Which boots?

[Luckypants]

Most impressed with my SMX-4 goretex jobbies, comfy and waterproof. Worn throughout summer and they no worse than any other boot for sweaty feet.

Black rains here, had them since June last year.. used daily and still look new ish with a good polish and have never had wet feet

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Most impressed with my SMX-4 goretex jobbies, comfy and waterproof. Worn throughout summer and they no worse than any other boot for sweaty feet.

regular smx4- sweaty and lets rain in. - bad purchase i think! bugger!

I wear Sidi Black Rains and cant fault them.

[northwind]

I wear Sidi Vertebra 2s, standard in summer and Tepor in winter. The Sidi tepor membrane can be a bit suspect, Black Rains often develop leaks, but these ones are still fine even after a couple of decent crashes. They're fully armoured and have toe sliders- the Black Rains are good boots but if you slide on them then they lack the hard protection, they'll protect you but they're likely to be trashed afterwards, a few scrapes is fine on a dry weather boot but it doesn't help waterproofing

They're discountinued now but when I got mine they were well discounted, £110. Huge bargain that, I couldn't be happier with mine. My next all-weather boots will be goretex though.

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by scarlett

I wear Sidi Black Rains and cant fault them.

same feedback from me, had them for what must be over 3500 miles now and they've kept the water from a few downpours out nicely, although i don't ride if it's just hacking it. they're comfy, only a couple of scuffs where i caught them on sharp bits of the bike. only reason i'd get new ones would be because the vertebrae look nicer

be careful with sidi as they are great boots, but you need to try them on. as they are on the small size & seem very narrow (IMO)

I recommend spending an extra £20 and getting a pair of Altberg. They are "proper" handmade boots, made in a manner not disimilar to hiking boots and consequently they are waterproof. Waterproof as in, after 100K miles in them (not mine, only 15K in mine, a colleague has over 100K in his) and after a few crashes, they still don't leak, even when out in torrential rain for 4 hours. Not, "maybe might keep some water out for half an hour or so, for the first 6 months life of the boot". On top of which, they are supremely comfortable, you can walk a long way in them without discomfort, they are smart enough to pass as shoes at a glance and if you have odd shaped feet, you can have a pair made specially for you at no extra cost. I probably wouldn't do a track day in them, but they do offer much more protection than you would think from the aesthetics and personally, for road riding, I won't consider anything else in future.

Originally Posted by hovis

be careful with sidi as they are great boots, but you need to try them on. as they are on the small size & seem very narrow (IMO)

I heard that too when I was looking for boots earlier this year. I've got pretty wide feet (been pounded into submission with supporting 16 stone), and I found the Sidi's fine. Strangely, I tried the XPD's (which I was told were better for wider feet), and they weren't as comfortable.

So I guess, try before you buy!

[JamesMio]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Most impressed with my SMX-4 goretex jobbies, comfy and waterproof. Worn throughout summer and they no worse than any other boot for sweaty feet.

Same here, mine have taken no time to break in at all - i even walked across a field in them (dont ask!) and they've been comfy. They're about £160 though...