Can I please have some advice about over shoes? I've read the thread about socks, but was looking for some more over shoe specific info - what the best tried and tested brands are, any disadvantages of wearing them etc.

After a wet and cold ride on Saturday morning, the time has come to invest in some additional winter kit. I only started cycling properly in the summer, and am gradually building up a store of warm cycling gear!

Thanks

I've worn a couple of pairs of overshoes to shreds pushing in the mud and i found them really irritating when they kept coming off the toes and my feet got really cold anyway. I got some Diadora Chili winter boots which are much better than overshoes but still not the perfect solution. I'm doubting how waterproof they really are...  I got very wet feet last Sunday but I'm not entirely sure whether the water got in from the top or through the shoe. I need to do some experimenting And I don't think anyone has yet manufactured boots where my feet don't freeze. My circulation just doesn't seem to reach my toes at all. The only thing I haven't tried is heated insoles, maybe it's time to give them a go!

Has anyone got any good ideas how to prevent water running down you legs into your boots? I do wear tights on the outside but that doesn't help if it's wet enough. Stretchy duct tape would sometimes come in handy...

Taping a plastic bag actually TO your skin stops water running down inside but i usually wear a thin sock inside as your feet still sweat even when they are cold.

A friend of mine has given me som gel toe warmers that you regharge in the kettle.. only problem is you have to "crack" them when you put your shoes on or stop halfway throug the ride when your feet have actually GOT cold to put them in and thats a pain.

The heated soles have a wee battery pack that goes down your sock but they annoyed me as it moved about.

I am just about to enter the "over shoes vs boots" debate as I cant decide which is best as boots are so expensive and I already have 2 pairs of really comfortable shoes but have found overshoes to be annoying for smaller feet as they just pop off at the toes and let the water in anyway!...... So this weekend I will be trialing... in this order.... thin cycling sock- plastic bag taped to skin- waterproof sealskin sock- MTB shoe....!!.....so I will let you know if my toes still freeze in that lot!... CANT possibly be as painful as last sundays ride.....!

Elaine, I found that no matter what I did with MTB shoes my feet were never warm as mtb shoes all seem to have mesh on the toes which lets the wind through and the water straight into the shoe and keeps them cold even with waterproof socks.  Also if your shoes are really summer shoes then you will have bought them to wear with normal summer socks not thick sealskins or multiple pairs, doing that fills the shoe too much giving you cold feet as you have effectively cut your circulation off.  Your solution does sound as if you are trying to stuff too much into your shoes and you'll never be warm that way.

 I have a pair of Shimano goretex boot which I wear in conjunction with a pair of Sealskins, they are a size up from my normal shoe to allow me to wear thicker socks and they keep the wind off and the water out.  I have two pairs of sealskins, the mid light and the mid thermal, on really cold days I'll put the thermal ones on - toasty feet.  I still get water running down into the shoe but as my feet are warm the water is warm - sort of a mini wetsuit effect - so its not a problem.

I use overshoes for road for the same reason as Trio and they are absolutely fine, wouldn't wear them for offroad, no way.

My recommendation would be for serious winter riding to wear overshoes on the road and waterproof boots offroad.

The shoes I wear with the sealskinz are a size larger for exactly that reason but i dont think I have the thermal sealskinz.. just regular ones, not sure as they look like they have the merino wool linning.. but then they are quite old!..... Have looked at overshoes and they all seem to either not be the right size to be tight enough or the base of them isnt substantial enough to cope with heavy treatment during the winter.. so it looks like either overshoes and a new pair every year or a pair of water proof boots!... going on the xmas list!

SLight aside here, but I've found that if I sleep in the socks I am going to ride in the next day, then my feet are really toasty befiore I go out, and stay that way while I'm out. I've only tried it when I am going out in the morning though. Not sure how long residual night time warmth would last into the later part of the day.

Overshoes for road, winter boots off road.

Saw sombody in SPD wellies on the Real Ale Wobble a couple of years ago!