What's your least favorite riding boot?

[j.r.r.]

Since we already have a topic about favorite riding boots, I think having another about boots we don't like would be beneficial. I'm talking about boots you paid good money for and they turn out for whatever reason a big disappointment.

In my case Roland Sands Mojave Boots which I bought last year on-line are the number one candidate for this category.




The only good thing I can say about them is they are good in cold weather riding but that's. Very bulky, I wear size 8 but those boots look like size 11 when I put them on. Require a good period of time for breaking them in and they are a bit small to true size as far as fit is concern. If you happen to have a bike with floorboards and without heel/toe shifter you will have problems when up shifting. Bad investment.

[Seventy One]

Gaerne Balance Oiled. http://www.gaerne.com/boots/en/articolo/3/11/19/2522-013/brown/

Since they were my first boot I had no idea what I wanted in a boot. These looked cool though so I bought 'em. After buying my Sidi Adventure Gore-tex boots these haven't been back on my feet.

The leather turned black from the shifter on day One. The rest of the boot turned into a muddly looking tannish brown soon after. They are soft though but that's due to a lack of protection. The lack of stitched seams also helps make them very flexible. These literally feel like bedroom slippers. That's not what I want in an important piece of protective gear. Even the soles are soft, almost gummy. I nearly wore through the left sole in 3 years.

These are probably fine for trials riders or people who don't go far from home. They're also very wide. I'm sure they're fine for someone but not me. They're defintely not suitable for long distance/wet weather touring. Mine leaked after just a few months and were an absolute pain to maintain. They'd stay dry for an hour or two but only if they'd be recently cleaned and heavily oiled.

 

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Flip flops, even though they don't gather smells as bad as heavier boots, they don't protect from abrasion as well.

[mechanicsavant]

Tourmaster solution would 2.0 Boot. I looked for a wide Boot this popped up looked good in the blurbs . Soooo,ordered a pair reasonable if not low price. Ya get what ya pay for, sometimes. Leaked after 1/2 hr. since new ,left worse than right ,not as wide as I hoped.  I stand on pegs quite a bit to relieve leg issues ,flacid arch support at best! Gave them to a needy soul ! Replaced w Sidi canyon goretex , placed an inflatable ball to act as a stretcher, much happier feet. Oh, my shoe size is 11/4E

[pebra]

I got me some sturdy boots many years ago. Gave them up because they made changing gears too difficult.
Back to motorcycle boots.   

[dee g]

Any boot with a zipper. Every single pair of boots that we have has had at least one zipper break. My Sidi boot zipper gave out 400 miles from home.  Glad I had duct tape with me.

And any boot with exposed laces.  Before I got my first pair of Sidi's I wore my Ariat paddock boots. They worked great, until the laces came loose on the left boot and hooked onto the clutch pedal when I came to a stop..... Only thing that saved me from falling over was I had a habit of not using my rear brake and I had put down both feet.

[bpreynolds]

While I would say my pair of Alpinestars Scout boots are maybe the best boots I’ve ever owned, I would alternately say the AS Oscar Monty boots would qualify as a contender for this thread.  I knew my lack of a mustache already disqualified me slightly for them  and that they would be more hip than wearable when I bought them.  Even said, they still managed to disappoint.  A month after buying and the outer material (leather?) was already ridiculously marked and scarred.  Six months after buying them the tread was nearly gone. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Any boot with a zipper. Every single pair of boots that we have has had at least one zipper break. My Sidi boot zipper gave out 400 miles from home.  Glad I had duct tape with me.

And any boot with exposed laces.  Before I got my first pair of Sidi's I wore my Ariat paddock boots. They worked great, until the laces came loose on the left boot and hooked onto the clutch pedal when I came to a stop..... Only thing that saved me from falling over was I had a habit of not using my rear brake and I had put down both feet.

 :1: I won't even consider boots with zippers.