shoes

[porsche4786]

I tried to search but it doesn't seem to work very well since most of the stuff that comes up doesn't have anything to do with shoes...What are good riding shoes? I don't really want boots, something I could wear while riding, take off my riding pants and have shorts on underneath and it wouldn't look weird.

[roguegeek]

AlpineStars Stunt shoes. The Indy shoes are also decent, but they don't have the ankle coverage the Stunt shoes do. I love my pair.

[davipu]

plain and simple, shoes do not give you adequate ankle protection.  like in the vid in this thread.  

vid http://www.killsometime.com/Video/video.asp?ID=318

thread http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=201533#201533

what I do is carry a pair of flip flops in my tank bag if I am going to be some whare for a extended period of time and don't want to wear boots.
regardless of how he got the injury (stunting) it was his lack of boots that allowed the injury to happen.

[porsche4786]

so wearing my puma speedcat (the high top kind) driving shoes is not a good idea....

[Slavik]

so wearing my puma speedcat (the high top kind) driving shoes is not a good idea....

no, it will hurt quite a bit if you go down......it seems like the concesus is that you need a descent work boot at the minimum, i have icon motorhead, and they are awsome for riding (should have great protection as well) but i could see how the walking comfort could be improved (1 hour sure, half a day = different pair of shoes in the backpack)

[Badger]

What kind of protection are you realistically looking for in shoes?  There are some low versions, and I'd expect these offer appropriate traction and a reinforced toe box and perhaps something to keep laces from dangling, but you're not going to get any ankle or shin protection.  I'm not trying to be a gear nazi...but you'd probaly be better off in a pair of durable hiking or construction boots in that case.  If you're not interested in the protection that m/c boots offer (to each his own), then you can wear pretty much whatever you want.

Considering you're taking off your riding pants, you must have some place to put them, right?  Tank bag?  Backpack?  Stick a pair of walking shoes or trainers in there and wear boots when you ride.

[TarzanBoy]

I think the idea is that you want something that will protect your feet from serious/permanent injury in the case of:

1. A lowside where your foot/leg gets caught under the bike
2. A drop/accident where your foot (particularly your ANKLE) strikes the pavement (or another object) hard.  This includes long slides along the surface of the earth
3. Rocks, pebbles, and animals that may unexpectedly bounce up off the road and hit (or bite!) you whilst riding.

Secondary concerns are:
1. Something that won't easily slip on a wet or oil slicked surface.  I've never had a problem with this at a traffic light but the TOLL BOOTH here in Atlanta (on GA400) is every bit as slick as an ice-skating-rink.
2.Something that gives good protection to your feet, but still lets you feel and easily manipulate the gearshift. (I think this is part of the reason why some people aren't as keen on steel toed riding boots).
3.Something that won't get 'stuck' on the riding peg because of a crazy sole/tread pattern.

I guess looks are a concern for some folks.  I still havent' found a pair of for-motorcycle-riding boots because the ones i have seen are little too flashy for everyday situations when I'm not on my bike (i'm currently using 2 diff pairs of hiking boots).  Decent riding footwear is probalby the cheapest piece of crucial riding gear (unless you think gloves are crucial

[porsche4786]

sometimes I wear some work style boots without a steel toe. I found it easier to feel the shifter with the smaller shoes. I wear my pants when riding to work in the morning, or for any ride that is going to be a while. I probably wouldn't wear the pumas for a day ride or anything like that. I've found out that my tank bag strap is marking a couple marks in my paint on my tank. It's only the emergency strap for my magnetic one but I guess it rubs just enough so now I'm trying not to use that if I don't need to. I think the strap is just too long they supply. At work I wear steel toe shoes but they are low top and pretty bulky.

[Badger]

I was alternating between hiking boots and my old combat boots (depending on how much time I wanted to spend lacing them up) for a couple weeks.  I always made sure I covered the laces with a velcro stretchy band to make sure they never came undone and dangled (I was paranoid of this).  I picked up actual m/c boots this week (Rev'it Ergo), here are my thoughts:

My new boots provide a much more comfortable riding position, and feel generally more stable.  They are not terribly good for walking around, but I've worn less comfortable shoes.  This may improve as they break in a bit.  My initial thought was that they felt a bit loose in the heel (when walking), but everything feels perfect on the pegs.  I can get them under the cuffs of my pants and they don't look so odd when walking around, except for the bright yellow stripe on the sole.  It takes just a few seconds to get them on and off, and I'm able to swtich from boots to work shoes in the parking lot.  I haven't had the need to test the traction, but I'd venture to guess it's a lot better on a slick road surface than my hiking boots.

