Universal Colours Mono Overshoes

The Universal Colours Mono Overshoes are minimally styled shoe covers made predominantly of recycled nylon. Quite comfortable on the bike, they offer an okay level of protection from the elements, and are a bit warmer than they look. Otherwise, they're quite nondescript – you might expect more for the money.

One or two issues showed themselves in testing, too, which was a little disappointing given they have a premium price tag that puts them alongside others we've raved about, which feature in our guide to the best cycling overshoes. 

I'm already notorious for my lengthy pre-ride faffing, and these shoe covers have only added to that reputation. My shoes are at the smaller end of the large size's quoted range, but I still found them a bit of a challenge to get on due to a lack of height between the base and the top.

Once on, the stiff material separating the zip from the back of my leg (which I think is a good idea, on the whole) folded inwards above the top of my shoe's heel, digging into the achilles when walking, though on the bike this was no problem at all. In fact these overshoes feel a lot less restricting than the 3mm neoprene ones I'm used to, and at points I forgot I was wearing them.

With such a thin layer between your shoe and the outside world, you might expect very little defence against the invasion of cold winter air, but these shoe covers keep my feet surprisingly warm – the heat-retaining foil membrane makes quite a noticeable difference, especially at the start of a ride.

The temperature range is quoted as 'warm and comfortable down to freezing', which for some people will be true. After about an hour and a half in temperatures below 5°C I did have numb toes, but unfortunately for me that's normal with anything other than a dedicated deep winter boot. I can safely say that without these shoe covers I would have had numb toes in about five minutes.

Mostly waterproof

The other purpose of these shoe covers is to keep your feet dry for as long as possible. I had no opportunity to test these in heavy rain so, taking one for the team, I stood out in my garden after a ride one February morning and subjected the overshoes (and myself) to the hose test.

Blasting them with a hose is quite different to riding on wet roads in the rain, where you get a lot of water coming upwards as well as downwards, but it did lead to a few insights and discoveries. Water beads off the fabric extremely well, and the gripper around the calf at the top of the shoe covers works really well at keeping the water out – at the front of the leg anyway. At the back, the zip garage is so bulky that it interrupts the seal around the calf, allowing water down the leg and into the back of the shoe rather too quickly.

> 9 top survival tips for cycling in the rain

Another entry point for water was apparent after a few minutes of hosing: the stitching of the toe box outer reinforcement layer. Turning the shoe cover inside out and moving the Polartec fleece toe box lining to the side, you can see that the stitching here isn't taped like the main seam on the top of the foot. This means the holes made through the fabric when stitching (and the thread itself) become conduits for water ingress.

Upon completion of the hose test, my shoe was noticeably wettest at the front. It's quite an oversight as this is the area taking the brunt of road spray, and would likely cause problems on a long, rainy ride.

Also, returning to the outside of the shoe cover, the stitching quality wasn't great in a couple of places on our test pair, causing some bunching and making them look a bit odd as well as creating another potential water entry point.

Minimal shoe covers at a maximal price

Although the Monos sit at top end in terms of price, they're not alone. MAAP's Deep Winter Neos, which Stu reviewed last year, cost the same as the Monos, while the excellent Spatz Roadman 3s that George tested last year were £89.99, and have since gone up to £94.99 (and its Pro 2s are £104.99).

Both of those rivals were highly rated in our reviews, though, and sound like they perform better than the Universal Colours overshoes.

Comparable shoe covers, in terms of overall look and construction type, are the DexShell Lightweight Overshoes that Stu reviewed favourably. They also happens to be £35.

Conclusion

Universal Colours' products are often found in the top tier price bracket, and can feature great new technology, but I'm not convinced these overshoes do a much better job than other options at around half their price.

They have a few nice touches, but there are a few areas in which they could do better. Considering their £80 price tag, I'm left a bit underwhelmed. Although they aren't touted to be deep winter shoe covers, it's hard to imagine choosing to wear them in very cold or wet conditions, which you'd think was the point of paying a lot for shoe covers.

Verdict

Although fairly warm for their lack of bulk and weight, these minimally styled overshoes are let down by a few key details