Designed, if the name is anything to go by, for use with mtb shoes, Bontrager’s Race MTB shoe covers work just as well with road race-style shoes and cleats thanks to the open underside design. It uses a Velcro band and nose patch to secure the cover, leaving plenty of room for the pedal to meet either the mtb sole or road cleat.
Employing a stretchable, waterproof fabric, the Race Waterproofs have a semi-side mounted waterproof zip closure with toggle secured by a narrow Velcro tag. The Bontrager logo wearing outer layer of the tag on one shoe peeled away after one wet ride but function was not impaired.
Are the overshoes “waterproof”? Of course not. Nothing with an opening around the top and even even bigger one on the underside will keep water out in all instances. However, the fabric certainly does a good job off keeping most of the water that hits it from penetrating to the shoe underneath and, as long as the wearer does not tread in a deep puddle, feet stay reasonably comfortable even in heavy rain.
Ignoring the loss of the tag coating, these are well-made overshoes with a reliable zip and robust stitching. The patch under the nose does tend to pull up and ride back over the top of the shoe when walked in, but given the ease with which it can be pushed back into place there’s no reason not to give Bontrager’s overshoe effort a thumbs-up on all counts.
Bontrager Race Waterproof MTB Shoe Cover £32.99, sizes Small to XX-Large
