Spatz Roadman 3 Overshoes review

UK-based Spatz takes a different approach to keeping your legs drier and warmer with the Roadman 3 Overshoes.

While overshoes usually stop just above the ankle, the Roadman 3s are much longer and stretched to just below the knees.

That, as you might expect, ensured extended coverage, but getting them on is tricky, and although your lower legs are better protected than with a more conventional design, the open base still makes it easy for your feet to get wet.

Spatz Roadman 3 Overshoes specifications

The extra length of the Spatz overshoes puts the cuff well out of the line of fire of road spray, while the front face of the calves is made of fleece-backed neoprene for extra warmth. A hardy, Cordura-type fabric over the inside face of the heel helps protect from abrasion.

All the seams are taped internally and the outer surface of the overshoes is liberally covered with reflectives to up your visibility.

Like the GripGrab RaceThermo Overshoes also on test, there’s no zip, so, in my experience here, you need to put the Roadman 3s on before donning your shoes.

The toe section is Kevlar-reinforced and made of extra-thick 4.5mm neoprene for warmth. Also like the GripGrab overshoes, the base is quite open.

There are “liquid seal gripper” silicone bands along the inside edge to help keep the overshoes in place and a velcro tab closure mid-sole.

Spatz Roadman 3 Overshoes performance

Getting the Spatz Roadman 3 Overshoes on is tricky, given the design, and there’s a tendency for tights to ruck up inside. Spatz suggests that you can wear them inside your tights, which may keep your legs warmer, but then you lose the extra-large reflective areas on the backs of the legs and the smaller ones on the sides.

Once you’ve got them properly seated, the extra length over standard overshoes does a good job of keeping your lower legs warm and the overshoes fend off road spray effectively, thanks to the hydrophobic outer.

With their extra length and the extra layer of waterproof neoprene over your lower legs, the Spatz Roadman overshoes are good for wet roads and lower temperatures than shorter overshoes and should see you comfortably down towards freezing.

They’re a good option if you like to go out in cold, properly wet conditions, particularly if your bike doesn’t have mudguards, but may be overkill for riders who aren’t committed to long miles in all-weathers.

I did find that the Cordura fabric at the ankles tended to ruck when pedalling and scuffed on the cranks. There’s also a tendency for the neoprene over the front of the ankle to rub when pedalling.

The sole area is quite open and prone to let water in, particularly towards the heel; an issue that will affect any overshoe, no matter the leg length.

Spatz’s “liquid seal grippers” are silicone strips around the edge of the sole opening and the top cuff of the overshoes. Those at the top help hold things together and reinforce the resistance to water ingress from the tight cuffs, but water found its way in between the edges of my shoes and the bottom opening of the overshoes.

Spatz also sent us a pair of their extra-long, knee length merino socks that increase insulation, but again this tends to make getting the overshoes on and well-positioned tricky.

Still, they’d be a good addition in really cold conditions, but are rather overkill in the soggy, mild winter conditions in the southern UK.

Spatz Roadman 3 Overshoes bottom line

If you’re committed to riding whatever the weather, the extra long design helps keep your lower legs dry and warm, with the unique design upping protection compared to regular overshoes, albeit at a price.

However, getting the overshoes on over tights is awkward, I’d prefer a more robust under-instep closure to up longevity and the open base means that your feet will eventually get wet in shoes which have sole venting.