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Ride footware

7K views 90 replies 33 participants last post by  jonkster 
#1 ·
#37 ·
They'll work just fine. At least they cover the ankles and that's OK for most riding. So many guys think that you need to dress up like a Storm Trooper going to war. The other extreme is the guys who blast around in shorts and flip flops. There's got to be a happy medium.

As a matter of fact.... I ride with a pair of custom Converse All Stars(kinda neat to have Triumph on the side of them. I like em and they're comfortable... If I low side with my leg stuffed under the Bonnie (God forbid) at least my ankles are covered in leather.
 
#51 · (Edited)
As a matter of fact.... I ride with a pair of custom Converse All Stars...at least my ankles are covered in leather.

Still not looking for trouble...

I love my all leaether CTs...they are my "dress" shoes for all but the most formal events...yes they cover the ankles...but that leaether is really really thin...just my :2cents...deuces...
 
#38 ·
About 1000 years ago, OK it was 1992, a dog ran out, I did an emergency stop and my first wife crashed her bike into the back of mine, on the A12 at Ilford just outside London. She completely skittled me but I was wearing the good gear and I was just able to pick myself up and say "Oh are you OK darling and by the way, I hold no ill feeling towards you for smashing my my arse up the road," Or words to that effect.

She was one of those wives who was not good at taking advice from hubby, (I've had a few of those) so despite my constant protests, she was once again wearing trainers and broke her talus and navicular on her right foot. She was not able to go back to work for a whole year. I had to take a second job to pay the bills and she was never able to walk properly afterwards and even worse, couldn`t wear the stripper heels I had bought for her, anymore.

I read somewhere, that ANY boots, dramatically reduce the risk of foot/ankle injury. You can wear a pair of DM`s/engineer boots/combat boots etc, still look cool and the main thing is so long as they don`t get ripped off in a an accident, they will save you from months or years of painful surgery, as Ozbon has illustrated.
 
#42 ·
I think the OP was attracted to the "custom" aspect of the Converses for a reasonable price (lax child labour laws?). If a good motorcycle boot company offered the same type of "custom" service for their product they would probably fly off the shelf. Look at HD's aftermarket "custom" motorcycle parts market.
 
G
#46 ·
Sometimes I look back at different threads we have discussed and I am amazed at how many people pop in claiming to own a Triumph or at lest a motorcycle and wanting to chat.

Invariably several will turn out to be a 14 year old, pimple faced wanker with nothing else to do but yank chains, play games and act smart.

If the OP didn't know he would get roasted, he hadn't ever read any other thread here. If he did know what would transpire it makes my case about the instigator, provocateur, the a$$ wipe who, because he owns a Triumph, just wants to share his stupidity.

Sad, but I have come to realize that just owning a Triumph doesn't mean smarts, common sense or even intelligence flows from the bike into you.

Hopefully the lad will crash on some other brand of bike.:confused:
 
#52 ·
I popped back in to see how bad i'd been flamed.
You want some background?

I'm 23. Married 3 years. I'm a design detailer for a Mechanical Contractor in Northern California.

I bought my Triumph in April of this year. Here's a link to my build thread
http://www.triumphrat.net/club-cafe/219172-biancas-build-thread-thruxton-900-efi.html
I'm the president of a local Motorcycle Ministry. Here's a link to our ministry.
http://www.ironhorseministries.org/welcome/

I've been on various forums since 2008. this one, Focaljet i've got 5000+ posts and made many many close friends whom i hang with in person regularly. Here's a link to that. I'm Houdini on here.
http://forums.focaljet.com/

I can in here with the desire to share something i was excited about. It's an upgrade from what i'm currently wearing. I expected some not to like them, and that's OK. what i didn't expect were the "really?", "wow", "that's Stupid", "you're going to die" type posts.

I've been mostly posting in Cafe Club, Twin's talk, and Twins technical talk. Never have i recieved negetive attitudes like some post here. i posted a thread asking for advice on a mistake i made a few weeks back and no one flamed me there. that's why i thought i could post this. Thank you to those of you who have been kind and given your oppinion while respecting mine. I get that you want me to be safe, but you get more bees with honey than vinegar. I didn't have 250+ for the boots i want so these worked.

To the poster who hopes i crash on some other form of bike....I'm not really sure what to say. i can't believe you would wish ill will on someone else. now maybe you didn't really mean it and it was only for effect, but i don't know you and how would i know that you were being sarcastic?

