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318
Joined
6/19/2014
Location
Denver, CO
US
Edited Date/Time
3/5/2016 12:23pm
I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on full leather MX boots.
Long story short I have been riding the below pictured old skool Fox boots for years. I loved them. Finally the sole started tearing apart so I tossed them and picked up a a pair of newer plastic MX boots. The plastic boots fit like crap, felt like concrete and in general were worthless. So then I went out and spent twice the cash on another pair of plastic MX boots. While these second boots were a little better then the first plastic boots the story is the same, ok fit, bulky, no feels the shifter, brake lever or even the footpegs for that matter. The first pair of plastic boots I bought were $100. The second pair were $200. Today I go into my local shop and the sales guy is like, "Hurrrrr Spend $400 on these marginally better plastic boots because huurrr everyone loves wearing $400 plastic moon boots at the track Bro!"
Needless to say I didn't buy the $400 moonboots. I have started shopping into leather off road boots and the only boots that come close to what I am looking for are Trials boots which generally have too little ankle support. Granted I would like more flex in the ankle then the average MX boot but the flex of a boot like the SIDI Discovery Rain is just too much. A couple of other Trials boots I am looking into are the Gaerne Balance Pro-Tech and the Forma Boulder.
Here are the links on these Trials boots
SIDI Discovery Rain (a beefier version of their Trial Zero) Way too flexible in the ankle though.
http://www.sidisport.com/en/products/motorcycle/boots/offroad/discovery-rain
Forma Boulder
http://www.formabootsusa.com/products/forma-boulder-motorcycle-boots
Gaerne Balance Pro-Tech
http://www.gaerne.com/boots/en/articolo/3/13/23/2524-001/black/
The only actual leather MX boot I have found so far is a low dollar boot made by Ocelot Racing the SX3. I know nothing of this company though as I have never heard of them before. I am just now looking more into their products. Reviews on the web are here and there. The boots are sold by Chaparral for $90 which is a little on the low end for quality.
http://www.chaparral-racing.com/product/ocelot-sx3-boots/124-5407.aspx
Can anyone out there recommend a quality leather boot for MX? I would preferably like to find a boot crafted by artisans in Italy though I would consider lesser boots as well.
Long story short I have been riding the below pictured old skool Fox boots for years. I loved them. Finally the sole started tearing apart so I tossed them and picked up a a pair of newer plastic MX boots. The plastic boots fit like crap, felt like concrete and in general were worthless. So then I went out and spent twice the cash on another pair of plastic MX boots. While these second boots were a little better then the first plastic boots the story is the same, ok fit, bulky, no feels the shifter, brake lever or even the footpegs for that matter. The first pair of plastic boots I bought were $100. The second pair were $200. Today I go into my local shop and the sales guy is like, "Hurrrrr Spend $400 on these marginally better plastic boots because huurrr everyone loves wearing $400 plastic moon boots at the track Bro!"
Needless to say I didn't buy the $400 moonboots. I have started shopping into leather off road boots and the only boots that come close to what I am looking for are Trials boots which generally have too little ankle support. Granted I would like more flex in the ankle then the average MX boot but the flex of a boot like the SIDI Discovery Rain is just too much. A couple of other Trials boots I am looking into are the Gaerne Balance Pro-Tech and the Forma Boulder.
Here are the links on these Trials boots
SIDI Discovery Rain (a beefier version of their Trial Zero) Way too flexible in the ankle though.
http://www.sidisport.com/en/products/motorcycle/boots/offroad/discovery-rain
Forma Boulder
http://www.formabootsusa.com/products/forma-boulder-motorcycle-boots
Gaerne Balance Pro-Tech
http://www.gaerne.com/boots/en/articolo/3/13/23/2524-001/black/
The only actual leather MX boot I have found so far is a low dollar boot made by Ocelot Racing the SX3. I know nothing of this company though as I have never heard of them before. I am just now looking more into their products. Reviews on the web are here and there. The boots are sold by Chaparral for $90 which is a little on the low end for quality.
http://www.chaparral-racing.com/product/ocelot-sx3-boots/124-5407.aspx
Can anyone out there recommend a quality leather boot for MX? I would preferably like to find a boot crafted by artisans in Italy though I would consider lesser boots as well.
Using a $100 or $200 boot as a yardstick isnt really a fair comparison to how much a $500 boot is gonna protect you. Cheaper boots dont have the artificial hinge that the expensive ones do.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Free shipping: VITALMX
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
I know the new age boots feel stiff at first, but once you wear them in and get used to them, they feel like sneakers.
Lol What a thread.
First Post. " Huuuurrrrr I wantz leather boots.
Several posts later: "Hurrrr I bought plastic boots.
If anyone coming late to the thread has info on leather boots post it up anyway. I may still pick up a pair of leather boots too if I find something nice.
Instinct Libra (Size 12 only) http://www.btosports.com/p/fox-2016-libra-le-instinct-boot
Instinct Union (Lots of Sizes) http://www.btosports.com/p/fox-2016-union-le-instinct-boot
i own both and like the comp 5 much more.
I used to wear A-stars Tech-7's back in the day. They were basically just like your old Fox's. Got SG-10's when they first came out in 2004. Just like you I was like Oh hell no.. moon boots.. can't feel the shifter. Was even overjumping things due to the loss of sensation of the pegs through the stiff soles. I thought I wouldn't get used to them but after just a few rides I loved them Got so much less fatigued in the feet since my soles were no longer wrapping around the pegs on landings. Soon after that, I pulled my old Tech-7's out because I didn't want to mess my new SG-10's up in a sand race. Did 1-lap of practice and pulled back in to get my Gaerne's. Clapped out old leather boots felt like a freakin loose bag on my feet. No protection or support. Never went back.
Pit Row
Well actually last year I came to MX from the trail and am now mostly riding MX these days. I am working my way through learning to huck big jumps and yes I was doing it in those beat @zz Fox boots pictured in the beginning of the thread. If you look close there is a chunk of the sole missing on the right boot. That chunk got torn out during a hard landing on the last track session I wore those boots. When I saw that missing chunk I thought to myself, "The jumps are only going to get bigger from here on out so maybe its time to get boots built for it."
The next week I bought a used pair of $25 Fly Maverick boots I have now just to try a new plastic style. I sold those beat @zz Fox boots for $25 the next day just so I wouldn't go back if the plastic boots were lame. It was just like you said though switching to plastic blew the deal. No feeling in the boots, can't find the shifter, boots literally getting jammed between the levers and the bike. The first session in those Mavericks was horrible though it has gotten a little better since after an adjustment period. If I had those leather boots still I would have already switched back. I am glad they are gone though as it is time to move forward to a better boot.
After starting this thread and reading moto455va 's post concerning well made boots perform better and offer much better protection then leather as well as talking to others who said the same thing I faced the music and went with the Instincts. A majority of my future plans for off road riding will be the MX track. As such is the case a modern high performance MX boot must be the way to go. Reading through your post sealed the deal.
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