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review

Prendas Ciclismo Meraklon Oversocks

7
£7.95

VERDICT:

7
10
A little extra foot warmth and shoe protection at an excellent price
Weight: 
42g
Contact: 
www.prendas.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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These oversocks – call them Belgian booties, if you like – are about as simple as they get, adding shoe protection and a little warmth on those days when a full overshoe would be excessive.

In common with other oversocks, these don’t offer a whole lot of insulation – they’re made from 100% knitted polyester (Meraklon) a lot like most cycle socks, so wind blows through fairly easily. They do provide an extra layer over your ankles, which can be handy on cool-weather rides, without messing up the fit of your shoes, and they keep grit and spray from the road off your expensive Sidis. And, unlike your shoes, these can go through the washing machine.

The Prendas oversocks come with a hole up front for your cleat and another at the heel, both of them stitched around to stop them fraying straightaway. There's no reinforcement so the fabric will eventually get tatty if you walk far in these so don’t see them as a long-term investment – they’ll last weeks or months (depending on how much you use them, obviously) rather than years.

The Meraklon fabric is stretchy and simple to get on and off, it’s breathable so your feet don’t get sweaty, and it’s quick to dry. These come in black, blue, red and white, in three different size options, and that’s about it. They do a straightforward job as well as any other oversocks and they’re about half the price of many.

Verdict

A little extra foot warmth and shoe protection at an excellent price

road.cc test report

Make and model: Prendas Ciclismo Meraklon Oversocks

Size tested: White

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Prendas say, "Ideal for damp and cool conditions, perfect intermediate solution when a full overshoe is too warm (keeps the crap off your shoes also)"

That sums it up. Essentially, they're normal socks worn over your shoes with cutouts for your cleat and heel. That's it. They don't offer the protection of neoprene overshoes but they're much more breathable.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
6/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
6/10
Rate the product for value:
 
10/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 39  Height: 190cm  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding,

 

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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