Next time i decide to share anything other than my bike its self i'll think twice. Thankfully no one that's posted here has posted in the subforums ive mentioned so my respect and view of those people has not been damaged.

What a thread.
 
#53 ·
Stop your whining already and buy yourself a pair of boots. You can't fix ankles once you screw them up.

I guess your still too young to realise you aren't 10 feet tall and bullet proof and God doesn't always protect fools.
 
#59 ·
never said i was. I'm well aware of the danger of riding a motorcycle. Nor am I "whining". I post simply to share and people come out of the gate with immature attitudes? right, i'm the one that's too young.

Hey, it's cool man. Ride with whatever you want. Just don't complain about it when you crash.
Never would think of it. Cause and effect. Conciquences. I'm well aware of the risks. I'm the one that chose the shoes, i'm the one that would have to live with the injuries.

FWIW, despite the tone of some responses in this thread, I think you got some pretty good advice about boots. I tore the toe off a very sturdy pair of MC boots in a slide this past summer, I was a long way from home and can't imagine what my foot would have looked like or how I could have finished the ride had I been wearing tennis shoes. Finding some money for decent boots should be a priority for you.
I appreciate the great advice. what i really want is a pair of Gasolina's or the ICON Elsinore line boots. But both are expensive and i neede a pair of shoes now. This is what worked for me. I was drawn to the custom idea, the price, and the fact that i love CT's.

Some day, i plan to upgrade again, but this will get me by for now. I was wearing Nike running shoes first, then a pair of Locoste shoes that have no ankle protection at all, and come off my feet if you look at them cross eyed.

So, did everyone in here buy all the perfect gear before driving their first bike home? If you did, that's great. i wish i'd had the cash for that. I do use a full face DOT helmet and an olympia moto sportes armored jacket FWIW.
 
#55 ·
I have 3 pairs of riding boots at the moment. An old pair of Joe Rocket boots that I picked up for just over $100 new. Waterproof for the first 2 years and very comfortable for walking. Still wear them when it's dry out. Picked up 2 more pair this summer on CL for next to nothing. Paid $40 for a pair of barely used Sidi's. They're light weight and probably not the best in crash protection but way better than nothing at all. Then another ad came up for almost new Joe Rocket boots. Picked those up for $50 and the guy threw in a pair of almost new Alpinestar winter gloves. I'm set with boots for awhile.
Wear what you want but decent boots don't cost a fortune. I think the Sidi's I got only list for around $100.
 
#56 ·
FWIW, despite the tone of some responses in this thread, I think you got some pretty good advice about boots. I tore the toe off a very sturdy pair of MC boots in a slide this past summer, I was a long way from home and can't imagine what my foot would have looked like or how I could have finished the ride had I been wearing tennis shoes. Finding some money for decent boots should be a priority for you.
 
#57 ·
If your basic safety is compromised by a lack of money; the only solution is to get more money. FWIW, a cheap pair of 'service' or hiking boots can be had for less than a hundred bucks at your local sporting goods store, and is a more intelligent choice than a pair of glorified sneakers. On a bike, your feet are the closest thing to the ground; it's something to think about. ............James.
 
#60 ·
I met and rode with the OP a few weeks ago. He seems like an OK guy; clearly he wasn't trying to start anything with this thread.

So....about the shoes.

I won't say anything about the style because that's personal. Besides, I'm a middle-aged white guy; what would I know about style anyway?

I do think there are better choices protection wise to be sure. And I can understand if you don't want a 'race' type boot on a classic styled bike as it doesn't exactly fit the vibe. Is it better than a low-top sneaker? Probably, but not by a lot.

One thing I would suggest considering is that type of shoe often has very long laces. As a kid, I used to ride dirt bikes with plain old work boots as I didn't have anything else. I still remember the horrible feeling of coming to a stop and not being able to put my foot down because the laces were caught on the bike. A slow-motion, helpless fall.

Not saying it WILL happen, but it happened to me and I know it's happened to others. Just something to keep in mind. If it does happen, it likely won't do much more than give you a bruise or two and maybe break a turn signal or lever, so it's not like it's going to kill you or anything.

