Footwear
 

Hello all,
im new to HU and am in the early stages of planning my first true long distance ride. im looking for much advice but right now wondering what type of footwear everyone chooses to wear? most of my riding will be on paved roads. thanks.
e

Personally I would not bother with the latest SIDI £300 super carbon fibre boot and invest in a good pair of Doctor Martins and some proofing wax - warm, waterproof (to a degree) strong comfortable (once broken in) oil, acid, brake fluid resistant and good for kicking chasing dogs!

If you are going through wet weather / snow / cold a lot then I think you cannot do better that Derri boots (rubberised lined knee high boots) I have ridden through the last 15 UK winters with them and they are unbeatable in my book. 100% waterproof. You might have to hunt them down on the internet. (you can get them specifically for mororcycle riding, look for the gear changing patch above the big toe area, dont' get the general purpose type as they are too chunky) you can get them at www.busters-accessories.co.uk

Also take some flip flops or sandals to wear in the evening as sweaty boots and not washing your feet = athletes foot.:thumbdown:

I ride in gore-tex walking boots which are good but am thinking of buying some higher british army boots for off roading.
Matt

Derri Boots
 

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If you are going through wet weather / snow / cold a lot then I think you cannot do better that Derri boots (rubberised lined knee high boots) I have ridden through the last 15 UK winters with them and they are unbeatable in my book. 100% waterproof. You might have to hunt them down on the internet. (you can get them specifically for mororcycle riding, look for the gear changing patch above the big toe area, dont' get the general purpose type as they are too chunky) you can get them at www.busters-accessories.co.uk

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Derri Boots are 100% waterproof, BUT, in the event of a tumble they're as about as protective as a paper bag as I know from painful experience(Broken toes!!).
Derek.

Sorry to hear about your accident Del, hope the toes are better now. Granted the Derri Boot is not the strongest or most armoured in the world, but I think they are a viable option to take if the environment warrants them.

Dependant on the nature of your accident would any boot have saved your toes from breaking?

What are you wearing now when you ride?

Hope this finds you well.

My accident was a few years ago(but my second toe still bends to the right!). But any stronger boot would have prevented my injury, foot jammed between engine and kerb:( ! Nowadays I wear Hein Gericke TRG Rally boots, which I can heartily recommend. They have a Gore Tex inner, are comfy(once broken in), and give good protection to feet, ankles and shins.:thumbup:
Cheers Derek.

Savanna
 

I think I will go for BMW Savanna boots.

ALT-BERG
do a good boot waterproof strong good for walking in to also made to to your foot size I like my ones

Altberg for me to. They only have one shop in the uk. They have traditional motorcycle boots and army/hiking motorbike boots. If you go to there shop they will measure your feet for size and then place the order to make them.

Mine took about six weeks to make, also when the soles wear out you can send them back to Altberg and they will refurbish them for you for a small cost. This is a great idea because you don't have to break in a new pair of boots, just get your old ones fixed up and away you go. When you wear them with jeans over the top of them they look just like an ordinary boot, so there is no need to take two pairs of footwear.

I use my old air force GP boots with zips laced into the front of them. They are high enough. pretty water proof. offer good support and are comfortable to walk in. I'll also be carrying a pair of canvas shoes and thongs (flip flops) for the non riding times.

AEROstich Combat Boots
 

My wife and I ride in AERO's Combat boots made by Sidi. This was an important decision for us because we are really concerned with safety. At 64, a broken toe can turn into a life long problem and put an end to a ride that could be our last.

Also, Combat Boots are waterproof and since we plan to be on the road for about a year and a half, I know we will be riding in some VERY wet conditions. So the decision was to suck it up on the price and buy the best motorcycle boot we could.

Finally, AREO's speed lacing and the easy on and off make life much easier on these old bodies. Check them out.

We will be on the road in just ten days! WOOF

This only really applies to the Brits here but I can and will vouch for a boot company up, (to me!) in Yorkshire called Altberg. (They are on-line)
I had a pair for 10 years whislt in the military, (way and above any garbage that the Britsh forces issue!!!) and the were waterproof, breathable, never too hot, (desert) never too cold, (Bosnia winter) I parachute in them and ran up and down hills carrying heavy shit like a silly twat for days on end and they never let me down in any way whatsoever!
I have since grown up and left that wierd way of life to travel (my way!) and before I left I bought a new pair in a rather fetching shade of civilian brown.
I wore them in around the house for about, ohh 30 seconds before I did my first hike and true to form they have so far been just as good - only now I am allowed to take them off when I go to bed.
Check out their web-site as they do loads of different styles inc some bike boots which in all fairness have no style at all but I'd rather wear hiking boots anyway as you can't really climb mountains and stuff in Sidi racing boots! And they even do made to measure if you can get to North Yorks!
Believe it or not I'm not employed by Altberg and they probably wouldn't know me from Adam so there's no commission involved here; I just find it so rare these days to egt a decent product made in England and not Taiwan/China.....
Chris

Shitty death; didn't I drag that on? I never wanted to be this boring in my old age!!!

