Hydra Tech Pro Pioggia Winter Overshoes

Hydra Tech Pro's Pioggia Winter Overshoes provide a comfortable, form-hugging fit and offer protection from the winter chills on all but the coldest days. They're not completely waterproof but the thin and relatively lightweight construction does well at keeping out road spray and light rain for rides under a couple of hours.

These Pioggia Winter Overshoes are ideal those who crave kit in a race cut but want the warmth of a bulkier overshoe. Cold days are covered by the fleecy inner, and the outer protects your feet well on showery days, though persistent rain will eventually soak its way through. That said, the silicone gripper and tighter cuff do a superb job at stopping the water creeping in from the top.

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Size-wise, I tested a medium, which HTP's size guide says is suitable for EU shoe sizes 42-44. With Fiziks that are 43s, this should put me right bang in the middle, and I couldn't agree more – spot on sizing for a form-hugging fit. A little tug of the stretchy softshell was needed to hook round the heel, but the fabric snaps back into a comfy, snug fit.

With the thermal fleece lining on the inside – that is super-soft to touch – the close fit of these overshoes is really comfortable. I found the fabric is also flexible enough that I didn't feel restricted when pedalling along. What's also really useful is that, as the material is thin and stretchy, it was easy to make adjustments to the Boa dials on my shoes while pedalling, to really dial the fit.

Providing the windproof defence on the exterior is a Windtex fabric that does well at blocking out the wind completely. On frosty morning rides, with the temperature around 2°C, my feet were on the edge of starting to get cold. Any deeper into winter and I would lean to choosing a thicker set, but I'd say my toes are quite sensitive.

> How to keep your feet warm cycling through the winter

The Pioggias' outer fabric has a 10K waterproof rating, and this along with taped seams and a waterproof zip make them highly rain repellent. Water from road spray beads off the exterior well, but during heavier showers and prolonged rain I found that water eventually made its way through.

Hugging the shape of the shoe, the overshoes rise up 24cm from the shoe heel to sit fairly high up the calf. At the top is a tighter and even thinner 4.5cm cuff that is lined with a silicone gripper. This sits flush against the fabric of bib tights, so the transition between them is almost seamless. It looks tidy and I found it did prevent water from sneaking into your protected feet area from droplets rolling down the leg.

The only problem I have had with these overshoes is putting them on. They fasten up using a water-resistant zip at the rear, and I did find a bit of resistance when pulling this up. It feels as though the zip is wrestling against the close fit, with the result being a lot of stop/start motion. That said, the zip has so far showed no signs of giving up, but it is something I'd take care with.

In terms of the longevity of the rest of the overshoe, the dainty looking Kevlar heel and toe protection layer has turned out to be more robust than it looks when walking around. Elsewhere, seams across the overshoe are said to be glued as well as stitched, and these have proved to be durable so far.

Also worth a mention, reflective details are included on the side logos, the heel and on a thin strip which traces the zip line up to the top of the overshoe.

Slipping into the under 50 quid price bracket, at £44.99 these are more expensive than Lusso's Windtex Terrain Overshoes (£30) which also hold up well in rain and are even lighter, but cheaper than BioRacer's One Tempest Protect Pixel Overshoes (£56) which don't claim to be waterproof but offer a similar level of water resistance. The HTPs have a much better fit too, judging by Liam's comments.

> Buyer’s Guide: 16 of the best cycling overshoes

The Pioggias perform really well as a low-bulk and close-fitting windproof overshoe that's comfortable and resistant to road spray and drizzle. They don't stand up to longer rides in the winter's harsher elements, and the tight fit feels like it might be putting strain on the zip, but overall they're very good.

Verdict

Fantastic close fit from a flexible fabric that isn't fully waterproof but keeps out drizzle and spray