How to test your motorbike boots before buying︱Cross Training Enduro

www.crosstrainingenduro.com Important update! Sidi quality has been dropping recently, see this update video: https://youtu.be/jbRh87S_lFM?t=91

Which are the best enduro boots and enduro boots available for dirt riding today? Until recently Gaerne SG12 boots and the Sidi Crossfires and Gaerne SG12 were generally regarded as the top two boots, but Sidi quality control appears to slipped badly since most manufacturing moved to Romania. There are other quality boots being put out by others too: Fox Instinct, Alpinestar Tech 10, TCX Pro, Forma Predator etc.

We've had a lot of questions about which are the best boots for enduro and dirt riding, and which boots I'm using. Lower leg injuries are very common, especially when guys wear cheap dirt bike boots. My first tip would be spend money for top quality boots. Boots and a good helmet are the two protective items you should put some money into... and I'm speaking from personal experience.

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So the best motocross boots or best enduro boots? The Italians make the good motorcyles, they make the good boots also. Generally the Gaerne SG12 and the Sidi Crossfire boots have been seen as the top two. And yes it's pronounced, 'Garnay', not Gern or Gay-urn as most of us say. But there are Sidi Crossfire problems now.

There are other good boots at a similar price, but overall the Gaerne SG12 boots stand out in user reviews based on comfort, protection, longevity, sole wear and how easy they are to walk in.

Personally I used to opt for the Sidi Crossfire 2 because they were about on par with the Gaernes and are usually about $100 cheaper. Yes I'm a tight arse even when it comes to the important stuff. But now they ain't so good.

So why spend a lot of money on the Gaerne SG12? A lot of guys like cheaper boots because they are more flexible, but this is because they have less protection. Sidis and Gaernes are well known for not needing any breaking in - the are comfortable immediately, still let you do gear changes and apply rear brake, and are easy to walk in. But you get full protection at the same time.

Here's a comparison with a cheap boot, the Scot 250. The Sidi Crossfire is much better in so many ways, even if recent ones deteriorate quickly.

Similar to helmets, you must make sure a boot is comfortable first. Too many guys buy online then find out it does really fit. Support your local bike shop, try them on there and buy them there too.

A lot of guys want their boots to be waterproof. No manufacturer will guarantee this of course. A more expensive boot will stay waterproof longer, but it's only a matter of time. My Sidis were waterproof for about three months, then over time have allowed more and more water in.

A lot of guys use the smaller more comfortable adventure boots for adventure riding or easy trail riding, but my view is it's still worth having maximum protection. If you pay more for good boots like the Gaerne SG12 or Sidi Crossfire you will still have the comfort.

We are lucky to have dedicated motorbike boots we can afford. I like to do a little reality check from time to time, and you might remember this Malaysian rider and his bike from an earlier video.

What about sole repairs? If you get this done professionally, make sure it's a shoe shop who does motorcross boots regularly and knows what they are doing. Your average shoe repair shop probably won't get it right. What about do it yourself? If a boot sole is just starting to peel away, you can simply put in some self tapping screws to halt this.

What about gluing a new sole on yourself? It's best to let the professionals at it, but if you are short on cash like me, use a six inch grinder to clean and roughen the bottom of the boot and the new sole. Use a heat gun to warm up both surfaces, then apply a good glue like Sikaflex marine. I've tried this before years ago and the sole eventually peeled off, so this time I've doubled up with a pile of screws. Dodgy dodgy work, but then that's nothing new for me.

Just for an experiment, I did try to repair the cheap Scott boots but the soles both peeled off again within two rides, which confirmed there's no point repairing those cheaper boots. No problems though with Gaerne SG12 or Sidi Crossfire.

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