Fifty Plus (50+) - Frustration with Shoe Covers

Hey folks, My wife and I are having some issues with our shoe covers interfering with clipping into our Shimano Ultegra SPD-SL pedals. It appears that the sewn edge of the shoe cover is getting in the way of easily clipping into our pedals. Said sewn edge is reducing the available space for the nose of the pedal to clip into/under the nose of the SPD-SL cleat. If either of us actually is able to successfully clip in we may or may not be able to clip out since the connection is now MUCH TIGHTER than it ought to be.

I tried cutting out a section of this sewn/thicker material but I had to use a bit of force and when the scissors finally did cut through the sewn section they/me also cut deep into the rest of the shoe cover. Ooooooooops.... Scrap that set of shoe covers.

On our ride yesterday this proved so problematic for my wife that she decided it was better to have really cold feet than to suffer the shoe cover.

What do you folks do to solve this?? Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated!

Wool sox . . .

I've seen so many problems with shoe covers that I always wonder why we don't just buy winter cycling boots.

I christened my Showers Pass shoe covers today on a cold, wet one. They seemed to work well - my feet stayed dry (only part of me that did), but were quite cold. Just ordered some neoprene covers to wear alone on dry days or under the showers pass covers on wet days.

I've been using shoe covers for 30 years and they've yet to give me a problem that can't be solved. Before that we'd just pull an old pair of wool socks over the shoes, but that was when we had toeclips and slotted cleats.

A photo of your problem would be helpful.

I've seen so many problems with shoe covers that I always wonder why we don't just buy winter cycling boots.

I was looking at covers for winter and was having hard time just getting them on my big feet. Frustrated i look at my LBS guy and said there has to be a better way. He handed me a box with a pair of Shimano MW81 winter shoes inside. I slipped them on and was like that's what I'm taking about. These are so warm that sometimes i have to reach down and open the ankle cover to let a little heat out.

fasthair

I can describe the issue. There is a hole for one's cleat to protrude through the shoe cover. Said hole has a folded over and stitched seam around its edge. This is thicker than the rest of the material. This thicker material gets under the front nose of the cleat and when I try to clip into my pedal it is too thick to allow the clip in to happen. And if I do clip in this material is under the cleat and makes unclipping very difficult if not dangerous in an emergent moment.

I have tried to pull the shoe cover forward on the shoe but that doesn't work at all.

I recently bought a pair of these Garneaus (http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1080306_-1___400141) from Performance and have been very happy with them. The bottoms just stretch over the front edge of the toe and back edge of the heel, leaving most of the sole exposed, and then the whole thing is secured by a velcro strap that stretches under the arch of the foot like an ersatz stirrup. If you look at the bottom view photo, you'll see what I'm talking about.

another solution might be to take the pedals off the bike, insert a spacer and put them back on. This will put your pedals a little further away from the crank arm and will probably give you enough space for the shoe covers.
train safe-

another solution might be to take the pedals off the bike, insert a spacer and put them back on. This will put your pedals a little further away from the crank arm and will probably give you enough space for the shoe covers.
train safe-

The interference isn't with the crank arm. It is with the nose of the cleat and the leading edge of the pedal. The edge of the shoe cover gets between these and will either stop being able to clip in or make clipping out very difficult.

I recently bought a pair of these Garneaus (http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1080306_-1___400141) from Performance and have been very happy with them. The bottoms just stretch over the front edge of the toe and back edge of the heel, leaving most of the sole exposed, and then the whole thing is secured by a velcro strap that stretches under the arch of the foot like an ersatz stirrup. If you look at the bottom view photo, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Yes those would solve the problem! Price is right too!

I know the problem you are having- I bought a set of team shoe covers (voler) this year and they're made the same way. Impossible to use with SPD-SLs without serious modification. At least they were cheap.

Keep looking. Those Garneaus look like they'd work.

Yes those would solve the problem! Price is right too!

If you get them, here's a tip for getting into them: the easiest way to put them on is to do it before you put on your shoes. Slide them on up around your ankles, put on the shoes, then stretch the covers down over the shoes.

I can describe the issue. There is a hole for one's cleat to protrude through the shoe cover. Said hole has a folded over and stitched seam around its edge. This is thicker than the rest of the material. This thicker material gets under the front nose of the cleat and when I try to clip into my pedal it is too thick to allow the clip in to happen.

So get out the scissors, make the hole bigger, and this time be more careful.

Or try a different brand of shoe cover. I've used several different brands over the years, and the Pearl Izumi covers I'm using now have worked fine with Look, Time RXS, and Speedplay pedals.

Or get winter boots.

buy the cheap performance neoprene booties, they work great with my SPD-SLs

Shoe covers? Who needs shoe covers?

Shoe covers? Who needs shoe covers?
I rode in the cold last year with ziplock bags over my socks inside the shoe. Add some wool socks and it's just fine. The quart size leaves the heel uncovered to vent the sweat away. Cheap, disposable, can be found in many office breakrooms...