Overshoes

The Craft Neoprene Bootie is a simple overshoe made from, you guessed it, neoprene, with a full zip rear closure and Velcro tab underfoot. The seams that run down the top of the overshoe and around the toe section are taped for increased waterproofing, while the toe and heel are reinforced with Kevlar to improve durability. The large Craft logos along the side, and the thin strip of reflective material which runs parallel to the zip ensure decent visibility in low light.

New to the grimy world of shoe coverings are the GripGrab Orca All Season Overshoes, a lightweight offering to complement their deep winter Hammerhead overshoe. It aims to be a covering for the spring rain and spray - perfecting timing for a review.

With so many options to cover your feet, picking the best one for you can present a challenge. The Orca is a thin neoprene shoe covering for when the weather is fresh but not freezing; too cold or wet for a oversock. A slick finish to the overshoe - like a wetsuit - means it is wind and waterproof.

Overshoes have proven to be something of a necessity these last few months. If you want to keep riding when the elements throw all they can at you, then you'll need a decent weatherproof pair, and this Bioflex Zero Overshoe is very decent for the spring and autumn.

When the temperature drops but the desire to ride remains you need some serious protection for your feet, these oversized BBB Arctic Duty overshoes could be the answer.

BBB make clothing, accessories and tools. Despite being a jack of all trades they're also near masters in combining good design, well-chosen materials and delivering them at a price that makes them contenders for the mid-range – similar to DHB in many respects. So, to their Arctic Duty shoes covers.

These overshoes from Craft are like little wetsuits for your feet. Made from stretchy neoprene, they are designed to be both super warm (the clue is in the name) and water and road grot proof, protecting your delicate road shoes from the nasty bad salty winter muck.

The GripGrab Hammerhead Winter Overshoes have been rock solid in winter weather with their coated neoprene construction doing an unbelievable job of keeping the weather on the outside, and not in my shoes where it usually ends up after a couple of hours in the wind and rain.

The Castelli Diluvio 16 overshoes are warm and a touch taller than usual, and they do a good job of keeping water out.

These are made from 3mm thick neoprene that's stretchy enough to pull over your shoes really easily. The neoprene wraps around the sides of your feet and round to the soles with just holes for your cleat and heel, so you get good insulation here.

The Castelli Toe Thingy provides a little extra warmth on days that are cool but not so cold that you want to go with full overshoes.

First of all, the name: Toe Thingy. That's class.

Quite a lot of brands do toe covers (as they're more commonly known) and they're usually variations on a theme. They're mostly, although not always, neoprene – essentially, the end of a pair of neoprene overshoes. You get a cutout for your cleat and that's what holds them in place.

Defeet's Slipstreams are are a solid pair of oversocks (figuratively and literally) and you get to feel just like a seasoned pro of yesteryear by having to manually cut your cleat holes. Whether that's cool or not is a matter of taste.

DeFeet were one of the first to create specific oversocks. Frequently seen covering shoes in the pro peloton, Slipseams must be good – or is it just because money has changed hands?

Waterproof gaiters are not exactly a new concept in the walking market, and cyclists have been wearing overshoes for donkey's years. But these Georgia In Dublin Leggits are proper long, waterproof gaiters for cyclists, exclusively female ones, and a pretty innovative idea. But is it useful and do they work?