Pedla RideFlash bootie

The Pedla RideFlash booties do a great job of helping to keep you visible with their Vizlite reflective material, made from 26% glass. They're windproof and water resistant, too, and while they aren't the warmest, they still offer some protection on chilly days.

Check out our guide to the best cycling overshoes for more options.

> Buy now: Pedla RideFlash booties for £68 from Pedla

As someone who has used Spatz overshoes for the past few winters, it's been interesting to use a more standard overshoe again. These don't go very high up on the leg, so don't keep your shins warm or dry, but they do a pretty good job of keeping your feet comfortable.

I was immediately impressed with their reflectiveness – the glass used in the material is very noticeable and they definitely catch the light, with small chunks of reflective material all over them.

As with a lot of overshoes, to get them on you put your shoe on first then pull these over the top. I've found it a bit of a mission to get my cleat through the hole in the overshoe, but my shoe size is at the upper end of the mediums on test, and I have my cleats set quite far back.

Pulling the rest of the overshoe on takes a while as they are quite tight, but this does mean there isn't much flapping around your shoes, as some overshoes can – possibly helped by me being at the upper end for the size. They were actually a little baggy around my ankle just above the shoe, which was slightly annoying though I couldn't actually feel it, it was more of an aesthetic thing; they didn't look as sleek as other high-end overshoes I've worn.

Pedla has gone for a zip closure, which has positives and negatives: you don't have to stretch them as much to get them on as you would without a zip, but Pedla has used quite a big zip pull, which is easy to grab, even with gloves on, but has a habit of flopping around and hitting your leg when you pedal.

Ride experience

Having worn Spatz overshoes for the past few winters, I'm used to very warm overshoes; these Pedlas aren't in the same league for warmth, but they're adequate for milder days in the wet.

The temperature range Pedla suggests isn't the easiest to decipher, but if blue is too cold and red is too hot then they're suitable for around 5-20°C. Certainly, in my experience any colder than that and there just isn't enough insulation to keep you comfortable. Within that suggested temperature range, though, they do exactly what you want: they keep your shoes clean, help keep your toes warm, and help you be seen.

They have some water resistance, and kept me dry in showers, but in heavy rain, combined with spray coming off the road, my feet got wet.

Durability

Pedla gives a warning on its website about abrasion on the surface causing damage to the reflective material, and I'm sorry to say I've found that to be the case.

I tend to pedal with my heels turned in, and have noticed visible scuffing to the overshoes where they contact my cranks. Other overshoes counter this by using tougher materials on these sections, but not here. This means you need to be extra careful with them, or just deal with them scuffing up.

Pedla does offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, but note this is not a 'try it and see' deal as the booties have to be in new/unworn condition. Pedla also offers a 12-month quality guarantee, where it will replace products that get damaged through standard use, which it deems a manufacturing fault.

Value and conclusion

Their price tag of £68 is quite high for overshoes that don't offer more warmth for the coldest temperatures we get in the winter – the Spatz Legalz GLO overshoes I tested last year are just £2 more but I'm happy to wear them down to about freezing – but then you're paying for the extra visibility here. The Legalz have an element of visibility but not as much as the RideFlashes.

Likewise, GripGrab has its RaceAqua X Waterproof overshoes for just £47.95, which Vecchiojo said were super waterproof, but they haven't got the standout visibility features of the RideFlashes.

If visibility is top of your priority list then these are a really good option. They're a bit pricey and don't have the insulation to be a do-it-all for the winter months, but for chilly to mild days and to help you be seen they are well worth considering.

Verdict

Highly reflective, but with quite a high price tag to match, and not loads of warmth