Very little protection with Combat Tours. No serious off road in these please. Definitely not waterprood. SnoSeal Beeswax does the trick. Very popular in the US among Beemer riders. More show than go IMHO.

The Hein Gericke boots are probably made in the same factory in Italy as TCX Infinity boots. TCX used to be Oxtar. Good boots but not perfect, to wit:

This past weekend my riding buddy had his DR650 fall on his Ankle. (I had to lift the frickin' bike off him! :thumbdown: ) Boots? TCX Infinity. Sadly, small broken bone. He rode out (and crashed four more times on the way down) X-Ray show small fracture. Doc's say they will cast it. Hurts to crash on already busted ankle.

On the same ride another rider had his KTM 950 fall on his leg (I got lifting duty again :frown: ) Pinned like a bug, but he wore good Sidi Crossfire boots, no damage at all ... except to the $1500 KTM gas tank. :helpsmilie: I was ride leader and "miscalculated" the route. These were both "minor" fall downs on rocky ground (rocks hurt) at just 5 to 10 mph on very steep, loose rocky scree. Not much fun without knobbies.

I always thought it was an overkill to wear such boots but for my morocco trip I got myself the Sidi Crossfires. Surprisingly comfortable with time (even wearing them all day long every day) and you even can cross rivers without getting wet feet.

Back at home I did a tour with my old tour boots but it felt very unsafe, like driving with flip flops :rolleyes2:

So I stick on my Crossfires. I wear the pants over the boots so it doesen't even look too crazy :smartass:

Diadora GT2's for me, dry as a chip!

http://www.motocorse.com/racingnews/...nta_il_GT2.jpg

I really like my SIDI Discovery Rain boots. Waterproof and comfy, light abd protective. best I've had.

ATV style boots
 

ATV style boots. These offer a good level of protection but are not too stiff or hard for walking around. I wore them for about 3 months straight, walking around cities, camping in Europe this summer just past.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...atvonezoom.jpg

Mine where exactly the same but branded Diadora (same factory i'm sure). An Ebay buy for £50 second hand. They are not rated waterproof but a quick treatment with Nikwax once and they stayed waterproof for the 3 months till we got back to Scotland.

+1 for ATV boots, I've got the same pair and they're great. They seems to have very similar layers of protection to bike boots, but the cleated sole and a teeny bit of extra flexibility make walking far easier. I figure ATV riders spend a fair bit of time on foot, scouting out routes, or pushing and shoving, so they know a bit about wanting a boot you can walk in.

+1 for me. Can wear these all day, fully waterproof and comfy

I got SIDI Adventure Rain boots. Put them to the test in Alaska/Canada recently. Nice fit, warm, waterproof and provide good protection. I prefer these over the TCX and Aerostich Combat boots. Had them both before...

http://trex63.smugmug.com/Other/My-S...42_AyLMg-L.jpg

I got a pair of the original Sidi Discovery boot, some ten years ago. A decent lightweight dual sport boot ... but far from waterproof. I Sno-Sealed mine, still not much protection compared to the new Sidi boot above. Looks great!

The amazing thing about my Crossfire's is how comfy there are compared to my former Alpinestars. But for $500, they should be! The Crossfires do not look like they would be comfortable ... being full Motocross boots. But pleasant surprize .... really good to walk in too!

How much are the Sidi Rain's above?

The going rate is $375.-

I'm off to Yorkshire this weekend to visit Altberg for a fitting, so excited!

Tight
 

I've been to Altbergs, was measured and tried on some "off the peg" boots which were much too tight for my liking, I've heard and seen on forums that Altberg seem to make their boots a tight fit, which may suit some folk, but not me. If you're being measured for boots made for you it's probably worth discussing with them, it may save time and trips....They do know their stuff and make impressive boots

+1 for sidi crossfires. Not good for wading though. Primarily got them for protection for my legs on the commute, but found them surprisingly able for walking around all day with. Only "problem" is they squeak which means you will have people staring at your feet wherever you go :)

Do let us know how it goes. I'm considering these boots too.

Geoff

Where they are great boots (look great, smell great, fit great, waterproof etc) , they offer very little ankle protection. The ones I've seen anyway. They are not very rigid around the ankle at all.

I don't know where you're riding, but if it's overseas, you don't want to risk your ankles.. Most common biking injury for breakages and even more when offroad. Think about it ! :thumbup1: