On your long trips - what's your compromise between convenience, versatility, comfort and safety when it comes to footwear.

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Altberg Hoggs most of the time but I have used Altberg hiking boots a couple of times, either are good for hiking in but I like to rent bicycles which the Hoggs are not so good for, it is always a compromise or carry two pairs.

Sturdy waterproof/resistant hiking boots. I wore those on my Canada to Panama return trip as well as several shorter trips on rented bikes in Colombia, Indonesia, Southern Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

It makes it easy to just park the bike and head down a trail on foot to explore, or even just walk to a nearby cafe in town.

Also, what type of terrain do you ride, how much, and how hard? How proficient are you?

Personally I'm often in a hurry, so I stick to decent back roads if there are any, and hope that there isn't any. I'm allways really happy when the good roads end and the rough stuff starts, with no options but to go through it - and the tougher the better - to an extent. Snow, mud, gravel, rock, sand, rivers, grass - it is all fun.

However, I'm not very good at it, and not very confiden't either - so I take it slow. A good trip gives me 30% of semi rough stuff, with some occational really hard bits inbetween.

Most of the time I've been wearing 10" hiking boots, for convenience and versatility on both really long trips and short commutes. For semi long trips where I know I'll be riding mostly off tarmac, with a heavy loaded bike, and very little time spent walking arround - I've been using BMW's adventure boots - which gives me reassurance.

I am getting more concerned about safety the older I get, and the more I learn. I feel that only an adventure boots or mx boot is really adequate off-road, so I am reconscidering. The bimmer boots are excellent for riding, and a great option so long as I don't need to walk further away from the bike than I can throw a rock. I surely would also look funny wearing them anywhere where my bike isn't.

I'll be swapping out my hiking boots for something with more protection - I just don't know yet how far to the safety side of things I will go.

I've considered Altbergs, as well as other style of adventure boots (leather) that offer better water protection and better walking capabilities than the plastic bimmer boots, and also a more high street cafe racer type of leather motorcycle boot (8" - 10" with laces, side zip, heel/toe/ankle/sole protection). I'll probably end up with two of the above, with one being an adventure boot.

Hopefully this thread will give me some new perspectives.

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Altberg Hoggs for motorcycle holidays
Altberg Bahn Rider for every day and motorcycle trips.

I’ve done the rounds of all other types of boots over the last 35 years. In the meantime my wife has had a pair of Altberg Clubmans as her only motorcycle boots for 20 years. She has used them for commuting, leisure riding, holidays all over Europe, Morocco, USA, and Nepal in the monsoon season. They are still fully waterproof and in excellent condition.

If you’re planning extreme off road then motocross boots are needed otherwise it’s Altberg - end of

Susan has a pair of Altberg Roadrunners for the last 5-6 years, and loves them - after MANY pairs of boots, they're the first she's really happy with, though she complains of the stiffness of the zipper - still. But they're comfy, waterproof, and give good protection. And she got them custom fitted at the factory. Well worth it for the best fit she's ever had.
Ride Magazine gave them a Best Buy too.

Me - ah that's a different story. Couldn't get on with Altbergs, nothing "right". I'm hard to fit and fussy!
Sidi have been the only boots I've liked over the years, in varying versions, and have been wearing them for 50 years! And still have my first pair.
Currently wearing Sidi Crossfires for everything, from road touring to serious off-road - very happy with them, although I'd be happier without the squeak. But hey, I don't need a loud pipe - just flex my ankles to let the cars know I'm there.

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I like to ride off-tarmac routes, but I also like to get off the bike and explore. Unfortunately I have wide calf muscles and wide feet, so I used to wear hiking boots.

But then I read a thread on here about Forma Adventure Low boots which are a mid-calf height boot which offer better protection than hiking boots and are still comfortable for walking around. And a beautifully vintage look in the brown version.




Weblink: https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/mot...nt_prod/354729

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I have had a pair of these boots and they are very comfortable , but the soles soon wear if used on metal foot pegs
They have also made a stronger boot with a better sole etc . recomended
but they need to be "run in" for a while,

They look like interesting boots Tim and as I need to replace a whole load of my riding stuff - including boots - next year I'll be putting them on the short list to have a look at.

