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Boots for the commute to work

vaporvr6

vaporvr6

bay area visiter
Joined
Jun 13, 2008
Location
san jose
Moto(s)
bandit 400, monster 620
My bike is my only ride, to an from work every day. Always wear a jacket, gloves and helmet, though I've been wearing sneakers. I realize this isnt the safest think in the world, but i dont want to pack an extra pair of shoes if i dont have to. Can anyone recommend some boots which would be safe for the road, but comfortable and decent looking for life in the office? would a decent pair of hikers be an ok compromise? Thanks for the advice!
 
I'm not a big fan of Icon, but I've got a pair of these. They simply haven't held up as well as I would expect from a pair of leather boots. 1 year later an they're starting to come apart and have all kinds of chunks out of the the leather from just regular wear

If I had it to do over again (which I will) I'll go with either these or these from tourmaster. Most likely the first ones but I'm not so sure how they'll hold up to all day wear.
 
Whenever I look at 'crossover' boots like that, I always think about how much protection they would offer in an accident...

It's all an individual's call, but I decided that I didn't want anything less than the most protective boots I could find in the event of a commute accident (which has a good chance of involving a car in a bad way, or a motorcycle landing on my leg at high speeds). I leave a pair of shoes at work, and the change is simple and quick.
 
I figure if an accident is going to happen on the freeway, the boots are going to be the least of my worries. It still covers the ankles fine which was mostly what I was worried about aside from not letting any laces run free. Most of the time freeway type injuries are arms, legs, head and/or torso.

For me at the time I was only doing little 5 minute jaunts here and there. I didn't want to have to take 10 minutes to gear up just to do those little jaunts so something that worked both ways was what I needed. But, now that I've got a 30 mile commute I'm probably going to be looking at more at traditional gear. Still trying to decide how I want to handle that. :teeth
 
Try some leather work boots if you can't find motorcycle boots that are acceptable for you. Steel-toed boots from Wal-Mart are reasonably comfortable and provide as much protection as lightweight motorcycle boots. The only real problem is that they aren't waterproof. Assuming you don't intend to ride in the rain to work, that's not a big issue. BTW, for those who say "but steel toed boots, what if they get hit by enough weight to crush the steel toe?!" Well, given that these things are supposed to stand up to having a 200 pound weight dropped on them, if they got hit hard enough to crush the steel toe, your toes would be jellied anyhow with or without the steel toe. Mythbusters already busted the "steel toe boots are dangerous" myth, and my personal experience bears them out. Yeah, I used to work in the oilfield in a blue collar job and got to see'em in action. And your point is?

Personally, I carry my laptop and a pair of shoes in my topbox and change into my work shoes at the office. But that's because I'm missing a chunk out of my left foot from a motorcycle accident and don't feel like missing another chunk (indeed, probably going to have to go back for some more reconstructive surgery because the margin between scar tissue and skin has gotten iffy with age, I'm not looking forward to that). I have a hard time finding shoes comfortable to walk in, forget about walking any significant distance in motorcycle boots. BTW, the accident in question ended up with the hot exhaust header of my motorcycle resting on my foot for several minutes, and while it did not burn through the leather of the boot, the boot did conduct enough heat to kill a quarter inch deep of flesh on my foot. If I'd been wearing sneakers, the foot probably would have been damaged to the point where there was significant loss of function as the exhaust header burned straight into it. As is, the loss of function is minor -- one minor tendon not used in walking, and loss of some padding that normal feet have (thus the difficulty finding comfortable shoes) -- and I am extremely glad I was wearing boots rather than sneakers that day.
 
I'd like to get these for my commute

motostrano_2007_6236659
 
Hell, I wear a pair of boots and change at work and I walk to work! Seriously, the minimum would be complete ankle coverage, non-slip soles, a fool-proof closure, (I use a custom 2" wide velcro ankle strap over my knotted laces like some bicycle shoes feature) and absolutely, positively will not come off in an accident. Most motorcycle injuries involve the lower legs, ankles, or feet. Protect them.
 
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I just take my shoes with me I throw them under the bungie along with my work clothes
I commute in alpine Star SMX Stellas (not real fond of these will probably walk across the street to Stompers and get some styling Frye boots)
 
TCX Matrix IIs

I have some TCX (formerly Oxtar) Matrix II boots that I wear all day after commuting in them. They're a mid-calf boot touring that meets European safety standards, and I find them very comfortable.

