please recommend some riding boots..

[lucydad]

I think I likely will buy the Aerostich Light Touring boot...hope to get size right first time.  I am a bit reluctant about break-in, but I figure the wet trick makes sense.  There are so many options.  A good water proof oil helps real leather.  I want boots that will last the rest of my riding career. 

[lucydad]

All,

So, Luap offered a pair of Aerostich combats. Unused.  Right size.  What a deal, what a great guy!  I look forward to trying them, I bet they fit and with some breaking in superb and check all my boxes.  Current military desert combat boots are ok, but suck this time of year with colder and more wet conditions. 

[Guido Valvole]

Congratulations!
cr

[kirb]

I was looking for waterproof with protection...very happy with Sidi Canyon Gore-Tex

[lazlokovacs]

SIDI black rain EVOs have exceeded and outlasted all my expectations, coped with all extremes of weather, from above the snow line in January, black ice in the highlands, many a rainy London November, to Cadiz in August, heat exhaustion in the mountains, being crammed in mouldy panniers for months on end at airports etc etc.

They were expensive I recall, but 10 years on they show no signs of giving up, and I think I'll get another 5 years out of them easy.

[coastdude]

These Forma Adventure Low boots turned up in the mail yesterday. I haven't had a chance to properly try them yet but they look pretty robust and are surprizingly light.
http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae92/coastdude1/IMG_2493_zpsonglhbmm.jpg

[leafman60]

I was looking for waterproof with protection...very happy with Sidi Canyon Gore-Tex

That is usually a prime directive for me with my long-distance traveling boots.

My test is to wear the new boots and stand in a tub of water almost up to the tops for a while to see if they are water tight.

.

[Zoom Zoom]

My vote goes to SIDI. I have used their "on road" boot for many years and NEVER had wet feet. I replaced a worn pair this past spring with the SIDI Tour Gore-Tex boots. A partial inside zipper and Velcro makes getting them on and off easier than the previous SIDI's I used with straps on the outside. http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/sidi-tour-gore-tex-boots

My previous pair are still good but all the tread is worn off after 12 years of riding with them. I could have gotten them resoled, but decided to replace them with something easier to cinch up. I'm still using the old ones for bumming around. They still keep my feet dry.

300 bucks over 12 years works out to be a pretty good value. Especially when they perform as expected. All I have ever done with them is clean them, apply some Meltonian Shoe Cream, and buff with a horse hair brush.

John Henry

[Attackpug]

Alpinestar

[Cool Runnings]

I think I likely will buy the Aerostich Light Touring boot...hope to get size right first time.  I am a bit reluctant about break-in, but I figure the wet trick makes sense.  There are so many options.  A good water proof oil helps real leather.  I want boots that will last the rest of my riding career.

Going to make a road trip up there this winter, going for the Aerostich Light Touring boots. Have bad feet and poor circulation, had really bad feet last summer, could hardly ride period! . I NEED the best!

[rboe]

On their site, Aerostich recommended wetting (soaking I think) their boot and walking around for a spell - to break them in.

Another data point on Sidi Adventure boots. Mine were not supposed to be waterproof but have been (RH boot started to seep so it was retreated - no hard testing since). If you expect waterproof I think the chances of getting waterproof is quite high. But from the experiences of others, by no means 100%.

I have some Tour masters Touring that have proved fairly durable but not crash tested. I rarely wear them since I got the Sidi's. But they are cooler in the summer than the Sidi's.

Otherwise; it is great to hear of other brands that folks have had good luck with.

[blackcat]

300 bucks over 12 years works out to be a pretty good value. Especially when they perform as expected. All I have ever done with them is clean them, apply some Meltonian Shoe Cream, and buff with a horse hair brush.

John Henry

My wife uses the same logic for her shoe purchases. John, does that shoe cream help with the water proofing?

