What's the point of oversocks? Until recently oversocks were one of the great mysteries of road cycling (for me at least). Why would you need to put a reinforced non-waterproof sock over your cycling shoes rather than a proper pair of neoprene overshoes that might actually protect your feet in the rain?
I saw other riders out in them and noticed the wear and tear around the cleats, the often garish colours and heard the complaints about how quickly they wear out.
Now the Autumn weather is upon us, I thought it was time to find out what is the point of overshoes.
Reading a few cycling forums and blogs, I discover that that overshoes date back to the 1980ws when cyclists started looking for a way to keep their shoes protected from the brutal conditions of the Belgium Classics and other day races ridden in the mud spattered and stone infested lanes of Flanders on a Spring day. Back in the day they would cut cleat holes in football socks and pull them over their shoes. Warmth was another consideration but not having to extract half a ploughed field of mud from your shoes and the protection against wear and tear was the main reason to put them (some people also thought they went faster wearing them).
Riders tended to wear oversocks rather than overshoes because of the weight differential; socks are much lighter and also can more easily be removed and thrown away (or discarded into a team car or back pocket) during a long ride, whereas overshoes would be harder to get off and also would be more expensive and therefore less disposable for the average semi-pro or pro-rider.
Looking round at oversocks in the market, it seems you can spend anything from about £3 to up to £20 if you want the Rapha oversocks (and very smart they are too in bright pink, green, chartreuse or the more traditional black and white). Personally I'd always go for black (and definitely not white) because it won't take much mud and oil to permanently stain a pair of oversocks, but I guess a bright colour might help you be seen by an inattentive motorist.
The main question you need to ask is whether you get a pair with the cleat holes already cut into them or you are going to cut your own. If you decide to go for the 'cut your own' route then you need to be aware that you need to get a clean cut or otherwise they are likely to fall apart a lot more quickly.
Do I personally need oversocks? Probably not. But I don't feel the cold nearly as much as most riders and by the time it has gone down to 'brutal' conditions then I am in overshoes and dodging the sleet and ice patches. Riders who have circulation problems in their feet would definitely benefit from them and I can definitely see the point of wearing them (from a weight perspective) on a long ride on a cold, crisp day where you are confident there will be no rain.
Read Tom Rodgers' Prendas Oversocks Review.
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