They don't look particularly like "biker boots" when worn under my jeans (no steel-buckled strap, no waffle-stomper heel)--though if you look you can tell that they're not dress shoes ::)
 
I wear sidis all day and they have never been a problem for me. commute 55miles to school then walk around campus in them all day. no problems, depending on your job no ones really looking at your shoes. Just a thought.
 
Any recommendations for boots you can actually walk in? I ride around to various stores all day for my job (sometimes ~100 miles and 6-8 stops) and can't change into regular shoes each time. I also need to be able to walk reasonably fast / comfortably.

I was looking at some Icon Superduties, but I don't like that thing about falling apart after a year.

(in case you're curious - I fill up frozen pizzas all day)
 
toshiro said:
Any recommendations for boots you can actually walk in?
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Again, steel-toed work boots. They're designed to a) protect your feet against some pretty dadburn horrendous forces, and b) be comfortable to walk around in 'cause folks who wear them are on their feet all day. You can get cheap ones at Wal-mart or expensive ones at a specialty store. At the very least they provide better protection than sneakers, albeit probably not as good of protection as full-out race boots with metal ankle protectors and such.
 
badtux said:
Again, steel-toed work boots. They're designed to a) protect your feet against some pretty dadburn horrendous forces, and b) be comfortable to walk around in 'cause folks who wear them are on their feet all day. You can get cheap ones at Wal-mart or expensive ones at a specialty store. At the very least they provide better protection than sneakers, albeit probably not as good of protection as full-out race boots with metal ankle protectors and such.
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Anything with laces is a bad idea for riding. Why do you think moto boots have latches or velcro closure systems?
 
Well, I admit it -- every work boot I looked at has laces. Back in my younger days when I worked out in the oil field and rode to work on my motorcycle, I wore work boots with laces. I had the usual problems with the laces catching on things and coming undone, so I learned to tuck them in well. As I've said otherwise, not as good as full-out motorcycle boots, and I personally wear good sturdy motorcycle boots (with a combination of latches and velcro) to work and switch out to walking shoes once I get there. But then, I have a desk I can park my boots under, I'm not riding a motorcycle from place to place around the city then walking around doing stuff right off the motorcycle.
 
badtux said:
Well, I admit it -- every work boot I looked at has laces. Back in my younger days when I worked out in the oil field and rode to work on my motorcycle, I wore work boots with laces. I had the usual problems with the laces catching on things and coming undone, so I learned to tuck them in well. As I've said otherwise, not as good as full-out motorcycle boots, and I personally wear good sturdy motorcycle boots (with a combination of latches and velcro) to work and switch out to walking shoes once I get there. But then, I have a desk I can park my boots under, I'm not riding a motorcycle from place to place around the city then walking around doing stuff right off the motorcycle.
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Good call. But for me it's sort of an issue of being realistic. It's not really practical for me to wear huge race boots, so at least steel-toe boots are better than tennis shoes.

P.S. Oil field? Did you get any stock benefits for that? ;)
 
hey there. im a new rider too and at first, i used to just ride with regular rubber shoes (and yes, i still do). then i started thinking about getting some ankle high steel toe boots. but since i've been riding almost everyday, i've encountered a couple close calls already. now, i decided to get some racing boots that will protect my shins too. i got the smx-r's and they almost look like casual shoes under the jeans. im actually just waiting for it since i ordered them. i will be doing the same thing and leaving some shoes here in the office. id rather be geared up.
 
Go check out Red Wing Shoes, they have stores all over the Bay Area. I have a pair of full leather steel toed work boots from them that I will wear on my bike whenever I do not wear my armored pants. They have full ankle support (about 10"), quick lace, are 100% water tight (Gortex) all the way to the top, have a sole specially designed to not slip on oily surfaces, are thermally and eletrically (don't think this will help YOU much) insulated, and are super comfortable. Basically, its the kind of shoe that makes an OSHA guy cream his pants.

They are pricey, at about $270, but so far I have worn them literally every sinlge day for the past 2 years (I work construction BTW), and while they don't look brand new, the only part I have ever managed to damage is the laces, which they just so happen to provide free replacements for life.

Oh, and they look good. Until I scratched the hell out of the finish, I was able to pass them off as dress shoes.
 
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