Castelli Estremo overshoes review: Seriously plush fleece for extreme conditions

Estremo means 'extreme' in Italian and the Castelli Estremo shoe covers are, in Castelli's words, for "days when most people ride the trainer." 

There are 12 different pairs of shoe covers - or overshoes, both terms mean the same thing - in Castelli's lineup and the Estremos are the most expensive offering at £140 / $169.99. They are said to be the brand's warmest offering, too, rated for use between -10C/8F to 5C/41F. They focus on insulation and windproofing in an attractive overall package. 

The premium retail price puts the Estremos in the same bracket as the Spatz Roadman 3 or Pro 2 offerings or the Assos GT Ultraz, although all are designed with slightly different overall goals in mind. I tested a range of overshoes this winter ahead of writing our best cycling overshoes buyer's guide, so here's the full rundown of how Castelli's spendiest solution stacks up against the market. 

Design and Aesthetics 

Regarding the Estremo design, I have to start with the feature that jumped out at me immediately when I first received them. That is the incredibly plush fleece lining that they use to create warmth, they are easily the thickest overshoes I have felt. Castelli has actually had to do a 'Wheel Well' single-layer construction around the inside ball of the foot area to help ensure the overshoes don't rub on your cranks, which should give you an idea of the plushness we're dealing with here.

The Estremos aren't neoprene overshoes, instead, they use Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper fabric on the outside which has a DWR (durable water repellant) coating. Inside there is a Polartec Power Stretch inner fleece layer and the two layers are easy to spot. 

The zip is at the ankle's rear and isn't offset to one side like the Endura Road overshoes I reviewed recently. The zip here is a nice, red YKK aqua guard zipper. This zip features polyurethane laminated tape which effectively seals the zipper when it's done up. The ankles themselves extend fairly high up the ankle/calf and are around 16cm long. 

Castelli is printed in reflective lettering on the outside of each overshoe and there are two reflective strips down the front of the overshoe. At the rear, there is a reinforced heel guard with more reflective strips and a pull tab which also has a red Castelli scorpion logo. A larger version of this logo is also stitched onto the mid-foot area. 

Underneath is a tougher polyurethane/polyester bottom that isn't super thick but is certainly tougher than the tough uppers. 

Performance 

My description of the Estremos in the design section may have painted a picture of an oversized pair of fleece bruisers that are at risk of getting caught in your drivetrain with every pedal revolution. Thankfully this isn't the case, and although it's true the Estremos carry a little more bulk than most other overshoes, they are on the right side of being protective, without being the wrong side of chunky or overly big. They sit well against bibtights and legwarmers and are still stylish. 

The long zip opens the overshoes up well when pulling them on and the fleece makeup is a lot more malleable than neoprene or similar which means getting them on is easily done. The healthy pull tab at the heel also helps you get everything into place. 

The DWR coating on the overshoes does a good job of dealing with spray and water, holding them under a running tap also saw 100% of the water bead and run off in an impressive fashion. The soft outer material initially led me to think the overshoes would fare very poorly in wet conditions but the DWR coating seems capable, this may need attention or reapplying though if and when it started to wear off. 

In use, the overshoes generally kept my feet feeling warm and snug, the fact the fleece extends all the way up past the ankles in particular also helps spread warmth to the legs which works really well. There isn't the moisture or sweat buildup you may find with using a neoprene overshoe on a cold, dry day which is probably aided by the Infinium fabric used. Unzipping after a ride found my tights and feet dry and warm. 

I did find my toes at times a little cold on long winter rides and think this is probably down to a potential weak spot in the toe box area where the fleece ends and fairly thin reinforced bottom section starts. The result is that the lower toe area doesn't benefit from the same protection which could lead to warmth-sapping wind chill. 

Verdict 

The Castelli Estremos are premium, luxurious winter overshoes. They kept my feet warm on cold winter rides, shrugged off spray and water well, and as I've mentioned in a few of my other reviews, pulling them on gives you a nice morale boost and they help you feel ready to face the elements.

I feel they are better suited to drier, colder days like the Assos GT Ultraz I tested, whereas Spatz options are better for the worst and wettest days. But if you are after really quite impressive fleece construction for maximum warmth, you will like them.