Boots: Cheap Vs Expensive

[Big Dave]

Find a traffic cop, and nick their boots.

Particularly if you after that Hitler Youth look.

[unstuck]

Particularly if you after that Hitler Youth look.

Thats the one OI.

[TygerTung]

These ones look like they might be quite long lasting. http://www.aerostich.com/clothing/fo...ing-boots.html

[sketch]

i was lucky enough to pick up a pair of sidi vertigos for a hundy bucks off a mate before he moved to aus, there the business, end of

[pritch]

Something like this might work http://www.kiwidisposals.co.nz/footw...h-combat-boots

Any thoughts?

I thought "French combat" was an oxymoron?

[Erelyes]

Avoid steelcaps or workboots. You'll probably lose the toes the caps are trying to prevent, and no decent ankle support. Plus laces can be hazard.

You could get some 'tanker boots' if you wanna go military styles. Google em.

Actual motorbike boot wise, 'Neo Targa' did it for me in the budget range. Left leaked ever so slightly from new and right was solid; after giving it the once over with some bees-waxy-dubbiny-leather-waterproofing-shit, they're both solid.

Not as comprehensive protection as something more expensive, but fit for my purpose (commuting, occasional weekend jaunt - no trackdays etc).

[Hailwood]

I had a pair of Stylesafes that lasted almost 08 years from memory..best boot I ever owned. I would own another pair but they dont make them in my size anymore.

I ended up getting a pair of Sidi Canyon boots from tardme for $250..retail is $500ish.

My 2c worth..boots are like all gear..get the best you can afford..how much is your skin worth?

[BMWST?]

after starting riding again and the zips giving up in my old axo touring boots i wanted something with some actual protection around the ankle and foot and shin.I ended up getting some Gaene adventure boots,they are a bit bulkier than i wanted but it seems you cant have one without the other,relatively comfy too

[george formby]

I have an older pair of Sidi goretex adventure boots, I guess 6 years old. All day comfortable & watertight. They are still rock solid in every aspect except the soles. I have not followed through on the recommended cobblers from a thread I started recently for info on a re sole but this thread got me thinkin about cost / benefit. It might cost me $100 to get them done properly, they might not get done properly, it might cost me more with courier charges, er, guaranteed really, etc.

Thing is, I know I can get reasonable boots from the likes of 1tonne for 2 hundy or so with excellent after sales service should i get a "bad" pair. At that price a few years use then replacement seems better value than $450+ boots which need more money spent on them & may well shit themselves before the new soles give out or the replacement soles may wreck the boots. Get my drift? The Sidis are great, I highly recommend them but the way I use boots, which includes walking in them, I'm yet to be convinced they are the best $$ value. I will report back when they get cobbled.

[vifferman]

I've had two bikes written off. The first one (my first bike, a CB175), I t-boned a car that didn't give way (but yeah - I could have avoided it if I'd been more 'on to it'). My gear was: open-face helmet, leather jacket, jeans and jandals. Got a few scrapes and bruises, and 9 stitches in my right knee.
Last bike I wrote off was a 1991 VFR750, that a brain-dead car driver u-turned into. I was wearing all the gear: good AGV helmet, Spidi gloves, Teknic jacket with back protector (came in handy when I bounced off the car onto my back!), leather pants with knee armour (which saved my left knee when it was between the bike and car), and StylMartin boots. I suspect I broke my heel (couldn't walk), but it was never x-rayed due to the hospital being flat out and overcrowded due to renovations. Because of the heel thing, the next StylMartins I bought were the StylSafe, which have been untested, like all the rest of my gear.
I wouldn't go without wearing armoured gear (with joint protection etc), including boots. And you have to pay for that, which gets to be a pain in the wallet when gear requires replacing every five years or so.

[TygerTung]

All I'm trying to work out is do the expensive boots actually last longer than a cheap pair of RJ's etc? I'm satisfied with how safe the cheap boots are- they all have good armour these days, but I just want to know if the expensive ones are actually longer lasting?

I don't mind spending more money if they're going to last me 20 years or something, but if they are all only going to last 5 years of occasional use (I usually ride my pushbike) I may as well just get the cheapies.

[george formby]

All I'm trying to work out is do the expensive boots actually last longer than a cheap pair of RJ's etc? I'm satisfied with how safe the cheap boots are- they all have good armour these days, but I just want to know if the expensive ones are actually longer lasting?

I don't mind spending more money if they're going to last me 20 years or something, but if they are all only going to last 5 years of occasional use (I usually ride my pushbike) I may as well just get the cheapies.

If you buy a top line pair of boots for occasional use, yeah, they will last.
In your position I would go for second tier boots, though. Just makes more financial sense. I stumped up for the Sidi's because I need boots that would take a regular beating which they have done but for Sunday squirts & the odd jaunt probably overkill price wise.

[Flip]

Had cheap MC boots, had expensive MC boots. They are all crap, uncomfortable and don't last long.

I have worn the same tall "shit kicker" style work boots since 05 on my scooter. I know the brand is Blue Steel and they are as comfortable as slippers. They also last for ages.

In a distant 2nd place was a pair of Martins touring boots that stayed waterproof for a couple of years, but I did tear the sole off going dirt bike riding.

This is what my boots look like, on the track on an advanced skills course.

[\m/]

I've got a pair of Gaerne GRW Aquatechs, cost me about $400. Been very happy with them so far, not too cold in winter or too hot in summer. From my experience they have good crash protection as well, having walked away from a trackday lowside with my left foot only a bit sore for a day. Only issue I've had is that the soles are wearing on the ball/arch area, though they have done over 50,000kms of riding.

[baffa]

I prefer well made flexible boots, as opposed to the ultra protection bad boys that are a pain in the ass to walk with, but thats just me.
Bought a pair of Gaerne (some italian brand) boots not so long ago, so bloody comfortable, and decent ankle protection, which is my main concern.