With the Boots Again!

Yes, I know, two years ago I went on and on about looking for a decent pair of riding boots. I have had several pair over the years and there is always something that displeases me about them. My first pair were not motorcycle boots at all, but a quick purchase to use at a motorcycle safety course. Those were a pair of Luggs.

Now I liked the Luggs very much. They were insulated, covered just enough of the ankle to get me into the course, and over the next year, served me very well. They had their drawbacks. One was that they were light brown. The spot on the top of the left boot became very black from kicking up the gear shift. They also had laces. First; lacing boots is a pain, especially if you want to get out of your riding gear quickly. Next, the laces can be dangerous. They can snag on a peg, which isn’t too cool when you go to put your foot down at a stop and you’re snagged. In fact, one person I know what taking a turn and when leaning into it, his lace snagged in a pavement crevice, pulling him right off the bike. After the first year, the boots went into the closet.

Next, I got a pair of leather pull on boots with a cool harness decoration. They had a heel, and steel toe. In the end I didn’t like these at all. Oh, for sure they look cool and stylish, but they didn’t seem to really offer the protection I was looking for. The boot around the ankle was too loose, which to me, seemed not to offer much protection. Second, they were not waterproof, and I got tired of ringing out my socks at pit stops. The third strike against them was the heel. If you end up clomping around anyplace, those heavy heeled boots were enough to kill you. Yet I didn’t learn my lesson, and bought a second similar Harley pair I thought had improvements. They did not, and in fact were far heavier than the first, which didn’t help the sciatica much.

Two years ago, in planning for our Western vacation, I wanted a boot that was waterproof, lightweight, low heeled, snug around the ankle, and had a steel toe. Believe it or not, I found all these in a hiking boot. The one drawback was that they laced up. I weighed my options. There were no women’s sizes so I settled for a men’s boot. This pair served me for two years, yet the lace thing still bothers me. While they are water proof for the most part, when you are speeding down the road, water will still find its way through those laces. Plus the fact that they are men’s shows in how they are starting to bunch in the instep. My cool factor deteriorated last year with the boots wear.

My luck turned around, when the Amherst Group shared information about a local Women’s Biker clothing store going out of business. While it is sad to think that another local vendor is biting the dust, it was my opportunity to go back and get a discount on a boot I had seen in there two years ago. My luck held out when I paid a visit to the store last Sunday. Not only were the boots discounted, but they had my size.

These boots have solid ankle and toe protection, Velcro closure, low heel, and reflective enhancements on the back of the ankle. They claim to be waterproof too. The tops of the boots take into consideration the gear shift as well. There is a drawback. While they look like the more popular Tourmaster boot, and a few other brands, this one is hard to find on the internet. These are Nitro boots. There are plenty of hits if you are looking for a racing boot. However, the street models don’t seem to have much information available. It would have been nice to find some sort of customer review. I will be testing them and will report back. The reviews have to start someplace. In this economy, we all want to be spending our money wisely.