Galibier Arctic 3 Overshoes review: Good value winter overshoes with a trick up their sleeve

The Galibier Arctic 3 overshoe is the Irish brand's heaviest-weight offering and it packs a punch for its price. It sits in the range alongside another neoprene overshoe - the Barrier 3 - a waterproof aero overshoe, a pair of oversocks, an aero oversock, and toe covers.

The Arctic 3 is a neoprene winter overshoe with a retail price of £33.55 / $40.00 / €37.75; a seriously competitive price point for such deep winter overshoes. They feature a moulded rubber toe cap, an ankle zipper and velcro ankle closure. Galibier says the goal here was to create an overshoe that helped toes stay warm on cold rides, whilst being durable and easy to live with. 

I've spent a good portion of the winter months riding in the Galibier Arctic 3 overshoes and due to their price point and something of an ace card (read on for more of this) included them in my best cycling overshoes guide. 

Design and aesthetics 

The black neoprene used on the Arctic 3 overshoes is around 3-4mm thick across the board. They are left and right-specific and you can differentiate by the circular gloss Galibier logo on the outside of each foot. 

There is a stitched and glued seam that runs down the front of each overshoe like the Sportful Fiandre Bootie but like that overshoe, it doesn't seem to give a cause for concern in use. 

A YKK cam-lock zip runs up the centre of the ankle at the rear and unzips low down on the heel which makes pulling them on easy. The finishing on the inside around this zip closure isn't the neatest but there has to be a concession somewhere for the price point and it causes zero issues. There's also a 3M reflective strip on either side of the zip to try and help the wearer stand out a little more from behind.

The overshoes extend around 13 centimetres up the ankle, or at least my size medium pair did when worn over my Euro 43 shoes. They are offered in XS-XXL sizes which is a wide range and should mean there is a size for everyone. The top of the ankle is finished with an elastic band attached to a chunky velcro strap that then closes across for a little more protection. 

The underside of each overshoe uses a tougher, more robust neoprene material to give some protection when walking and the cleat and heel holes are quite large, I think you could get away with using the Arctic 3 overshoes with MTB or gravel shoes and SPD pedals off road, to an extent. Indeed, Galibier does say they are MTB shoe compatible. 

Where things get a little more interesting is at the front of the overshoes. They feature a heavy-duty moulded rubber toe cap that Galibier say will provide an impenetrable barrier to wind and cold. A fine diamond-patterned rubber section covers the toes and then over the top of the toes and moving underneath there is a thicker, heavier-duty rubber that's burly and feels really durable. I personally can't say I've seen something like this on many road overshoes. 

Performance 

The Arctic 3 overshoes performed really well in my testing and offer performance on par with overshoes at twice the price. 

Fit-wise, they offered a surprisingly sleek fit on foot. Due to the way they are shaped, I was expecting a slightly baggy fit, but this isn't the case at all and despite being at the upper limit of the size bracket, they fitted around my shoes nicely. As mentioned, I wear size EU43 shoes, which is the largest size Galibier recommended size for the medium size bracket. I went this way as I prefer a snugger fit. 

The ankle close could be a little more fitted, but the rubber toe cups also help keep the shape at the front. The only real negative fit-wise was around the heel cutout on the underside of the overshoes, mine didn't really sit over my shoe heel tab very well. In use, this didn't cause me any issues, and I didn't struggle walking off the bike. Although over time it could accelerate wear if you end up walking on the overshoe material. 

The cleat and heel openings on the underside are on the larger side which could contribute to heavier water ingress in a heavy downpour or in the heavy spray from someone's rear wheel. They have been kept large to allow for a wide range of cleats, so there's something of balance being struck here by Galibier.

Now, about that rubber toe cap. I wore the Arctic 3s in a period of fairly cold winter weather in the UK and headed out on a day just above freezing in them for a few hours. Over an hour in and I did something of a double take as I realised my feet and toes in particular were staying warm, a lot warmer than I expected they would. I wasn't feeling any windchill or cold at all cut through the front of the overshoes. That moulded rubber really does seem to offer a good deal of extra cold and wind protection. It will also deal with water and rain really well. It seems an obvious choice to reinforce this area, and it's a feature that sets Galibier apart from many of their competitors. 

Verdict 

The Galibier Arctic 3 overshoes are solid overshoes for the money. Just over £30 / $40 is getting you a lot of overshoe here and they will deal with cold temperatures, rain and spray well. 

The larger cleat openings would result in wet feet on really wet days over time. But I have to say the rubber toe cup surprised me with how warm it kept my toes. They may just be worth trying if cold toes in particular are something of a bugbear for you. Galibier may just be onto something here.