Shoes + Overshoes

[harveymt]

I am getting road shoes and overshoes. I've bought some Shimano pedals already. I'm getting the Wiggle dhb r1 shoes and their neoprene overshoes. My most direct commute is 7 miles which I'd always pick if it was raining heavily. I understand all systems will let water in eventually but I'm hoping they will do the the job for 7 miles. I just have flat pedals and trainers now. Rain cycling in = very wet and unpleasant feet going home.

Two quick questions.

1.) Clipping in and out takes a little practise. I keep my right foot on the pedal at all times and my left goes to ground when I stop. Would it be reasonable to replace only the left pedal for the first week? I can clip in and out when needed but if it all goes wrong I can easily step off with my right foot.

2.) Are the overshoes treated in any way to make them waterproof or is it just thick waterproof material acting as a physical barrier? I have waterproof hiking jackets that are sprayed with waterproof. They can't be washed in normal detergent as it washes off the waterproof and can block the pores in the material. You re-apply the waterproofing every so often. Are overshoes like this? Can they be washed like normal clothes?

Cheers

 

[vickster]

Perhaps have a read of this about wet feet

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/is-it-possible-to-keep-feet-dry.184405/

Ref washing cycle kit or any technical fabric, only ever use non bio stuff and never fabric softener

There's a thread running about re proofing etc

I don't really follow your point about clipping, do you mean use one trainer and one cycling shoe. If you have road pedals, you'll find 7 miles very hard with trainers, just clip in both feet, having practised in the lounge first, getting feet into spd so is harder as you can only clip in one side, and ride cautiously and defensively, clip out long before lights, be especially careful when in a queue or filtering

 

[harveymt]

I mean having one road pedal and one flat pedal.

The overshoes then should just be treated as any normal technical fabric. I do all that with my hiking gear already so I'll just add them into that routine too.

 

[vickster]

But you'll still need to wear odd shoes. You cant use a cleated shoe on a flat pedal or a trainer on a road pedal. Unless you don't attach the cleat to one shoes, but that will be treacherous too as you'll not have any cbrip on the flat pedal. The shoes you are getting have completely smooth soles. You'd end up walking in a very odd way with one flat shoes and one with a cleat stuck on the bottom

For a commuter and first clipless, SPD shoes with recessed cleats, and pedals with a clip on one side and platform on the other might have been better. Wiggle easy returns if you change your mind

There's a good clipless FAQ in the beginner forum

 

[RichardB]

I'm speaking from relative ignorance here, but - if the shoes are neoprene, aren't they totally waterproof anyway? The stuff about not using fabric conditioner applies to breathable fabrics like Goretex, not to rubber, which is basically what neoprene is. The only water ingress would be if there were any seams. Or have I got that totally wrong?

 

[vickster]

Over shoes have a hole underneath where the cleat goes and a big hole at the top where the foot goes that's where water will mostly get in

 

[jefmcg]

Neoprene is wet suit material, as above basically man made rubber. Don't put it in the washing machine, just rinse it off.

Fit both pedals and go for a ride on the weekend. You'll probably fall off once or twice, but you'll soon get the hang of them.

 

[bpsmith]

I have washed my overshoes many times to no detriment. Always wash at 30 degrees without conditioner.