Castelli Reflex overshoe review

By definition, you are likely to be wearing overshoes when the weather isn’t that great, which means that visibility may be lower too, so it’s good to have some extra reflective elements in your kit so that you show up better to other road users. It’s also a good idea to have reflectives at night, in addition to riding with lights.

The Reflex shoecovers tick both boxes: in daylight they appear to be just an ordinary grey pair of overshoes, but they are made entirely of reflective fabric, so they light up like a beacon in a car’s headlights. They’re not heavily insulated and Castelli claims a temperature range from 6 to 12 degrees, which seems about right. The seams are all taped on the inside, so they stay dry in wet conditions, although as with all overshoes there’s the Achilles heel of the open areas on the bottom for the shoes’ cleats and the ankle cuff, where water will find its way in.

I found the Reflex a good fit, although the waterproof zips were a bit fiddly to get started on their way up. They’re displaced away from the back of the heel, so they aren’t uncomfortable and don’t rub when you’re riding.

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The overshoes have a base made of a more resilient cordura fabric which has so far resisted abrasion – another potential problem when clipping and unclipping and if you walk in them much. I haven’t found my feet getting cold on typical cool, damp rides and the overshoes have proved water resistant.

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Although they’re expensive, the Reflex overshoes are a good option if you’re serious about your bad weather and night time riding.