Galibier Mistral Toe Covers

The Galibier Mistral Toe Covers bring together strong protection, warmth and water resistance. They also come with an impressively low price.

I used to be a huge advocate of overshoes when the temperature drops, but I haven't regularly worn any for a year, instead using toe covers in all but the coldest conditions. They have one big advantage: you can just leave them on your shoes, so you don't need to constantly struggle into a set of thick overshoes because it's a bit cold outside.

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The Mistrals are made from a ripstop upper and neoprene base. The uppers keep off all but the worst rain and are also impressively windproof. The neoprene base also helps to maintain insulation and is rugged too, which will help with longevity. During the review all I got was a few scuffs on the bottom, but nothing went through.

Inside, a micro fleece lining adds a considerable amount of warmth, helped by the windproof ripstop upper. They kept my feet warm on all but the coldest days, but even then they can be used underneath an overshoe to add an extra layer of insulation. They are also small enough to easily fit into a jersey pocket if the weather warms up mid-ride.

Putting them on is easy, and the cutout in the bottom worked fine for every cleat I used with them (pretty much all major brands minus Speedplay, although I am fairly sure they would work with those too). Once they're on you can just leave them there without any kind of issue. The openings are reinforced so even if they did rip, it wouldn't make them unusable. They are also longer than other toe covers I've used, meaning a larger proportion of your shoes are protected.

The fit around the shoe is nice and tight without any kind of bunching or creasing. The foot opening is also elasticated, which meant they didn't slide up or down, which was good.

> Read our guide to clothing for this tricky time of year…

Their £8.90 RRP is a fantastic price – the ones I normally wear cost double that and don't do as good a job, so these really are a great price, helped by Galibier's direct-to-consumer model, cutting out the profit margins normally added by distributors and retailers.

Overall, I really liked these toe covers. They're warm, easy to put on, and cheap, which is essentially all you need them to be.

Verdict

A high quality set of toe covers that come remarkably cheap