A Comparison of Three Adventure Riding Boots
Motorcycle boots are one piece of riding gear that many riders don't even think about. Casual boots, sneakers and even thongs (flip flops) are often used, the rider believing that a sturdy pair of shoes will protect their feet from the elements and perhaps even in the chance of an accident. God knows what the rider wearing thongs thinks ...
The truth of it is that boots are a very important part of your riding gear, has anyone seen what happens to a footpeg when a bike slides? If you haven't, check out YouTube and then imagine what would happen to your foot without the right boots.
While there's many things to consider when choosing the right boots for the adventure rider there's even more, the boots must not only protect in the case of an accident and also from the elements, they must also offer high levels of comfort. An adventure rider can spend all day on a bike and often stood on the pegs, the boots need to be waterproof and yet allow the feet to breath. They must also be comfortable off the bike and allow the wearer enough freedom to walk, often great distances.
Obviously choosing the right boot is a very personal choice, with many things to consider however, I'll offer my opinion of three boots that I've worn, all within the mid-price range. All have there own strengths and weaknesses, and while this is not an endorcement of any, one is clearly my favourite and will probably take some beating.
The RST Adventure is the cheapest in the range with a price tag of $AU250.00 and in many ways this is reflected in the quality of the boot.
The overall look of the RST Adventure is quite good, a full leather upper (Nubuck, top grain cattle leather) should be enough to highlight the quality of the boot however, it comes with a polyurethane (PU) coating. This gives the boot an almost plastic or vinyl look, offering a cheaper appearance.
The outer is reinforced in a number of areas and these do offer protection to the boot itself, noteably in the area where gear changing can cause excess wear.
Rider protection comes in a number of forms. A one piece moulded heel cup, and PU shin, heel and ankle reinforcements are the main areas to protect the riders feet. These actually do seem a little flimsy and at the very least I was always wary that at the very least a twisted ankle could be just around the corner.
The RST Adventure at the outset looked like it had a very good sole. Designed to not only grip the bikes footpegs in all sorts of conditions but to also offer a stable footing when walking. The construction is of vulcanised antislip rubber and does indeed look like it's up to the job.
Wearing the boots they do feel comfortable. They are easy to put on, fastening isn't an issue with two heavy duty metal clasps attached to plastic ratchet buckles, these hold the boots snug and can be adjusted to fit any sized foot and lower leg. The upper part of the boot which, is quite low on the leg compared to other adventure boots, is fastened with a velcro cuff. This works well however, the height of the boot doesn't when needed to protect the upper shin from hard objects being thrown at it, this is often the case on gravel or stony tracks. The shortness of the boot is also a problem when traversing water crossings, either on the bike or on foot. This is a pity as the boots, as promised are waterproof, as long as you don't any deeper than your ankles. The waterproofing comes mainly from the Sinaqua lining. This does keep the boots inner dry however, it is said to be breathable, based on the amount of sweat that often came out with my feet I very much doubt this claim.
The boots are extremely comfortablde to walk in right from the outset, no need to break them in. Sitting on the bike they also offer a very high level of comfort unfortunately when it comes to offroad riding where standing is required the same can't be said. A lack of stiffness in the sole which, ironically allows for comfortable walking, doesn't provide enough support to the foot, it won't be long before the arch and ball of your feet are painful. I found I had to stop every 30 minutes or so to allow the pain to subside.
For me this is the boots major shortcoming compounded more by the fact that the soles of my boots lasted no greater distance than 15,000 kilometres before the sole had worn right through causing both boots to split, rendering them useless.
It's a pity that RST has chosen to take such a cheap approach to the sole as the rest of the boot is quite well constructed. The look of the boot is certainly one of adventure however, like many 4x4 vehicles their use should be one of 'softroad' and not offroad. They're a reasonably good looker but certainy not up to real adventure riding.
Second on the list are the Forma Adventure. These are more expensive than what RST has to offer, although coming in at $AU379.00 they shouldn't be too far out of the budget of most riders.
Out of all three boots reviewed those by Forma are the only ones that make reference to having a CE certification and this is evident in the quality of the construction and the 12 month warranty offered to purchases made within Australia back this up.
The whole upper is a full grain leather however, is not coated with any manmade material. The leather comes protected by oil, and I'd recommend that you continue this practice if you would like to keep the appearance of your boots (they do have an antique look out of the box), if you are like me and don't mind your boots looking dirty and used then forget about the oiling.
Like the RST the Forma has protection for the shin, heel and ankle in the form of PU moulded guards with extra rigidity around the ankle. They do feel much stiffer than the RST version. This does cause issues when you initially wear the boots, the lack of free movement caused my heels to blister when walking in them, to be honest it took me a great amount of time to wear them in. Now I can wear them without socks and still feel comfortable.
There's also additional protection around the toes, this has proven invaluable to my feet a number of times.
Gear changing, regardless of side, isn't an issues as the area is protected by a plastic 'patch' that is applied to protect the boot. I find that this not only offers protection but also a level of grip on the gear lever, I find this helps when changing gears in a standng position.