[Zoom Zoom]

I doubt it. I have been using Meltonian for years. Being a shoe cream, I **think** it helps restore the natural oils and helps preserve the leather. Having said that, my boots have never let in one drop of water. That testimonial includes a 600 mile day in the pouring rain the entire time.

John Henry

[Cool Runnings]

10% off Combat Boots until tomorrow. 

http://www.aerostich.com/

$312 for Combat Lites.

[charlie b]

I went back to Danner for my next set of boots.  Should have them next week.

Leather treatment.  Pecard.  Learned about it from the guys at the Smithsonian.  Used to make old leather new again.  If you have a leather object that is old, stiff and will break if you bend it, apply this stuff.  Magic.  Side benefit is it repels water really well.  Slather it on.  Heat with a blow dryer until the leather soaks up all it can take.  Wipe off excess.  Cleans and removes stains as well.  I have a pint container that has lasted me for about 15 years.  (Note: I do not know if this stuff is compatible with GoreTex, it probably is not).

Fitting boots.  Age old method is the wet fit as others have noted.  Cowboy boots and other such are purchased as a tight fit.  Go home and put them on.  Stand in a bucket of water until the boots are wet all the way through.  Walk until dry.  Then apply leather dressing of choice.  FWIW, this was the standard method going back when there was no such thing as right and left shoes.  Need I say it, method only works on real leather  :)

[creaky99]

I bought a pair of Vega Touring Boots a couple of years ago, they are holding up very well and are weatherproof, price is right, I will buy another pair when/if I wear these out. I will add that the soles are a bit thin. OK for walking for a while, but if you are going on a long hike, have a pair of hikers with you.

[lucydad]

All,

Whee!  Made my day! 

Luap's Combat boots arrived, fit is perfect!  I am one grateful and lucky poodle.  No more wet/cold feet during our brutal (?) Gulf Coast, TEXAS winters!  Think I will wear them for a few days to break them in, but these boots are not that stiff.  Soles seem a bit slick, but some walking should improve the coefficient of friction.  Might buy some taller boot socks. 

Luap is a hero of the first rank!  But, we all knew that. 

 

[boatdetective]

Hey folks-  I need wider boots than what i got.  What is the width like on the Combats? do they offer wider sizes?

[lucydad]

Boat,

I have average width feet and they seem just right.  Some poodle walking will better reveal, but my guess is that wide feet could be a bit tight.
Perhaps call Aerostich?

[Cool Runnings]

I went back to Danner for my next set of boots.  Should have them next week.

Leather treatment.  Pecard.  Learned about it from the guys at the Smithsonian.  Used to make old leather new again.  If you have a leather object that is old, stiff and will break if you bend it, apply this stuff.  Magic.  Side benefit is it repels water really well.  Slather it on.  Heat with a blow dryer until the leather soaks up all it can take.  Wipe off excess.  Cleans and removes stains as well.  I have a pint container that has lasted me for about 15 years.  (Note: I do not know if this stuff is compatible with GoreTex, it probably is not).

Fitting boots.  Age old method is the wet fit as others have noted.  Cowboy boots and other such are purchased as a tight fit.  Go home and put them on.  Stand in a bucket of water until the boots are wet all the way through.  Walk until dry.  Then apply leather dressing of choice.  FWIW, this was the standard method going back when there was no such thing as right and left shoes.  Need I say it, method only works on real leather  :)

charlie b, gonna try Pecard on my old stiff racing leathers, can't afford new ones.

[Cool Runnings]

Just snagged  some Aerostich Combat Lite Boots for $150 (free shipping, ebay).

[Chuck in Indiana]

My wife uses the same logic for her shoe purchases. John, does that shoe cream help with the water proofing?

Two words for ya.. Mink oil.

[Dean Rose]

Two words for ya.. Mink oil.

Synthetic or not? What viscosity?


Dean

[Cool Runnings]

Synthetic or not? What viscosity?


Dean

I think mink oil is, well just mink oil....