How do I get my boots to bend?

[OffRoadNewbieWoman]

:think: :think: I'm 50 years old and learning how to ride a motorcycle. I have Fly Stinger boots and they're so stiff that I'm going with hiking boots, until I get a better feel for how to shift. I think I've made it up to 3rd gear, so far.
Is there a painless way to get these suckers to flex? I know that I need to learn to keep my toe pointed down while I'm riding, but I don't think that's going to be enough.
Thanks!

 

[IndyMX]

:think: :think: I'm 50 years old and learning how to ride a motorcycle. I have Fly Stinger boots and they're so stiff that I'm going with hiking boots, until I get a better feel for how to shift. I think I've made it up to 3rd gear, so far.
Is there a painless way to get these suckers to flex? I know that I need to learn to keep my toe pointed down while I'm riding, but I don't think that's going to be enough.
Thanks!

MX boots should not bend. They are meant to be stiff in order to protect your ankle from bending the wrong way.

It'll take a little time for you to get used to that, but you will.

 

[rickyd]

Honestly. i've heard of people soaking them in water and then walk around and let them dry or try something like mowing the lawn w/them on. For shifting, with new boots, when you upshift, try raising your whole leg and not just pivot your foot. Stick with the MX boots, your feet will thank you later :)
Rick

 

[OffRoadNewbieWoman]

:cool: Thanks, I thought that might be the answer. I tried them the first time I rode the bike, and I couldn't do anything except shift into first. I can see this might take a while....but I'm having fun and feeling good, so I'm goin' for it! :nod:

 

[Okiewan]

Raise your shifter a couple notches until they are broken-in.

 

[OffRoadNewbieWoman]

Thanks RickyD, that makes a lot of sense. I've noticed that racers seem to ride with their toe pointing down, so when I graduate to using the boots, I'll remember to move my leg, not just my toe. I like how the boots feel.

 

[The Ant]

I was 44 when I first got on a dirt bike and am 54 now - so you're at the PERFECT AGE!!!

MX boots are like ski boots, you don't want them to flex much - like the others have said, you'll get used to them the way they are, they will break in a little, but not much. Don't wear hiking boots - it takes forever for ankles to heal up!

-SusanP.
'04crf250x

 

[OffRoadNewbieWoman]

That sounds like a good idea. I feel like Frankenstein in those boots, but I like the support.

 

[The Ant]

Plus they make you taller!

-SusanP.

 

[rickyd]

Thanks RickyD, that makes a lot of sense. I've noticed that racers seem to ride with their toe pointing down, so when I graduate to using the boots, I'll remember to move my leg, not just my toe. I like how the boots feel.

I would stay away from the hiking boots, I'd rather miss a shift vs spaining, breaking and ankle or toe.. Try hiking in the new MX boots :)

 

[medwaste]

Hey OffRoad, Keep practicing with your new boots. I'm going through the same process, switched from hikers to an old stiff pr. of mx boots. I think I was lucky not to have hurt myself before. It's taking time to feel the bike through these boots, I keep downshifting accidently but they're really cool and they'll do their job protecting me. Keep at it.

 

[FruDaddy]

I used to wear combat boots, that didn't last long. I found that a good hard landing was excessively painful at the ankle. Also, I know two people who cut their shins up pretty bad by slipping off of the foot peg. The location of the cuts would have been protected by MX boots. Wear the boots, after 3-6 rides, they should feel fine.

 

[srellis]

When my family gets new boots, we treat the leather parts of the boot with the same stuff you use to soften baseball gloves.

 

[Papakeith]

When I switched from work boots to proper riding boots I noticed two things right off the bat.

I got zero fatigue at the arches where I would normally start feeling sore after a while on the bike.

I couldn't shift or hit the brake worth a damn. Some quick adjustments on the lever positions made all the difference.

I can't emphasize how much safer your feet/ankles are in riding boots vs. work boots. My riding boots have saved me from injury countless times.

They will feel uncomfortable and foreign at first. Just ride with them and work through it. It will pass in a couple of rides.

 

[tonibaloney]

ditch the hiking boots. tough it out, it'll take a little while to get used to the real boots. i squatted in mine inbetween rides, just enough to get them to flex a bit. and like everyone else has said, use your whole leg to shift. it won't take long, soon you'll feel naked without them... oh yeah, and get some knee guards too. one fall without them and you'll see.

 

[OffRoadNewbieWoman]

Right now, I'm working on shifting gears. I think I got to 3rd last Sunday. When I feel more comfortable, I'll start using my Frankensteins. I used to paddle a kayak called a Frankenstein. The slogan was, "It's so fun, it's scary!" Yeah, dirt biking is pretty scary, now. :)

ORNW

 

[OffRoadNewbieWoman]

:nod: Last time I rode, I wore the elbow pads that I bought for kayaking. After falling off my mtn bike, and bashing my ulnar nerve, I had decided last year that I would wear them the next time I rode my mtn bike! I felt more relaxed, knowing that my elbows/forearms were covered. When we went to a shop to buy my husband a bike, they had some Thor knee/shin guards for $14, and they fit me great, so my husband added them onto my Christmas present (the bike!). I'm paranoid about bashing my knees, so I look forward to wearing them and my boots soon.
The weather is no good for riding or doing anything outside right now. I've been working 60+ hours a week since mid-November and hope that next weekend I can get back on the bike.
When I told my Mom (she's 86) about my husband buying me a bike, she almost cried. I felt bad about that, but assured her that I'll be careful. I told her about all the gear I have and will be getting in the future. She seems to be getting used to it.