:scooter: Been on the road to long Chris :biggrin: :taz: But I agreed with you about the boots :thumbup1:

Just noticed your earlier post - great minds eh!

thank you all for your suggestions/help.
eric

Altberg boots
 

I had a look at the Altberg website and found some boots that would be perfect for my trip....but then saw that they are only available to size 11(UK).

So I e-mailed them and they said they can custom make me a pair for 40ukp more. They are even going to send me a foot template to make sure they will fit. Excellent people and really good customer support. Obviously not tried the boots yet, but if they are half as good as the service I have already got, I will be more than happy.

Having used various motorcycle and leather boots in the past, I am now swearing by light weight waterproof hiking boots tall enough to cover the ankle. They do compromise safety somewhat, but give tenfolds back in versatility, comfort, utility and convenience, both on and off the bike.

For an rtw trip all you will need are these boots, some thick and thin fast wicking socks, and a pair of sporty sandals, and you're completely covered (unless you plan lots of hardcore riding on poor surfaces). No need to change into other footwear between riding or whatever else you're up to, less luggage space wasted, and less clutter alltogether.

Check out this thread http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...highlight=nike

or this http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...eir-feet-22283


The best boot I have come accross so far is my wife's wife wore a pair of Timberland Cadions.

http://tbl.imageg.net/graphics/produ...051083v250.jpg

Breathable fabric
No liner (four season boot with enough socks and a size to fit them)
Extremely light weight
Sturdy
Very tough toe protection
Decent ankle protection
Water proof breathable membrane
Lacings for tight fit.


In the end it is about ones personal biking philosophy and risk aversion.

Safety first guys. What are the most waterproof and shiny boots good for if they are, and at this point I'd like to steal the following expression, about as safe as a paper bag?



When it comes to riding I have two options. In case of mostly paved roads and lots of riding (aka not lots of walking around) I prefer my Daytona Roadstar GTX - totally waterproof thanks to GoreTex (I tried, I walked across a river and decided to smoke a cigarette whilst standing in flowing water - and still had dry feet after more than 20 mins... try it, it's actually fun!) and very comfy too, I never had any trouble with these.

http://www.reitwagen.at/images/p_G14074.jpg
Granted, they're quite expensive (I paid 249€ for mine) but worth every dime. However, once we get to offroad driving there are better choices - frankly, I don't trust the Daytona boots to keep my toes safe and sound in case of rather rapid encounters with rocks.
Therefore, when I know I will be doing some offroad driving, I prefer my German army boots - the only boots known to survive a direct assault by an American tank :cool4:

http://natocorner.de/stiefel/bw/seihibeigeli1kl2s.jpg
They are quite waterproof but unfortunately not river-waterproof if you catch my drift ;)
Also, they're not as comfy as the Daytona boots but as I have said, safety first. And as someone has already mentioned, don't forget the flip flops

Guess all these English kids didn't notice you were from Utah! Ha!
Alberg? Derri? What the Hell are those ? Hey, shouldn't you lot be out riding?
You've only got two more weeks of summer left...better hurry before it starts
raining again....and again....and again! ;-)

Some one mentioned Daytona. Excellent boots but very very expensive.
I own the GTX RoadStar pictured here.

What I've been using the last two years and love.....and I've used just about
all of them.....are Oxtar Explorers or Oxtar Gore-Tex Matrix boots. I own both.

These are Italian and super comfortable with equal or better protection than
the Daytona's. Thats saying a lot!!

And the best news? They are CHEAP! At least in the states they are.

I walked all over Europe in my Explorers. Oh, and both the Oxtars' above or
certified Gore-Tex. That means they are really really waterproof.

They wear well and are tough. Best deal out there.

Work boots and Army boots won't protect your Tibia. Very important. I have a
Titanium plate to illustrate this fact.

Patrick

I have to give the Daytona's a good write up, 7 years and two accidents (hit by a car and a lorry:censored: ), loads of British Rain on them and they are still as good as new. 100% waterproof...and good protection
I went for the module boots, as I like to zip off the top section in summer (when the rain gets warm), and also if you ride to somewhere where it is hot, again the tops come off and it is more like a summer boot.