoes cleaner/drier too.

The zips on the Endura MT500s don’t last long, I’ll not be getting them again.

absolutely yay. they’re definitely a consumable though. 1 or 2 winters use is acceptable. although the planet x ones i had i reckon i got 3 winters out of. currently using enduras. they’re just about intact still on 2nd winter

I’ve got the Endura’s.

Only really come out when it’s really cold, but they stop the freezing water splash every time you hit a puddle. They allow a bit of heat to build up.

Definitely from me – I did the brass monkeys race in snow yesterday in them, cleaned them off then commuted in them this morning – toasty feet both days, even though yesterday was muddy and wet. A cheap way to warm feet in my opinion!

Ditto, apart from the commute…

they’re great but two caveats
1) they don’t last long with walking in them
2) they can squeak! First ones I had were fine but I got the Endura ones (which are better overshoes) but the ribbed part on the toe squeaked every time it touched the crank.

I agree about the zips on the Enduras – well the zip handle thingys anyway – both snapped off but fixed mine with a pair of the big paperclips, that’s kept them working since November!

I have some of the MT500’s but I haven’t needed to use them yet this winter as it’s not been cold enough, all I’ve needed so far is some thin Mavic one’s.
I avoid the MT500’s when I can because the’re so bulky.
Any overshoes will suffer if you have to walk any distance, so I tend to pick my routes to keep walking to a minimum.

They’re rubbish:

They wear out really quickly
The zips break
They make your feet clammy so you still end up with cold toes.

Yay for me. Planet x velcro ones. No zips to fail and perfect for cold wet mtb rides. Whilst I’d love a pair of dedicated winter spd boots, that’s not going to happen, so overshoes are decent 2nd option imo.

Neoprene overshoes have been standard issue winter kit for me on the MTB for years. The extra layer of insulation makes a big difference I find, so even wet feet stay reasonably warm. It’s all relative at this time of year mind, a mate once summed it up well “Wear overshoes and your feet will just be very cold, instead of numb, lifeless appendages”

And yeah, don’t expect overshoes to last long with the hammering they get off-road – you’ll wear out the soles pretty fast. But if you can get two winters out of them then that’s what, 10 quid a year….

Yes do it, look like a plank but they work!

With the couple of pairs i went through every winter in the UK, and our slightly longer winter here (ok, it’s probably twice as long, and usually colder) i bit the bullet and bought the proper shoes.

I’ve probably saved enough in trashed overshoes to buy a couple more pairs of winter boots since then. They are coming up 6 years old, maybe 7 and are good down to -15 ish, -20 with decent wool socks and windproof leggings (warm legs make a massive difference.)

PX velcro ones here too, cheap, keep your feet warm for a couple of hours easily if it’s dry, less effective with a bit of spray and quite easily defeated if soaked, still much better than nowt…

I have also taken to wrapping my shoe/ankle in clingfilm, then putting the overshoes on, that extra little water resistant layer does actually make quite a difference, slowing water ingress and trapping some heat.

Like most have said overshoes are a temporary solution and obviously not as effective as some posh goretexy insulated winter boots, but this is the UK and winter here is not really that harsh, or that long typically so £10-15 to muddle through a winter or £90+ for the ideal (but obviously pricier in the short term) solution… Your choice.

Every year I’ve suffered cold feet, this I thought I would try a cheap £10 pair of overshoes, they make a huge difference in keeping the wind and water out and my feet have been so much warmer.

In case anyone is in the market for some…

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/louis-garneau/neo-protect-2-overshoe-ec068124

Quick “working from home lunch break” ride with the enduras that got delivered today -complete revelation! So warm and no rubbing on crank 🙂

+1 with Ransos for MT500 falling apart.

Mine lasted about 8 rides of xc stuff – just opening or lifting over gates, no real hike a bike – the supposedly kevlar reinforced bottom and stitching just wore though. Not a pedal prob as just using boring spd with no platform. Pity as they kept my feet warm and drier. Evans replaced them wth some reluctance. Second set no different.