Ladies - please help with gear selection

[av]

Hello,

Me lady has wide feet wearing size 7E, 8D or 8 1/2 and we don't know the corresponding kid's size or men's size boots - we're guessing 5 or 5 1/2 for the men sizes but these are hard to find to try on. As for the boots' height, she said the men's boots cut into the back of her knee when sitting down since they're too high while for the kid's boots, the boots are too low and hit her in the calf area (not enough support)...

Ladies, can you help out with the size issue here? What is the corresponding men's and kid's size for an 8 or 8 1/2 MX boots? Any of you ladies have problems with the boots rubbing your legs the wrong way or in the wrong spot giving blisters etc.?

What is the concensus best boots for ladies, I can't find any boots company making boots specifically for women. We're also looking at the Acerbis lady's Fusion chest protector - is this a good product? If not, what chest protector do you ladies suggest for us to look at as far as fit (for a woman) and protection? She's 5'4" and slender.

Thanks for your help.

 

[The Ant]

Hi av,
The best she can do is try on lots of stuff, it all fits a little different. My feet are a Women's size 7B, I have Alpinestars Tech 5, size 6...which are a bit roomy on me - I put in some 1/2" thick "Airpro" insole inserts and wear heavy wool kneehigh socks and they're just fine. The buckles are awful tho, have broken and replaced the middle one on both boots and they're difficult to work. They're maybe 5 years old now. They hit about an inch and a half below my knee.
My Kneeguards and elbow guards are both Kid's sizes, otherwise I just wear men's small everything else...Fox chestprotector, Thor pants. I'm a bit over 5'2" and small. Haven't tried any of the women's gear, which they do make some now, but was never an issue with my carpenter's-dream body...
Good luck!
Susan
BBR230

 

[bbbom]

Normally, a men's size is equivalent to about 2 sizes larger womens size and men's are usually wider. So a size 7 in women's would be close to a size 5 in mens. But, for MX boots, I wear heavy socks so I get a men's size 9 for my women's size 10's.

The boot height can be a problem for shorter legged people. My son (10 yo) needed an adult size boot but they were too tall for him. They do break in a bit but we also found that some boots were a little shorter than others. I would suggest going with the adult size if not too bad, more protection than the kid's size. I think O'neal and Sidi had a bit shorter height. Tech 8's were one of the taller boots we found.

As for the CP - I've heard the Lady Fusion fits well on smaller women. It was too small for me cause I've got those darn swimmer shoulders (at least thats what people seem to think I do, wish I could swim but I only do it when my Jetski dies!).

 

[firecracker22]

I wear a 7.5 in ladies sizes and my Fox boots were size 6. My new Sidis are a 7, but they haven't arrived yet, so I am not sure on fit yet. I wear the MSR hi-bulk thick socks though so that takes up a lot of room. As for height, try the Alpinestar Vector, they seem to be fairly short. Not too sure on all the others and how they compare to each other.

I wear the Lady Fusion. I like it best not for the curved front but because it is narrower through the shoulders. Full sized chest protectors slip off of my shoulders.

 

[lisa'sxr4]

Can't comment on the boots - as I have ski's for feet & long legs. But, I did purchase an O'neal kids chest protector when I first started to ride - It was the only one that would stay on my shoulders. Then I found one by Troy Lee - They come sized - S/M and L/XL and the back is flexible. Very comfortable & fits just right.

 

[av]

Thanks for your replies!