DexShell Heavy Duty Overshoes

These DexShell Heavy Duty Overshoes certainly live up to their name, dealing with pretty much everything the British weather can throw at them. Their design isn't exactly groundbreaking in any way, but you are getting solid performance and durability.

Over the last 20-odd years I've worn plenty of overshoes like this: a thick neoprene/nylon blend that stands up well to water both from below and above, a full zip closure, and plenty of reinforcing around the toe and heel. These Dexshells work really well – on very wet days rain might make its way in from the top, but it'll take a good couple of hours before it penetrates the fabric itself.

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The beauty of neoprene, though, is that it is designed to keep you warm when you inevitably get wet, and on cold morning rides in the rain I never suffered from numb toes.

Their temperature range is good too, especially in the dry. I had no problems riding with a hard frost on the ground, and it'd be around 12°C before my feet would start feeling clammy.

DexShell's size guide is spot on, and the fit is great: they stretch easily around road shoes with chunky Boa-style enclosure systems.

A bit of give in the material means they fit snug as your foot rotates through the pedalling motion, as well as making them easy to get on and off – along with the full-length zip on the rear, obviously, plus the pull tab on the heel.

I'm not a massive fan of a zip on the rear, as many tights use a zip in the same place which can clash and cause irritation. If you haven't got that issue then the zip here works well, the tab making them easy to pull up or down with gloves on, and its design keeps the water out.

The zip is kept in place when done up by way of a Velcro strap which stops it working its way down as you pedal.

When I was commuting, I'd easily go through a pair of overshoes each winter purely because they'd wear out on the bottom from walking to and from the bike. These DexShells are heavily fortified against that happening, with a much more hardwearing fabric being used for high wear areas like the sole and front, where it extends up over the top of the toes to avoid damage from catching your mudguard. They are also stitched around the openings for the cleat and heel bumper.

Fitting them around any cleat wasn't an issue, even bulky Speedplays.

The overall quality is pretty good, a few stray threads here and there, but nothing to detract from the look and performance.

> Buyer’s Guide: 15 of the best cycling overshoes

Price-wise, £37.99 is competitive.

Castelli's Diluvio UL shoecovers are of a similar build and performance for £50. dhb's Aeron Lab Neoshell overshoes are also 50 quid, though it does offer an Extreme Weather Neoprene overshoe with an rrp of £35.

Conclusion

These Dexshells are a hardwearing pair of overshoes that cope well with all of the crap weather we can expect in the winter months. They're very good, and well worth the money.

Verdict

Good waterproofing, warmth and fit for not a huge amount of cash