I'm a proponent of freedom of choice. You wear what you want and I'll wear what I want. However, do realize that even though some of the responses were a bit harsh they were well-meant. Well, maybe except for HAP, but he was probably off his meds ;)
 
#61 ·
thanks Don. I rode that day with my Locoste's. that's the day i jacked my laces on my shifter. I'll keep the laces length in mind. I'm sure the posts were meant to help, but withough me knowing them and their sarcasm, how am i supposed to know that?
 
#63 ·
thanks for the link. My thought was if i spend 70 on a pair of ride shoes i'll end up buying the gasolinas later and have a pair of shoes i don't want to wear anymore. if i get the converse and then save up for early next season i'll have the chucks that i'd still wear other places... Maybe its a stretch to you guys but it works for me. I'll keep this link in mind though for the future. If for some reason i'm uncomfortable or need boots again before i get the gasolinas i'll go here. If i breat my ankles and can never walk again i'll have no problem saying i was wrong guys. I'm not saying they're prefect...And, if you all really do only say abrasive things cause you care then i owe you an appology, and thank you for caring.
 
#64 ·
It's not just the road that can put a kink in your step, the bike can do that as well. I once T Boned a drunk driver and went over the handlebars, skidded across his roof top and back flipped Mary Lou Retton-style and landed on my feet.

But on the way up, the toe of my thrift store, USAF flight boots caught an exposed threaded stud that retained my bike's spare tire. It ripped the **** out of the steel toe but saved my skin. If I'd been rocking Chucks [which I love by the way for non-riding use] I would have less digits on my feet than I do on my old Hang Ten muscle shirt.

I find these USA made Redwings [again, a thift find at $9] solid, simple and good for both the street and work.

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Wing-Iron-Ranger-Amber/dp/B001IOGMTA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352397915&sr=8-4&keywords=red+wing+boots

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Red-Wing-Iron-Ranger-Amber/dp/B001IOGMTA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352397915&sr=8-4&keywords=red+wing+boots[/ame]
 
#65 ·
I used to wear hi-top Cons and Vans back when I was young ( not to ride in...). I still rock a pair occasionally, but I can tell you that they actually offer no support for your feet, which, of course, you won't realize or care about at 23, but more importantly you WILL catch the laces whenever on 2 wheels. That includes bicycles. A wrap of gaff tape can save you the embarrassment of slowly falling over to one side at a stop.

Let's have a beer...I'm having an Ommegang Abbey ale...if the boots that you want are out of your price range, and buying a less expensive pair and the custom Chuck's also out of your price range, I'm guessing you are like most of us and can't afford a long "vacation" because you injured your ankle. Why not minimize that risk? It's pretty easy to break your tibia ( trust me ) and even easier to prevent it. A pair of cool Chuck's on sale at Journey's End or Zappo's and a pair of decent motorcycle boots isn't much more $ than a pair of custom Chuck's. The sneakers aren't getting all scuffed and cruddy looking while they ride in your backpack, so they look good longer too. Plus, putting on a pair of MC boots puts one in the mindset of being a motorcyclist, and makes the fashion statement "I am a motorcyclist", which, IMHO, is cooler than "I'm a hipster".

Unless you are a Hipster, in which case I mock the PBR you are drinking.
 
#66 · (Edited)
Jeez man this is a motorcycle forum. We aren't gonna baby you. I do wish you would put some good leather, preferably with armor in the right places, on your feet.

I do wear a pair of good leather harness boots most days I commute so I don't have to change at work. I know it is not the best choice but it will work for anything short of direct impact.

I also picked up some $300 SIDIs for $100 recently simply because I have big feet and it was the last pair left. I also have Joe Rockets that are still good.

When I started I had inexpensive leather cowboy type (justin ropers) that I wore full face helmet and a textile riding jacket.

I mock the PBR you are drinking.
I like PBR and I bet I'm about as far from a hipster as you can find.
 
#67 ·
First of all....I love Ommegang. Second, i wont drink beer you see in a commercial. So if you wanna talk beer i'm all game for that. One of my favorites is Allagash Black. Or Russian River of any form really, especially Pliney the Elder. But then again that Rochefort 12 is amazing too, but for $10 bucks a bottle i've only had 2 bottles since i turned 21

Back to boots. I do have a pair of Irish Setter Hunting boots that i tried to ride in but the boot was too bulky to get under the shifter. It made shifting and breaking very clumsy and i didn't feel safe in them. Other boots look thinner and better designed for riding. Especially the Gasolinas. But then again i see that there are some better priced options out there too.
 
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