Cycle Gear has BiLT Trackstar Leather boots on sale right now - originally $139.99 for $69.99 with free shipping on orders over $69! I really like the style of the boots, and these would be better than riding in my tennis shoes but I don't know anything about BiLT and I can't try these on as the closet retail store is 4 hours away.
Has anyone used BiLT or know much about them? Are they good boots? Comfortable? There were 3 reviews on cyclegear.com and all 3 were good but thats not much to base a decision on.
I'm also not looking for other recommendations on "better" boots, or what you would buy instead so please keep it on topic with BiLT or BiLT Trackstar Boots.
Thanks,
Nick
I've seen some of the boots in the store and they look pretty nice. I rode out to cyclegear to buy a pair of their gloves that they're selling for $30(full length gauntlet gloves with knuckle guards) but ended up finding a pair of Dainese gloves for $50. I compared them as far as the leather and stitching went. There was definitely a difference in quality, but the bilt stuff definitely looked nice enough. If I hadn't found the other pair I would've bought the bilt gloves and probably been perfectly happy with them.
They boots definitely looks like a great deal for $70 no matter which way you look at it. Even if they're not as nice as other boots and aren't as durable, they're still going to be way safer than than $70 construction/hiking boot you might wear instead. The other big benefit to motorcycle boots is the stiff sole and shift pad on top of the toe. It makes braking/shifting to a whole new level of efficiency that you'll notice right away. If you're looking for a pair I think you'll definitely be happy with them for $70.
Wow, they even have some for $39.
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=5010&L2=40&L3=960&L4=961&item=FCS_BLB1-BZ-008_G
(http://www.cyclegear.com/images/streetapparel/bilt_storm_boots_blk_MD.jpg)
Quote from: utgunslinger13 on April 12, 2011, 07:27:48 AM
Cycle Gear has BiLT Trackstar Leather boots on sale right now - originally $139.99 for $69.99 with free shipping on orders over $69!
I just ordered a pair. I'll let you know how they are once they come in and I have a chance to try them out.
Quote from: bkrtim on April 12, 2011, 08:22:18 AM
Quote from: utgunslinger13 on April 12, 2011, 07:27:48 AM
Cycle Gear has BiLT Trackstar Leather boots on sale right now - originally $139.99 for $69.99 with free shipping on orders over $69!
I just ordered a pair. I'll let you know how they are once they come in and I have a chance to try them out.
When your ordered your boots, did you order the same size as your shoes? I'm nervous about buying the right size online!
That $40 pair is even waterproof! I may have to go grab a pair of those. I love waterproof boots like you wouldn't believe. Don't get out in the rain much anymore, but I'm sure some waterproof shoes would make me more likely to take a chance.
As far as I know Bilt is a new company? But my girlfriend bought a Bilt jacket and it's really nice.
I ordered some of the boots and a pair of gloves. Seem like a pretty good deal to me. I considered picking up a jacket and some other equipment since it was 50% off but they didn't have a huge selection. I guess we'll see how the quality of the boots and gloves are and if I get lucky the sale will still be going. I definitely like the free shipping, wasn't too hard for me to spend the necessary $69.
Bilt is Cyclegears house brand. They also have another brand for their store that's one step nicer than Bilt. They're replacing the old Frank Thomas stuff they used to sell. Either way I think I'm gonna buy a pair of those boots when it dries up tomorrow or Thursday and I can take a ride out to the store. I think all of their sales are going on through the end of April, but I can't remember for sure.
Magazine add says through 4/30/2011. How do you size these boots? Same as tennis shoes?
Quote from: bkrtim on April 12, 2011, 08:22:18 AM
Quote from: utgunslinger13 on April 12, 2011, 07:27:48 AM
Cycle Gear has BiLT Trackstar Leather boots on sale right now - originally $139.99 for $69.99 with free shipping on orders over $69!
I just ordered a pair. I'll let you know how they are once they come in and I have a chance to try them out.
Please do, it would be great. My sidi B2s are getting tired after couple of years of riding ;) and need replacement in a near future.
I've got a pair of the $40 ones. They're decent, but definitely a $40 pair, as there is no ankle shank. Still, the leather is stiff enough to offer more protection than a pair of work boots. They actually feel decent enough to walk around in for a while too. So yeah, I'd say at this price, definitely get a pair. (Unless, of course, you've already got some better ones.)
As for fit, these run small. I would buy a size larger than what you wear. (I'm a 10ish, but I could barely fit an 11.) They'll stretch a little to your foot after a while, but not that much.
