Velotoze Silicone Shoe Covers

Velotoze Silicone Shoe Covers – or Tall Silicone Shoe Covers with Snaps, to give them their full title – are the latest incarnation of the company's super-stretchy overshoes. They're now easier to get on thanks to press-studs – 'snaps' in American – that click together under the soles of your shoes. In terms of weather protection they are some of the best cycling overshoes you can get – they retain the total wet and wind protection of the originals, and also their tendency to make your feet a bit sweaty – but they're too fragile to recommend for day-to-day use.

We last reviewed – and liked – Velotoze overshoes back in 2015 when David Arthur praised their 'fantastic bad weather protection' but found them a bit too tight and 'a battle' to put on.

These Tall Silicone Shoe Covers with Snaps are much easier to put on, but just as effective as the originals. They're more expensive at £28 v £20 for the version without press-studs, but that's worth it for reduced faff.

I've seen Velotoze shoe covers described as being 'latex'. They're not, they're silicone rubber which is considerably tougher stuff. It's completely waterproof and impermeable to wind, and as a result so are these overshoes.

It's also extremely stretchy, which allows Velotoze to leave out the zips or Velcro closures you usually find in overshoes. That makes these shoe covers surprisingly cheap, reliable and effective.

They're completely waterproof. Water can still get in through the sole of your shoes, but you have to be actually standing in it for that to happen because they seal pretty well around your cleats and also around those bits under your heels that make walking in bike shoes a tiny bit less likely to put you in A&E. Road spray, puddle splashes and actual rain just run straight off.

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However, they're fragile. I managed to put holes in both in just two rides, one cut and one actual hole where some of the rubber had completely torn out. There are plenty of reports on retail sites from buyers who found the same thing and say they won't be buying these shoe covers again, however much they love the water-resistance.

To put on the original Velotoze shoe covers you have to pull them on before your shoes, then stretch them over your footwear. The process is much the same with this new version, but having press-studs under the sole means there's a bigger, stretchier hole to start with; it's therefore quite a bit easier to pull them down over your shoes.

Pulling together the tongues with the press-studs on is a bit fiddly. I found it was easier if I put the overshoes on with the logos on the inside, because then I could pull the top stud inwards from the outside of my foot. Velotoze's own photos are inconsistent; in some, the top studs are on the logoed side of the shoe cover, on others they're on the inboard side.

Like regular Velotoze, they're not breathable at all. I finished even quite short rides with damp socks, though I didn't achieve Dave Arthur's level of 'really sweaty'. That was probably because I wore merino socks, and I think that's the trick with these shoe covers: pair them with socks that can absorb some sweat and are still warm when damp. Your feet might end up a bit moist, but they won't be smelly and uncomfortable.

While I'm taking issue with the esteemed Mr Arthur, I don't think these shoe covers are too silly for non-racing use, though you're going to have to be very careful how you walk in them to get more than a few uses out of them. Yes, they're very stretchy, and that no doubt attracts racers and especially time triallists who see possible aerodynamic gains in smoothing out all those knobbly bits on your shoes, but they're so effective for winter riding in general that I'd be happy to use them for club runs and just Going Riding too if they were just tougher.

Value

Compared with many overshoes, they're relatively cheap. A pair of Dexshell Heavies will cost you £42, up from £37 when we tested them in February, while Castelli Diluvio ULs are now £65 (they were £50 when Mat tested them last year), and for ultimate protection a pair of Spatz Roadman 3 Super-Thermo Hi-Viz Reflective Overshoes with Kevlar will now set you back £95 (up a fiver since George tested them in January).

However, you'll get more than a couple of rides out of all those.

Conclusion

The water-resistance of these shoe covers is absolutely stellar; they are far and away the most effective overshoes I've ever used when it comes to keeping out the wet. However, that I managed to put holes in them while walking between garage and bike, and bike and pub table demonstrates that they're so fragile you really can't use them for anything that involves getting off your bike.

Who should buy Velotoze Tall Silicone Shoe Covers with Snaps?

If you're able to ride out from your front door and back without walking more than a very few steps, then you'll be able to benefit from their superb water resistance. Likewise if you're racing, so you can put them on just before you start and take them off as soon as you finish, and you'll get some aerodynamic advantage too.

But for general riding that involves getting off the bike from time to time, they're just too easy to damage.

Verdict

Great protection from the cold and wet, but far, far too fragile to be practical