If you ride a number of different bikes (as I do) trying to find a kind of one-pair-fits-all solution has been close to impossible. The 'M-X' look (I've got a pair of old Alpinstars) works on my 600 trail bikes (or more accurately, they work when I fall off those bikes) and they definately saved me from a broken leg some time back when the bike fell on top of me. However they look ridiculous when I wear them on either the Gold Wing or the little 125 Suzuki. I bought a cheap pair of 'road boots' for those bikes and found the sole was so flexible I got bruised feet on a long ride on a bike with metal footpegs. On the other hand they were waterproof (until recently anyway), something the Alpinstars were not.

I did look at Altbergs but a few years ago a friend with some 'dual use' ones broke his leg during an accident when the laces caught on the footrest as he came off. A bizarre one off maybe but that's what most accidents are. I need to have a closer look at the non lace ones and they're also on the short list.

I've tried hiking boots (and it's what my wife uses) but there's been a constant problem with leakage in wet weather when trousers don't seal the gap properly - a tall bike, you put your foot down at a standstill and there's a gap.

Quite how long they need to be though is something I'm not certain about. Whether they need to be calf length (as they've traditionally been) or whether 'ankle length +' is good enough is something I'm still pondering. On the plus side the longer length does give extra protection (including, twice in my case, dog attack) but, a bit like ski boots, it makes them virtually unusable for anything else.

I have a pair of Forma Adv high, they have been my everyday boots for 2 years. They are very comfortable to walk in - although I wouldn’t want to do a proper days hiking like I do in my Hoggs on holiday.
I have a friend in a similar situation as you Tim, big calves and very high arches and he loves the Forma Lows.
My Formas are no longer 100% waterproof as was proved by a 250 mile ride in heavy rain recently. I don’t think they offer as much protection as an Altberg Bahn Rider: the hard protection feels like cardboard and I can bend the soles in half.
I like the ease of clips on adventure boots and they’re much better in muddy conditions than zips - and yes the zips are stiff.

For me it’s the quality and longevity of Altberg’s - 20 years and somewhere in the region of 120K miles in all conditions and terrains and my wife’s Clubmans still polish up great with 1 resole.
So my next purchase will be a pair of Bahn Riders that’ll do me for every day for the rest of my riding life and if I ever get to ride down through Africa I might go down the motocross/waterproof socks combination.

Proper tall touring boots for riding. Canvas slip-on shoes in my panniers for going off the bike when I have a safe place to store gear. E.g. I've changed into normal clothes in a parking lot and asked the welcome center staff at a big park if they could keep my suit, helmet and boots behind the counter for a few hours - usually no problem.

If no safe place, I wear my boots. It's somewhat inconvenient, but less inconvenient than a crushed foot - and they actually make half-decent hiking boots in the sense of being waterproof and having very good ankle stability.

I'd much, much rather have smelly feet than broken ones.

I've been using Sidi Adventures and I'm quite happy with them, completely waterproof, very comfortable but not the best to walk around in, and yes they do squeak. Like Tim I have chunky calves so getting boots to fit is difficult. Wish I'd seen the Forma ones earlier as they might have been good. As it is I bought some Altberg Hoggs and very impressed so far. Everything the Sidis are apart from the squeak and they are better to walk in. Being lace up and slightly lower they are fine with chunky calves. I'll probably end up wearing these when I head for Central Asia (postponed: 2022).

But you can't wear the big boots for everything and last trip I took a pair of trainers with me. Great for walking about and beach trips, you can ride in them but of course they are no protection. Next trip I'm thinking of taking Clarks desert boots and some slip-on plimsolls. The Clarks for round town riding and walking, the plimsolls for beach use and wading rivers. Depends on available space and how well they pack down.

I had Sidi Adv, they lasted 3 years - no longer waterproof and the soles are worn out, they’re very expensive to resole - I still wear them for trail riding.
I appreciate that I only wear my Hoggs on occasion but they are my only walking boots and I use them for extensive holidays. They are 14 years old now and still 100% waterproof and in excellent condition.
I’m fed up paying £200-300 for boots which only last 2/3 years just because they look good (I’m only casting aspersions on myself, not others).
So, when I can afford it, it’s £300 for a pair of Bahn Riders that will last me for the duration with a couple of resoles.
PS I clean and re-proof all our boots and shoes every 6 weeks - more often in the winter for walking boots ie Hoggs.