Decent riding footwear is probalby the cheapest piece of crucial riding gear

This would not be consistent with my experience.  *shrug*  My boots cost more than my helmet (I have a Scorpion, not a Shoei or Arai).

[davipu]

steel toe boots are like putting your toes into a vice, a completely unnessacarry and painful experience.  and then wait till they are trying to cut your foot out of the bootand they can't cut the steel so they just have to pull it off.

[Alphamazing]

These are my boots. Undoubtedly the most comfortable boot I've ever worn.


Sidi Strada Tepor Evo. Waterproof, comfortable, and damn good looking.

[xtalman]

Decent riding footwear is probalby the cheapest piece of crucial riding gear

This would not be consistent with my experience.  *shrug*  My boots cost more than my helmet (I have a Scorpion, not a Shoei or Arai).

I agree.  Buy the best footwear you can.  I paid $240 for my Sidi Vert II, and $170 for my KBC VR-1 and later $150 for my Arai Quantum closeout.  I hit a curb once while I had some work boots on, and put my leg down to keep myself upright.  My foot got caught underneath the pegs, and injured my ankle.  I limped around for about 6 weeks afterwards.  I started wearing my Sidi boots all the time after that.

[Roadstergal]

Sidi boots on closeout.

I find my Vertebra 2 more comfy for riding, but wear Alpinestars daily for the waterproofness.  If you don't like motorcycle boots for walking, bring a backpack and swap when you get where you're going.

[gs500fromnb]

minimum gear should be lid, jacket, gloves, boots... all MOTORCYCLE gear not construction stuff, or anything else. I dont want to feel like a gear nazi but i've been present at MANY accidents over the last 3 years and only one was wearing full leathers  (me during MY accident) ... all the other accidents I saw blood and injuries. Mine I laughed it off, started my bike and left.

I've seen myself turn away from a ride because I was only wearing my jacket gloves and lid and sneakers, I turned it away and went home to put on my boots and usually end up putting the rest of the leathers while at it.

WHEN you crash you will be happier with gear than with no gear.

If you want shoes to ride, you might as well go for whatever you like best cause theres no difference.. hell you could even go for flip flops, maybe a wife beater and shorts while your at it    :lol:  

[porsche4786]

All I need are some new boots and I will be complete! Well, and new helmet would be nice...

[NightRyder]

So, now that I read all the way down here... im confused. I see that motorcycle boots would be best, but wouldn't leather hiking boots work just as well? Or do these motorcycle boots we are talking about include ski boot like hinges? Also, I don't mean day hikers. More like weeks at a time hikers.

Something like this..
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47882472&parent_category_rn=4501274

These,
http://www.newenough.com/sidi_city_boots_page.htm

Seems like they would be worse. Even though they cover higher up, they wouldn't hold your ankle tight (lack of laces), or would they?

[Roadstergal]

Ja, with cheap motorcycle boots, you might as well be wearing street boots.  That doesn't mean wear street boots; it means get motorcycle boots with protection.

http://www.newenough.com/sidi_vertebra_2_boots_page.htm
http://www.newenough.com/alpinestars_smx3_goretex_boots_page.htm

That kinda thing.

Laces on motorcycles are bad, IMO.  They can get caught in things in an off and complicate the situation rather a lot.  A chain, the bike, a barrier, a car...  The mental image of a lace caught in a drive chain was enough to scare me off of that scene.

Good fitment on a boot includes fitting snugly on the upper part.  The Sidi is very nice in that the calf is adjustable.  The A* is adjustable via velcro, but I like the Sidi's way of doing it better.

[davipu]

you do get a measure of protection from the taller plain boots over "hiking" style ones.  from the leather it's self once it's cured it will only strech so far which will only allow a limited amount of over extention before it stops as opposed to full on boots which minimize any unnessacarry motion.


for me though, I am currently wearing my issue "cadalics" a plain 10" high boot. I've done the crashing thing a few times and had the foot pinned under the bike, which if I was wearing fully armored boots, instead of a sprained ankle I whould have been in the hospital having knee tendons stapled back on.   I chose to suck it up and rode home on the bike.

[leo]

Even though some may not agree, I think these boots are in the middle range between a work boot and motorcyle boot. I would think that these boots would have helped that guy. I just don't have experience with these.

http://www.newenough.com/icon_standard_boots_page.htm

Currently I use these and I don't see them as being flashy because I didn't want flashy. http://www.newenough.com/alpinestars_gps3_wp_boots_page.htm

I was going to get the Sidi Champion, but they were more expensive and the sales guy said the Alpinestar offered more protection. They were also about 30-40 dollars cheaper.

[Badger]

Laces on motorcycles are bad, IMO.

+1.  I had acute paranoia over dangling a lace into the chain for a week, and I did everything short of supergluing them together to avoid it.