Boots for Adventure Riding??

[Zukin]

Howdy all

Just curious to know what sort of boots you wear for adventure riding, now I am looking for boots that can be used on the road, and the gravel roads and are ok in the medium trails?
I have some motorcross boots for general trail riding, but as you know they arent the most comfortable boots for walking around in.

I do like the buckles though, and I want them to waterproof and warm.

I have seen these boots which are more the style I am looking for, but how suitable are they?

I have also seen some $500 that are similar but are they worth paying that sort of money for.

I wait with anticipation

Cheers

[clint640]

Those setup ones look good. They look like a copy of the $700 Sidi Discoveries which I have heard good things about.
I saw a set of Forma GT's that looked ok the other day. Cary had them & he reckoned they were pretty good, at around $300 I think I might get some. There is also the Stylmartin Quads which are a little bit lightweight for my liking, ~$400.

Cheers
Clint

[Zukin]

Those Forma boots sound like the go

I had a quick llok at their website and saw these ones, I wonder if they are available here.

I might have to have a peek

[merv]

I always use my Sidi boots on any of the dirt bikes basically because I don't wear my road boots on the bikes with serrated footpegs. Never any problem with comfort and they are reasonably waterproof. I don't worry too much about walking because I don't walk much when I'm using the bike.

Here ya are 3 pics, same boots, different bikes:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...5&d=1149316545

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...6&d=1138507455

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...6&d=1143889328

Basically only wear my road boots on the VFR http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...4&d=1133602463


However, the boots in your link do look pretty good - a good compromise.

[oldrider]

Have a check, a lot of the "Italian" boots are made in Romania.
I don't know whether that is a good or a bad thing but are they really Italian.
Does it really matter? Cheers John.

[XP@]

I use Gay-Ernie X2's for everything (commuting, touring and occasional off rd)

They are almost perfect,
I can live in them all day (really important)
They are now waterproof (lots of wax once a year)

Only hastle is the lack of grip, but I understand that can be changed. Anyone know a good cobbler in the welly region?

[clint640]

I use Gay-Ernie X2's for everything (commuting, touring and occasional off rd)

They are almost perfect,
I can live in them all day (really important)
They are now waterproof (lots of wax once a year)

Only hastle is the lack of grip, but I understand that can be changed. Anyone know a good cobbler in the welly region?

I got a set of them after a couple of mates commented on how waterproof they were (a quality hard to find in an mx style boot) but despite loads of wax & lots of seam sealer they aren't really the slightest bit waterproof. Mine are the newer style & I think the older ones that my mates raved about must have been quite different in their waterproofness.

They are a good comfy boot though, better to walk in than most mx boots but still heaps of protection.

I wanted an enduro sole too (ie grippy) but any boot with that seemed to start at about $700 so I think a cobbler might be the go.

Cheers
Clint

[XP@]

I got a set of them after a couple of mates commented on how waterproof they were (a quality hard to find in an mx style boot) but despite loads of wax & lots of seam sealer they aren't really the slightest bit waterproof. Mine are the newer style & I think the older ones that my mates raved about must have been quite different in their waterproofness.

It did take a little while to get mine "waterproof", use lots of wax, especially in the seams (an egg for you grandma)

But thinking about it... if it is raining then I am usually wearing over-trousers so most of the boot is covered.
They will stand a quick dunking all the way up to the top.
If i am heading out on a longer road ride (> 500km's) which is likely to rain the whole / most of the way then I would probably slip on the over boots as well, just to make sure.

[far queue]

I use Thor Quadrants. MX boots with tons of protection, comfortable enough to wear all day although you wouldn't want to walk too far in them. I take a pair of shoes with me to walk around in at rallies, etc. I've always stayed dry in them except the last time I wore them, but then that'll happen when the water's up to your knees

[Motu]

I use my trials boots for everything - I don't see any reason to have a wardrobe full of bike boots....are are guys after all aren't we?

[What?]

Well, don't buy Sidi Trophy, then. Mine are comfortable enough, and the speed lacing is grouse, but they are marginally less waterproof than sandals.

[Wolf]

Well, don't buy Sidi Trophy, then. Mine are comfortable enough, and the speed lacing is grouse, but they are marginally less waterproof than sandals.

So, slightly more waterproof than jandals, then.

I read some comments on another site that you need boots you can walk a reasonable distance in for adventure riding as you are likely to be doing a bit of it.

My Sidi Touring boots (seem to be the precursor to the "Thunder") are comfortable enough to wear all day and walk around a lot - some days I can't be arsed changing into work shoes and just wear my bike boots at work all day, wander around town at lunchtime etc. No problem.

I like the look of the Gaerne Explorers and the Dririder touring boot but have not tried either. The "Setup" boots in the link looked quite good, as did the Forma.

If, as was suggested on the other site, you need to walk a reasonable amount, you'd want lightweight and fairly flexible with decent protection in all the right places - ankles, toes, heels, shins.

What say our resident regular adventurers: Is there a reasonable amount of walking required?

I remember from Ted Simon's Jupiter's Travels he had a few occasions where he had to walk back down a difficult hill and pick up stuff that had fallen off the bike in the rough terrain

[merv]

I've been on every adventure ride in the lower North island for the last 15 years and I'm not one to walk when I have the bike to ride so don't do much walking.

Typical day is ride up to the start of the venue and stand around talking to people waiting for the riders briefing and the word to start. Then off we go. Then we end up at (on the good ones) a morning tea stop. Get off the bike, might have to walk 30m into a school or local hall to get into the coffee and muffins. Same drill at lunch time. On the last one I went on the Capital Coast the unlucky ones had to walk across the road and into Sawyers, us fast early guys parked right outside so walked about 20m to the lunch. You might get an afternoon tea stop and repeat all this, otherwise we walk nowhere so I'm not sure where the walking comment comes from. I wear my Sidi boots as per the links I posted above and they are fine for walking those kind of distances.

Check out the pics here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...=capital+coast of the Capital Coast with my Yamaha parked outside the lunch stop http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...4&d=1143886595 and here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...light=pukemanu of the Pukemanu ride and that time we had lunch at Gladstone school and had to walk all the way into the school grounds to eat http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...4&d=1079829361 having to leave the bikes in the carpark outside the school. You'll see riding and standing around, not much walking and why would you walk and leave your bike somewhere unless you were stuck way off the route somewhere?

[Wolf]

I've been on every adventure ride in the lower North island for the last 15 years and I'm not one to walk when I have the bike to ride so don't do much walking.

Typical day is ride up to the start of the venue and stand around talking to people waiting for the riders briefing and the word to start. Then off we go. Then we end up at (on the good ones) a morning tea stop. Get off the bike, might have to walk 30m into a school or local hall to get into the coffee and muffins. Same drill at lunch time. On the last one I went on the Capital Coast the unlucky ones had to walk across the road and into Sawyers, us fast early guys parked right outside so walked about 20m to the lunch. You might get an afternoon tea stop and repeat all this, otherwise we walk nowhere so I'm not sure where the walking comment comes from.

Cheers for that.

The site was focussed more on World Tours etc with variable terrain and carrying a shitload of gear, perhaps they were thinking of saving space by not carrying too much in the way of spare footwear. Or maybe the more crap you're carrying, the more you wind up walking around. Not sure. I'll have to see if I can find the posts about it and ask them what their rationale is.

[Wolf]

Here ya are 3 pics, same boots, different bikes:

Heh, I notice you have an XT225 parked behind you in the first of those pics.