Work boots and riding

[HenryDorsetCase]

the only thing I can think of is that I have heard (or maybe read, maybe on KB?) stories about steelcaps folding back and cutting peoples toes off. The thing is that an impact like that is pretty major and would likely damage the hell out of your foot steel cap or not. I'm with the wear work boots camp I guess.

Also they are or might be subsidised by your employer: unlikely your motorbike boots would be. Money talks!

[sunhuntin]

ive come off while wearing steel toe cowboy boots that came half way up to my knees. one leg im fairly sure got pinned between my bike and the car somehow due to the amount of scar tissue just above where the boot came to. had i not been wearing those boots, im sure my ankle would have been dust. i cant wear those boots anymore. i think they got squashed as they just dont fit right. i replaced them with more steel caps.

in saying that, i do often ride in sneakers with no protection what so ever. hell, i even ride in shorts and a tshirt! it all comes down to the risk you are prepared to take and what injuries you are happy to live with. in the above accident, my boots and open face helmet were the only protective gear i was wearing. i was in thin jeans and a singlet. my upper body i only got a small nick to my thumb. my lower body suffered the most with both knees that will only get worse with age, and the scar tissue. ive often thought that if i had been naked, i would have bounced and not got hurt at all.

[hospitalfood]

i think work boots are ok, not quite as good as bike boots.

and as always it comes down to how much you spend, a really good pair of forestry boots ( high and tough as guts ) would be better than cheap bike boots.

i used to commute in dress shoes, it was not far but you can crash in a small distance.

[Subike]

I have only ever owned one pair of riding boots, a pair of Rossis,
they were OK whilst they lasted I guess, but usless in wet weather,
I now wear a pair of gumboots, yes gumboots, but not the type you normally see, these truley are water proof, 6mm thick rubber as opposed to 2 mm leather, insulated have better ankle protection than any riding boots I have seen, are very comfy, are a tight fit, and as hard to get off than zip ups or lace ups. Im not into speed riding, so an off would occur around the 100kph mark if it happened. I feel that these boots would be ok for me.
And thats the point,
I am happy and comfortable with them. others may not be.
Muck Boots endorsed by Swanndri, made in the UK.
Cost ? $168, cheap for boots I guess, but worth the money to me.
If I was into road racing, dirt biking, trials or trails then I would look at armoured boots, as thats a different ball game.
But for pootling around on tarseal at legal speeds, these suit me fine,
They also look OK, under my leather pants. My choice

[no_8wire]

the only thing I can think of is that I have heard (or maybe read, maybe on KB?) stories about steelcaps folding back and cutting peoples toes off. The thing is that an impact like that is pretty major and would likely damage the hell out of your foot steel cap or not. I'm with the wear work boots camp I guess.

Also they are or might be subsidised by your employer: unlikely your motorbike boots would be. Money talks!

Thinking back to an episode of Mythbusters where they compared the damage to your toes compared to a weight been dropped on a capped boot or normal.

For the amount of weight them needed to load on the drop blade to even bend the cap reduced the uncapped boot to mush. If you manage to deform your capped boots, imagine what it would have been without them.

Personally I have to wear high work boots (come up to mid calf), scarring from a broken leg mean I cant fit normal bike boots on. So far so good. (Steal at $70 from the bludstone outlet store on swanson rd too.)

[TygerTung]

They are not too bad, they have a couple of downsides though. If it's a cold day the steelcap transfers the cold through to your foot quite significantly.

Other downside is that the steelcap can fold foward and break your toes or other bones in your foot, happened to my motorcycle mechanic, he was riding his gn250 sidecar work bike and some lady pulled right out in front of him, she went through a stop sign, and he had a bit of a crash. His boots had pretty flexible soles though as he seems to work on the floor a lot.

[Fatt Max]

I keep my work boots under my desk, and wear my riding boots for riding. Swap when you get there. Also, riding boots aren't really designed for walking around in - some can disintegrate fairly quickly with a lot of flexion at the ankle.

Yep, thats my tactic as well

[Owl]

My Sidi Vertigo Mega Gore-Tex blah blah boots are possibly no stiffer than my steel cap workboots. They do however have ankle armour which I like and make me feel safer. All in my head of course!

I've been unfortunate enough to have had my foot smashed in a bike accident and it ain't pleasant. Strange things can happen to a foot when you squash it enough.

Of course bones snap, but imagine sitting on the side of the road, removing your boot, sock and finding your heel up by your toes. That sucks!!!

Moral of the story: Don't crash!