Advice Needed - Adventure Boots
 

Hi all, first post here. I've had a few years away from biking and just bought a lowered F700GS. I'm after a set of adventure boots and thinking about buying the Forma ones that get good ratings in this review: https://bikerrated.com/gear/boots/be...orcycle-boots/ - I've not heard of Forma before have any of you got any experience of them?
:D

I was listening to Adventure Rider Radio the other day and they mentioned Forma boots - like yourself I hadn't heard of them. The presenter seemed pretty impressed with them - he had tried a couple of styles - one aimed at adventure riders and another aimed at enduro riders. I can't remember which one he liked most.

The thing that I took out of the podcast was that you need to make a choice between being risk averse and having the strongest boot but one that you can't really walk in or you can reduce the level of protection you have but can walk in them. It depends on where you are riding, your level of experience / skills etc

I would agree with Jay - i.e. ADV Rider Radio podcast.

Having neglected my foot protection on one ride left me with numerous broken or cracked foot bones.

My all around boot is the Sidi Adventure, good protection, ok for walking.
For pure off road I wear the Sidi Crossfires, excellent protection, poor for walking.

I did try on a pair of the Formas - i found them excellent for walking but poor for protection.

I left them on the shelf - not because it wasn't a quality boot but because based on my riding style, and injury history, I want the best protection possible and am willing to sacrifice mobility .

Another consideration might be if you decide to ride with hard panniers.

YMMV

I've got a pair of the Forma Adventure Low that I have bought for a long trip next year. I have been wearing them for around 8 months now and really like them. I wore them all weekend at HUBB UK this year and they were really comfortable. It rained both ways(more like a monsoon on the way back) and they were 100% waterproof as well.

Yes, I can agree with this, I have a pair too, I find them a great boot

I can recommend the TCX Baja goretex boots. I wear these every day, walk plenty in them and have ridden them through torrential rain on the motorway for hours on numerous occassions and they've never leaked a drop. They're comfortable to walk in and I think they offer a good balance of protection. I'd wear MX boots for serious off road stuff but for adventure travel I reckon the Baja's are a good balance between protection and comfort.



I've also had a pair of TCX Infinity goretex boots which have seen 4 years of daily use and have plenty of life left in them. Those are more road orientated, I only got the Baja's because my employer provided them as I ride occasionally a CRF250L at work.


Both boots are however quite expensive. For my use I think they're worth it as neither pair has ever let me down.

Thanks for your posts, that's super helpful

Not so good Forma boots
 

Sorry guys - bought a pair of Forma road oriented boots and a bit disappointed with them. Fit seemed OK but found a seam that runs over the top of my foot very uncomfy by the end of the day. That's really just a fit issue - maybe my feet are a bit of an odd shape - high arch.
Protection wise - pretty good. Ankles, shin, good support/protection.
Soles - traction SUCKS! In Greece/Italy where there's a bit of marble around its like standing on ice. Add some fuel or oil and you'll probably be on the ground with a bike on top in no time.
Construction - SUCKS. Soles are glued on - in 2 months of almost all road riding they have started to come unglued from the uppers.
Waterproofing - uppers look pretty good, not really tested seriously yet. But with soles parting from uppers I can see wet feet big time :(

Noted "made in China". Wonder if I've scored some cheaply made Forma knock offs or whether thats where they are legitimately made?

On my last tour I wore Sidi Adventures. Good in some ways - comfortable to ride in, waterproof. But not so good in others - squeaky and not the most comfortable to walk in.

For my trip to Central Asia next year I'm seriously considering Hogg Lites.

I have just had a look at The Adventure Bike Shop and they give the impression that they are made in Romania. https://www.adventurebikeshop.co.uk/forma-boots/

I have the Sidi Adventure boots and at first I found they to be a little uncomfy but after a bit time in them I now I love them,

I have done about 14,000 mile on and off road in them and would get another pair when they have no more life left in them,

Never leaked water in and have always been warm enough for me and I run cold,

Hope that helps a little bit,

John.

I have the Forma Adventure Low and the Forma Terra. A lot of the European boots are a bit narrow (the TCX and Sidi boots for instance are a bit narrow for me), the Forma boots tend to fit folks with a bit wider foot well. I prefer the Terra which sits somewhere between a typical adventure boot and MX boot in terms of protection. The Terra also has a replaceable sole which is handy. The Forma Adventure (like many adventure boots) are a bit softer than I would like (you basically have to decide on flex vs protection). The Forma Terra is plenty comfortable to me, but they are definitely stiffer than the Forma Adventure and do not really allow for any toe flex. Sidi and Alpinestars also make boots that provide a similar amount of protection to the Terra without going full MX and sacrificing waterproofness. The Sidi Adventure 2 and the Alpinestars Toucan specifically come to mind. I would start with fit and go from there.

I've been using TCX Infinity Gore-Tex for years:

https://www.outletmoto.com/botas-tcx...ex-p-2058.html

At that price, I think there's no better choose. I'm really happy with them.

Sidi all the way for me
 

for me protection is really important.
i have got over the sidi squeak, i find them really comfortable to walk in and warm in the winter and not as hot as i would expect in the winter. cooler than my old dianisi road tourers
i cant recommend the sidi adventure ii enough but horses for course.

I rode from London to Beijing earlier this year. Two of the guys on the trip were wearing Forma Adventure boots. Both had the soles fall off one boot.

Others wearing Alpinestars Toucans and/or Sidi Adventures had no problems...