What New Boots

[motometal]

I see comments on wide vs. narrow feet, suggesting Alpinestars cater to folks with wider/fatter feet...

if I have narrow or slim feet and buy alpinestars, will they feel "sloppy" or will the buckles accoont for this?

any fellow "skinny footed" guys out there?

 

[muscle]

I was able to try on a pair of the Sidi Flex Force and I was so Impressed I decided to order a pair. (didnt have the color I preferred) What brought me to go try on a set was alot of looking around on this forum including the DRN tested section. The input here is favorable for the Sidi boots and I was reluctant to jump on the Tech 8 bandwagon.

I too have narrow feet and the Sidi felt great. It also seemed like it would adjust for wider paws as well. I would suggest if you are planning on getting a new set of boots to sneak in to your local bike shop to try on differant makes whether you buy them there or online elsewhere. :cool:

 

[NYkdxer]

I am a skinny footed guy too.

I was planning on getting a pair of Alpinestars M6's, but will they be too sloppy? I really like the price that I'm getting them for. I have no dealerships around me where I can try a pair on. I wear a size 11 or 11.5 shoe, should I get a size 11 or 12 AStar M6? Thanks

 

[JMD]

I have Tech 8s, SIDI Force boots, and SIDI Vortex (comparable to Tech 8s). All superior, I think, to anything else on the market. For sheer protection, the Force boots are the best. Check out this site for a test of many modern boots: http://www.teamorthopedics.com/boots.html. I believe that the Force boots saved me from a broken foot three times in the last year, when I have kicked stumps, pinched toes between rocks and footpegs, etc. (Reminder to self: keep those toes on the pegs, not hanging down.)
The Tech 8s are by far the most comfortable; the Vortex is the next most comfortable, I think. They are equally protective, which is to say just a notch down from the Force boots. Also, I agree that Motonation gives incredible customer support.

 

[SpectraSVT]

Motometal: I tried on the Tech 8's and they conformed to my foot because of the inner bootie but the Tech 6's were too sloppy no matter how I tightened the boot. I have high arches so the AS's felt too flat. The Tech 8's inner boot accomodated this although they still "looked" too big. I tried the Tech 8's on without the inner bootie and all comfort got thrown out the window. The Sidi's were comfortable without a bootie.

I have heard the Oxstar's have both the pivoting ankle and inner bootie so they may be the best of both worlds but I have never seen them in a store to try them on.

 

[Okiewan]

I'd have to suggest that the Sidi Vortex is a closer comparison to the Tech 6... they feel similar to me as far as protection/weight goes. The Sidi boots (all of them) are a tad narrow for my feet, but the Force is still very comfortable. Tech 6's have become my favorite boots.

 

[Camstyn]

I've just got to chime in here on customer support, I haven't seen anything mentioned for Alpinestars. From my limited experience they really go above and beyond. When I bought my Tech 8's (online, out of country) I had problems with the straps barely being long enough to get the buckles done up. It was quite frustrating.. I called up Alpinestars, spoke to a nice woman (Denise I think?) and asked her if she had any suggestions. I didn't ask for anything, just advice. She immediately insisted on sending me longer straps for the boots! They were sent priority and arrived very quickly, at no expense whatsoever to me.

I couldn't be happier with my choice now. As it turns out I never did put on the longer straps, as the boots broke in and conformed to my feet, the boots started to close tighter and the straps work fine.

I've never tried on Sidi's to compare them, until they make a bigger size than 13 I never will. From the testimonies here, and people I know personally who wear them, they seem like a great boot.

I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. Prices are pretty close, I'd go with whichever is more comfortable.
:thumb:

 

[slcpunk21]

Picked em up. Ok guys, I went and tried on the Tech 8's and the Flexforce, both felt really nice compared to some of the others I've tried on. I will have to admit the fliexforce boots, felt a little nicer, just fit my feet a bit better than the tech 8's. So I went with the Flexforce, non srs version. I'm gonna get out today and actually get some riding time in on em today, let ya know how they feel. All the info really helped me narrow it down to two boots, and had a better idea on how each was going to fit, and what to look for, for my riding style. THANKS.

It did kinda hurt when i got rangup at the register, but I think it'll be well worth it for the many years to come!

 

[muscle]

Originally posted by slcpunk21
It did kinda hurt when i got rangup at the register

what did you pay?

 

[slcpunk21]

$285, normally i like to support local shops if they are cool, and helpful. I'm sure I could have found em a bit cheaper online.

 

[muscle]

No thats cool. I got mine from the local shop for the same reason. $279.00

 

[Lorin]

I would agree that the Sidi's might fit a little better with narrow feet. Having owned both the non-srs and the srs boots, I think I am leaning in favor of the non-srs soles. They provide a little more feel, and all of the protection that I am accustomed to. I have no reservations in reccommending the Sidi boots to anyone.

 

[sspmxc400]

Just bought new boots yesterday. I stopped by DGY because of the selection. I tried on the following boots:

* Tech 8
* Tech 6
* Oxstar pro
* Sidi Force
* Sidi Vortex
* Gaerne SG1
* Fox Pro

I bought the Fox Pro - even though I don't even wear fox gear. I just thought they were the most comfortable boot for me. It was actually an obvious choice once I put them on.

Sizing feedback - I generally wear a 10 or 10 1/2 street shoe. The T8 and Oxstar pro needed to be an 11 (w/booty). The rest size 10 were fine.

It was nice having access to all these boots from DGY and it was worth paying a couple extra bucks (over internet) to have this access. I would have made a different choice on the Internet.

 

[Okiewan]

DGY is a good shop, always lots of dirt related stuff in stock.

 

[Zerotact]

I have a pair of fox forma boots and I have not had any problems yet, I'da bought the tech 8's but They are high. I think I got my fox's for arround $170.
As far as the fox issues, From what I hear it was from thier past years and the new ones are not like that, Fox also replaced a lot of the boots that came apart.

 

[slcpunk21]

Hey, sspmxc400 and Okiewan, that's where I got my boots from (DGY) I kinda know one guy up there DAN and he hooked me up with a bit of a deal on the boots. He's a cool guy! Just thought I'd let ya know I was in the area too. Talk to ya all later

OH. P.S, tried out my new sidi's last night...man they work great!!! Sooo comfortable(even when running from the cops) hahaha. I guess that's what I get for riding my bike in the suburbs...lol

 

[muscle]

Rode with my new SIDI's today for the first time too. They are awesome. Really comfortable! The only thing is I forgot what its like riding with brand new boots. Couldn't fint the shift lever or rear brake lever. Blew through a few berms and overjumped a couple obstacles. But after a days ride they started working in and I was getting used to them pretty fast!

:) :) :thumb: :) :)

 

[motometal]

after much research (including following this thread), I decided to pop for the Flex Force SIDis. then I remembered talking to a guy at the track that had them and hated them. So, on the way to the bike shop I stopped by and talked to him, then tried the boots on. They felt great! They just happened to be my size, and I ended up buying them from him for $140. They are in good shape, but they are white (I think white boots are a dumb idea). I was reprimanded immediately by my exectutive fashion consultant (wife) when I got home.

Anyway, i'm happy to have them, and can't wait to ride again. As a side note, I gave them the "garden hose test" and did have a few damp spots on my socks.