But yeah, definitely waterproof. I took em through some puddles the other day, and my feet stayed nice and dry. I really like em.
Quote from: utgunslinger13 on April 12, 2011, 01:19:42 PM
Magazine add says through 4/30/2011. How do you size these boots? Same as tennis shoes?
If I get out there Thursday or Friday when it's nice out I'll let you know how they compare to my tennis shoes.
I was looking at the waterproof ones too. I had asked over at Beginnerbikers new I should of asked over here. There is a cycle gear in Orlando. I'll try to head over tomorrow and see how they are. If they are anything like my Frank Thomas they are awesome!
Mary
I have a Bilt helmet and gloves. The gloves are actually pretty good. The helmet...not sure sure. The face shield has popped off on one side twice now from just raising or lowering it. Not cool. There's also not much ventilation. Judging from my experience, I'll wager that the boots are probably not the highest quality, but will do.
Well I'm currently riding in tennis shoes, but I'm lucky if I get in 20-30 miles in 2 weeks so I can't justify spending $100+ on boots even though I KNOW I NEED THEM TO BE SAFE. $70 is about the top I'm willing to spend, so I'm nervous on pulling the trigger.
I don't need boots that will protect me racing. I don't need boots that will sustain my feet through a 1000 foot slide at 150mph. I have a permit in the state of OH and I can't go on any interstates so my top speed is 55mph. I just can't justify a $100+ purchase for something I would get about 400 miles use out of each year.
Quote from: utgunslinger13 on April 13, 2011, 08:42:06 AM
Well I'm currently riding in tennis shoes, but I'm lucky if I get in 20-30 miles in 2 weeks so I can't justify spending $100+ on boots even though I KNOW I NEED THEM TO BE SAFE. $70 is about the top I'm willing to spend, so I'm nervous on pulling the trigger.
I don't need boots that will protect me racing. I don't need boots that will sustain my feet through a 1000 foot slide at 150mph. I have a permit in the state of OH and I can't go on any interstates so my top speed is 55mph. I just can't justify a $100+ purchase for something I would get about 400 miles use out of each year.
If you are so cash strapped, why not get the $39 pair?
Its not so much cash strapped as the more expensive boots don't meet my cost vs value idea for purchases. I know I need boots, and I should buy them. But with how much I ride, I can't justify spending that much money on them. BUT....if I'm going to buy them I want a decent pair thats not butt ugly. And personally I think the $40 pair looks horrible. lol
Plus, the $40 pair are solid leather (waterproof) so I can't imagine they would breath very well and I've been "blessed" with extremely active sweat glands and a high internal body temp. My feet sweat in tennis shoes, and I can only imagine there would be a swamp in there after about 30 minutes of riding in 90 degree weather.
The average foot sweats a cup a day. I found that out a week or two ago. Those waterproof boots are synthetic, they're listed wrong but corrected in the description. They are ugly, but they're a little more standard looking than racing boots so if I had to wear them to the store with some jeans, I wouldn't look as goofy, even if the boots don't look as cool.
Anyway, get the Bilt racing boots, they look pretty decent, and from what I've seen of them in the store they look like good boots. They won't be as durable, unlike more expensive boots with replaceable armor and all that, which will survive through multiple crashes, but I think the bilt boots are a safe bet.
Have you looked at used boots on ebay? You can find sidi/alpinestar boots on there for $70 all day long, if you're not opposed to used footwear. A lot of them aren't even worn bad since they never really touch the ground other than from the front door to the bike, and a foot down at redlights. The soles will last for years.
I've looked at the the Bilt boots and they are definitely a good value. I would say to anyone who needs a decent pair of riding boots go ahead and pull the trigger now. My guess is that Cycle Gear is running these prices to get the brand out there and these prices won't be returning anytime soon.
I wish they had a pair of short boots on sale too! I need to find a pair of comfortable riding boots for when I go places that I'm going to be walking around a lot. They had a nice pair of 'stunt' boots that were short on sale for $40 but they were too stiff and not comfortable to walk in at all. Either way I'm gonna save up some money and check in there periodically next winter. I bet they've got some killer deals on stuff in the off season.
Idk about their boots but I got ther magnetic tank bag. Quality seems pretty good for the price.