The Forma boots offer a similar looking sole to that of the RST and it's here that the
similarities end. The sole is constructed from a double density rubber and immediately feels stiffer than the RST version, this however, does not make walking an issue, the sole has enough flex to allow ease of movement. This is surprising considering the Forma boots sole has a rigid nylon mid-sole (essentially a hard plastic piece that sits within the sole, similar to what high quality running shoes have). This is supposed to offer a stiffer contact patch across a greater area, useful when all of your weight it being transfered to the pegs (when standing). This does offer some comfort however, I find I still can't last much longer than an hour when stood, this isn't too bad as it offers a great excuse to get off and explore the surroundings.
Getting the boots on requires a little more effort than the RSTs, not surprising considering that they are stiffer and go much higher up the leg, great protection.
Once on they feel very comfortable, snug and supportive without feeling tight and restrictive. They are waterproof, rain is not a problem and I have been in quite deep water with them without my feet getting wet at all. This comes from a Drytex lining, supposedly similar to Goretex, offering both waterproofing and breathability. Like the RST boots I'm scepticle of the breathability claim, on hot days my feet always come out of the boots quite wet. On a recent Australian outback ride I couldn't leave the boots anywhere near where I was sleeping, the smell was that bad ... I do have a way of combatting this, that's for another time.
The boots are fastened with three plastic rachet buckles, said to be unbreakable, I'm not sure about this claim as they don't feel as sturdy as those on the RST although do feel that they hold the boot more securely. The cuff of the boot is secured by a velcro panel.
The construction and fastening of the boots make them extremely comfortable although, I must point out that I had to wear mine in (others haven't had this problem). I also have an issue where on my left leg, while standing, it feels like there something slighty sharp sticking in my inner calve. I can't find what causes this and have just learnt to put up with it.
In the life of my Forma boots they have done around 45,000 kilometres, in some of the most extreme environments and if they were cleaned they would look almost brand new. Unlike the RST boots you can't tell what sort of treatment the soles have been subjected too, they stand up to the job. They have also been wearing these boots whilst I have had two major off's, the second I'm sure should've broken my ankle yet there was no significant injury to my leg aside from a few cuts and bruises.
The Forma Adventure boots are certainy up to the job.
The last to be compared are by BMW and marketed as their Gravel boot. Retailing at $AU550.00 they are by far the most expensive, no doubt some of that cost is for the privelage of having BMW emblasened on them.
BMW do make some pretty high claims about their boots, with stats and figures that seem impressive. What's the reality?
In the figures there's no mention of CE approval, I can't imagine that they wouldn't be certified coming from the giant German manufacturer.
The upper is full leather of a thickness between 2.4 and 2.6mm. I'm not sure how that compares to the others however, the BMW Gravel feels to have about the same stiffness as the RST Adventure which, is slightly less stiff than the Forma Adventure. This doesn't make it anymore comfortable or less protective, to be honest all three boots feel to be on a par. The leather is listed as being hydrophobic, meaning it will repell water. This is the case however, given enough water and the leather will soak it up.
The inner upper of the boot is suede, BMW claims this is to provide greater grip on the motorcycle. Personally, this makes no difference for me, I tend to grip the bike more with my ankle area rather than the calve, when I'm standing. It might suit other riders.
The leather also has reinforcements at both the toe and heels, as well as plastic reinforced gear shift pads, these aren't overly evident but I can guarantee they are there.
On the inside there's also protection for the wearer. The shins and ankles are protected by foam passed linings. They do seem sturdy but I don't feel as well protected as that offered by the Forma boots.
The lining of the boots is Goretex, offering waterproofing while still breathable. They are certainly waterproof, although are still a little lower than the Forma, although not by a lot so wouldn't be such a problem in deep water. The BMW boots still cause my feet to sweat but not as much as the others. The lining is very comfortable, the best of the three boots.
The BMW Gravel boots are held snug by two plastic and metal ratchet clasps, similar to the RST Adventure. They feel sturdy and well made and do do what they were designed. Unfortunately, there's only two and like the RST they have a large velro area at the top to hold the rest of the boot on. For me, this just doesn't seem to work, I prefer the three buckle approach of the Forma, it's similar to an MX style boot which certainly does work. due to years of refinement.
The sole of the BMW boot is the strangest of the three. It's tread just doesn't look right. There's no doubt it does the job, it just looks more suited for less adventurous riding however, the construction of the BMW sole is brilliant. It's a hard yet flexible rubber, similar to the Forma Adventure and although these boots haven't done anywhere near the distance of the others they aren't showing any signs of wear. Another great feature of the BMW Gravel is the rigid plate that sits within the soles construction, in a standing position this is a godsend, preventing foot fatigue, it essentially disperses the pressure point of the footpeg across a greater area making it almost feel like you are riding a cruiser with footboards.
As you would expect with a BMW branded product the build quality of the Gravel boot is of the highest standard and looks like it would be hard-pressed to fail.
All three boots have their strengths and weaknesses, and obviously the price plays a part in this. It goes without saying that anything based around the adventure bike market is going to be somewhat of a compromise, trying to cover all aspects of this style of riding, and with all that in mind only one of the boots compared covers all bases as far as I'm concerned ... the Forma Adventure.
The handlebars were destroyed along with everything associated with them, had I had my Spot mounted there it would no longer have been in reach. My tank bag had been ripped from the bike and was laying around 30 metres away, I couldn't get to the Spot regardless. I had a lifesaving tool yet was unable to use it. Had I been on my own, in this extremely remote area, pinned under the bike with broken bones and spinal injuries the situation could've been fatal.
