The Sportful Fiandre Booties are fairly specific overshoes aimed at providing protection from wind and rain, or road spray in milder temperatures. Sportful aims for them to be breathable, waterproof and windproof overshoes, rated for a temperature range between 0C/32F to 10C/50F. Specifications: Sportful Fiandre Bootie overshoesPrice: £70.
00 / $110. 00 / €89. 90 Materials: Main Fabric: 100% polyester, Cuffs: 50% polyurethane, 44% polyamide, 6% elastane; Overlays: 47% polyurethane, 36% polyester, 17% cotton Available sizes: S-XXL Colours: Cedar (yellow) / Black The Fiandre is an overshoe you can use for spring and autumn as well as milder winter days when the temperature isn’t too low.
They carry a retail price of £70 / $110 which is pretty expensive within this category, but you can often find them online at nearly half price if you shop around. Throughout the past six months, I’ve spent countless hours using the Sportful Fiandre Bootie overshoes alongside dozens of their competitors. I’ve tested them for their protection, such as warmth, waterproofing and wind resistance.
I’ve judged how easy they are to live with, testing how quickly they can be put on and taken off, and how easily they clean. I’ve also kept a close eye on their durability. Read on to see why I included them in our guide to the best cycling overshoes.
A look at the inside of the Sportful Fiandre Bootie’s Infinium fabric and silicone ankle gripper (Image credit: Future) Design and aesthetics Firstly to avoid potential confusion, you’ll for the most part find the Fiandre listed as a bootie and that’s the term Sportful uses on its own website. A bootie is just an alternate word for an overshoe that is often used by some brands, but it serves the same purpose as an overshoe in case you were wondering if the two had a difference. The Fiandre Booties are thin, fairly lightweight overshoes that are designed to offer foul weather protection but at milder temperatures.
They aren’t lycra time trial overshoe thin but are around 2-3mm thick. For the most part, they use Gore-Tex Infinium fabric which has a DWR (Durable Water Repellant) impregnation and as we understand it, is slightly different than the same material used in the Castelli Perfetto 2 jacket which has an additional DWR coating. The Infinium material provides excellent windproofing, breathability and good water resistance.
It isn’t waterproof but will stave off a decent bit of moisture. The protection and warmth in the Fiandre come from the windproofing properties of the Infinium fabric, not a thick neoprene or fleece layer that you will find in bulkier or more heavy-duty winter overshoes with a focus on outright warmth. The Fiandre Booties are available in cedar (looks like hi-vis yellow to me) and black, though a navy blue option (which is likely now discontinued) can be found online at discounted prices.
My black pair feature reflective Sportful logos on the ankles which reflect well. Heel pull tabs also feature this reflective strip and are perfectly placed to offer some added visibility to motorists approaching from behind. The left overshoe features a red diagonal rubber strip with ‘Fiandre’ in raised letter on it and a Gore-Tex Infinium logo.
This red rubber Fiandre strip and lettering also features on the matching Sportful Fiandre bib tights and Sportful Fiandre gloves which helps tie in the range visually if you like to match. The Fiandre Booties extend around 15cm up the leg from the ankle which is a good height. It is topped with a silicone leg gripper that is 5cm wide and does a good job of preventing the booties from slipping down.
The zip is offset to one side to help you get them on, is sealed when closed and has a neoprene guard on the inside to prevent water from getting in. This guard also covers the top of the zip where it ends at the ankle again to help stop water ingress. A seam does run down the middle of the body of each overshoe, which could be a potential weak point, but this is sealed on the inside and I noticed no ingress during my testing.
The underside of the Fiandre Booties covers your shoes well and it’s a neat fit. There is a reinforced material around the heel and along the length of the sole to prevent scuffing when walking or when you put your foot down at lights etc. The tall silicone ankle gripper and zip neoprene cover tab prevent water from working its way in (Image credit: Future) Performance On the whole, I enjoyed using the Fiandre Booties.
They fit well and look stylish, but they will perform best around a fairly specific set of conditions. Sportful rates them for use down to 0C/32F, but in my opinion, using them below around 5C/41F will result in a struggle with cold feet unless you are riding quite hard for a fairly short length of time. In my testing, I noted my toes and feet getting pretty cold at around 6C/43F.
I didn’t persevere in testing them in any lower temperatures as this seemed to be at odds with the overall use case of the Booties. Below 5C/41F and I would reach for a bulkier overshoe with more of a focus on outright warmth. They are easy to pull on and the zip extends right down to the bottom of the ankle which helps this.
The bottom of my overshoes and toe areas are scuff and tear-free after months of use. The material there isn’t super tough but I feel the Fiandre hasn’t been designed with a lot of walking around in mind so you shouldn’t expect this area to be bulletproof. These are performance road overshoes and will deal with light walking duties at the cafe and clipping in and out at lights just fine.
Ultimately, they work best in milder conditions or are perfect for harder rides and sessions with efforts where your working that little bit harder and want a bit less bulk. They would also be a good option for races or fondos if you wanted lighter-weight protection. They kept my feet warm and dry on milder autumn and winter rides with a lot of standing water and spray, and I couldn’t fault their performance in these conditions.
If you were in a constant downpour for hours you do end up with wet feet but this is true of pretty much every overshoe on the market. The underside of the overshoes fitted my shoes well and hasn’t torn or ripped (Image credit: Future) Verdict If you’re looking for an overshoe that will keep you comfortable and fend off the majority of road spray and showers in milder conditions, the Sportful Fiandre Bootie overshoes are a solid option. They provide an excellent close fit and there are a lot of well-thought-out details in their design.
The retail price is high and you will have to decide whether this cost is worth filling this relatively niche gap in your overshoe arsenal or whether you can just make do with a pair of heavier-duty all-rounders to deal with all conditions. However, as mentioned, solid bargains can be found online if you shop around. .
From: cyclingnews
URL: https://www.cyclingnews.com/reviews/sportful-fiandre-bootie-overshoes/