I stopped at Cyclegear tonight (forgot I wanted to buy new grips :technical:) and picked up a pair of those $40 rain boots. I was very pleased with them. They're definitely cheap boots, whether or not they would be worth $100 normally is up for debate. I assume they're a harbor freight deal where everything is over priced normally just so they can cut the price in half for a sale and still come out on top, but either way they're good enough to be a good deal. It's not like motorcycle boots get a lot of wear anyway. They do have a piece of sewn in armor to go over the outside of your ankle, so i felt decently protected. Best part is that they're super comfortable so I'll finally have a pair of general use boots for when I'm gonna be walking around a bike night or a home depot. I'll still wear my sidi's for Saturday rides.
As far as fit, and I assume this will translate to the trackstar boots too.... I didn't see any in a size 9, which is my normal size so I was a little worried. I tried on an 8, which looked small, and was tight going on, but as soon as I got the main part of my foot past the tight ankle they fit perfectly. Room for my toes to move, probably an extra pair of socks if I need it, but not too much play. The whole boot is thicker. It took a minute to adjust with my shifter because of the thick sole and taller toe but I was fine after a few minutes. That's a shape thing though, nothing to do with the brand or build quality. I ended up getting the size 8(eur 42), and for comparison these are the sizes I have in other common shoes sitting around that fit about the same:
puma tennis shoes... us10-eur43
adidas tennis shoes... us9.5-eur43.5
timberland dress-casual shoes... 8w
sidi vertebra boots... 43, 9-9.5
so basically the boots look like the run large. I wish shoe companies would come out with a standard size chart so if you knew you wore a 9, you could just buy a 9 instead of every single pair of shoes you own being a different size.
TT, thanks for the update!! I think I'm going to a big expo/party at the Iron Pony Store this weekend, and if I don't find something to buy there I'll pick up these boots!
It's been a few days and I've gotten in a few rides, and just wanted to mention that I still love these boots :thumb:
I've been wearing them a lot. I'd still prefer the Sidi's for a serious ride, but every trip I've made when I knew I was going to get off the bike and run into a store I've been wearing the bilt boots. Another huge bonus, is that since the inside is cloth I can wear them with shorter socks. I always hated then when I randomly decided to go for a ride before I always had to go put on full length socks because the Sidi's felt weird without them, due to that leather-like interior fabric. The tops also aren't as wide and stiff, so it's much easier to get my pant legs on over them. Someday I'd really like to get a pair of the shorter Shift boots or something along those lines because I never realized how convenient non-race boots can be!
Quote from: tt_four on April 18, 2011, 04:24:44 AM
... huge bonus, is that since the inside is cloth I can wear them with shorter socks. I always hated then when I randomly decided to go for a ride before I always had to go put on full length socks because the Sidi's felt weird without them, due to that leather-like interior fabric. ...
I got mine yesterday and, while I didn't get to ride with them, I did walk around quite a bit with them and found that from the ankle up, the boots rubbed my legs raw-full length socks will be a must. The sizing seems to run a little on the small size. I wear a 10.5 and purchased a size 11. They are a tad snug. Overall, for $70, the quality is adequate and I would purchase them again.
Quote from: bkrtim on April 20, 2011, 05:51:54 PM
I got mine yesterday and, while I didn't get to ride with them, I did walk around quite a bit with them and found that from the ankle up, the boots rubbed my legs raw-full length socks will be a must. The sizing seems to run a little on the small size. I wear a 10.5 and purchased a size 11. They are a tad snug. Overall, for $70, the quality is adequate and I would purchase them again.
if you paid $70 I assume you got the race boots? They're never as comfortable. mine are just the cheaper waterproof boots, so they're a bit softer. I can't even wear my normal boots to walk in for more than 4 minutes without my ankles getting rubbed up completely.
I bought the $70 pair yesterday, and they should be arriving on Wednesday the 27th!
Oooh that's such a long wait for new motorcycle toys haha. I'm so impatient with things in the mail. I'll give it one day's wait, but as of the 2nd day the only thing on my mind the entire ride home from work is checking out that mailbox!
Yeah I think I ordered at a bad time with Easter this weekend. UPS shipped out this am from CA to OH. It says estimated delivery is 4/27.
I ordered boots and gloves on the 12th shipping to WI. They estimated ship date was 4/12 and I got the free shipping option so I was pretty happy with that. The boots didn't actually ship till last friday (4/22) and the way my order status looks I'm not sure the gloves shipped with them. Luckily I'm pretty patient with these things, but if you aren't I would just pay a little more for the quicker options. Could be just that I bought the wrong gear at the wrong time but we'll see. I hope everything fits because if I have to send it back it could end up being a long ass time before I get what I want. This stuff happens sometimes when you order online so I could be an exception. I just wanted to give those impatient people out there a heads up.