Hey guys,
Im 30 years old and went riding for the first time in 10 years this past Sunday and had a blast!! Luckily, I didn't lose any skill that I had in the past but I did notice that I had one hell of a time shifting in my new boots. I have the Gaerne SG22's. I don't remember having this much trouble in my old boots, but they were old school boots. I know the boots being new is not an excuse because factory teams get new boots almost every race and they dont complain. I also cannot even feel that I'm standing on the foot peg at times because of how thick the boot is, which is a good thing but I keep finding my feet on the center instead of the balls of my foot.
I have a brand new 2024 CRF250R that I bought new and I felt like I was beating the crap out of the transmission on the trails.
what methods do you guys use to shift? I try to use my ankles but that's very hard to do. I think that if I keep my body weight forward so I can bend my knees in a position where I can rest my foot on the edge of the foot peg and underneath the shifter and just lift up... Could make it much easier. I also try to use the foot peg as leverage and just bend my knees back but its always a hit or miss depending on my body position at any point in time.
Lmk what works for you guys
Just keep riding normally. You’ll start to get a lot of feel in them after a few rides. After a while you won’t even think about it.
Cool, I was actually thinking the same thing. Riding again next weekend.
I quit for longer than most are old on this site. It took a while to adjust from Hi Points back in the day to Gaerne’s.
Just ride, it will get easier.
Make sure the boots are well broken in. I always find that there's an adjustment period when I buy new boots; it's mostly because the boot is overly stiff when new. Put them on and walk around for a while to loosen the fit just a hair. Also, make sure you have them buckled up nice and snug.
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Consider moving the shift lever up a notch or possibly a longer one. I had issues adapting to my last KX450 until I put a longer shifter on it.
Ok. I actually ended up loosening the buckles in mine. They felt way better and I had a bit more feel in my pegs, legs, and ankle flex.
Ah yes! The good old Hi Point boots. I remember them well. 😊
They were great in their time but I sure wouldn’t want to wear them now.
i also have a 2024 crf250r. and im wearing the tech 3 boots which are thick on the soles.. what i did is i raised the shift lever up one notch and it made it easier to slide my boot under it.. my boot is a size 12. hope this helps you out.
keep riding, have fun
Whatever works best for you, although I've always felt like I get more feel for the controls when my feet don't slop around in the boot. Good luck with whatever setup you choose!
Whenever I buy new boots I always wear them around the house for a few hours on the carpeted floor to work them in. Then adjust the shift lever to accommodate the size and enjoy from there....
Every time I get new boots I initially hate them and don't want to stop wearing the old ones. Stick with it - keep wearing them and they'll break in and you'll get used to them and shifting and breaking will start to feel natural.
Wear them and get used to them. I always take a hammer and hit the top of the left boot (not crazy hard just some taps) for a bit until I can feel a noticeable difference. Then usually I will get a good feeling of the shifter once I ride in them.
Fox instinct boots great protect with the ability to feel your pegs, brake and shifter
I cut the toes out
I buy boots with a flexible ankle specifically because of shifting easier. I have had 2 different pairs of Sidi boots and I don’t think I’ll go back to a fixed ankle boot again.
If you want out of the box good movement with very minor break in time, go with Sidi Crossair (X)
Buy instincts and your problem will go away. I trued tech 10s, hated them. Made 7s work for a year but switched back to instincts and feel like a new guy again. I didnt realize how much feel i was missing. Couldnt even consider gaerne or sidi because i knew they were stiffer than 7s
Pit Row
A longer shift lever may help especially on a Honda.
UPDATE:
Went riding today. This time I had ZERO issues shifting. I just had to sit up a bit.
New boots too stiff? Beat the crap out of them with a lump hammer. They’ll soon soften up.
I do something similar but after cutting off the toe box I sew the tips off a pair of Crocs on in their place. Still protects the little piggies my mom kisses every night before bed so I don’t have nightmares but allows me to shift uninhibited when I’m a big boy on the track.
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