dhb Cover Sock Overshoe

Oversocks seem to be everywhere at the moment and these Cover Sock ones from dhb are a decent option, providing a little extra warmth and adding protection for your shoes.

The dhb oversocks are made from polypropylene (65%) with nylon (31%) and elastane (4%) making up the remainder. Polypropylene doesn't absorb water and it dries super-fast, so even if these get wet with road spray, the air blowing over them as you ride means they're soon back to normal.

The edges of the cleat and heel holes are reinforced well so they don't easily fray and the fabric is reasonably robust although, as with all oversocks, walk far in them and the soles will soon start to look ragged. Funnily enough where ours did suffer a bit of wear and tear was on the top - basically these are like a pair of very thick tights and like tights they can snag on things like buckles and ratchets. At some point that's what one of ours did with a small hole developing as a result - small mind, when you wore 'em over white shoes it looked like there was a pixel missing. You want to put them on the moment before you get on your bike and take them off immediately afterwards.

These don't add loads of warmth to your feet – again, in common with other oversocks. As an experiment, I went for a ride wearing one of these oversocks on one shoe, and nothing on the other shoe (yes, I'm quite the stylemonger some days). A little less air blew through the mesh sections of my shoe with the oversock on, but there really wasn't all that much difference. I noticed it more around my ankle, the double-thickness cuff providing considerably more insulation than just a sock. That all means that these are best for those days when the temperature is just a bit too warm for overshoes – about 10-12°C, something like that.

To me, the main purpose of oversocks is to keep gunk off your shoes. They stop mud and grit getting into the mesh, the ratchets and so on. Bung them through the washing machine after several rides and they come out looking good – and that's something you can't do with your shoes.

Shockingly, dhb aren't the cheapest when it comes to oversocks. We've reviewed Prendas's Meraklon oversocks previously and they're just £7.95 a pair while Rapha's Cordura-based ones are £15. What's going on? The world's turned upside down.

Verdict

Good oversocks that protect your shoes and provide a little extra warmth, but for once dhb aren't the cheapest