Sidi Boots: Recommended Sources?

[OfficerImpersonator]

Aerostich sells a "Combat Touring" and "Combat Lite Touring" boot, which are both made by Sidi.

I've been wearing my Combat Lite touring boots for three years now, and have about 30,000 miles of riding on them. They look like they're good for at least another 30,000 miles, if not more.

This Seattle-area 'rounder is pleased to report that the boots are completely waterproof - and nice and toasty in cold and cool weather. When it gets warm outside, I'll wear two pairs of thinner socks to help manage the moisture that accumulates inside.

I did add a pair off "SuperFeet" insoles to make the boots more comfortable for walking around.

I highly recommended these boots!
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...s-p-16559.html

[Zygmund]

Purchased a pair of "Combat Lite" boots from Aerostich last month and these are great! Still working on the break in but they just get better every ride. I used Sidi MX boots during my racing years and the Combat Lites give me what I want in a boot.

[coalminer]

About four or five months ago one could purchase the previous version (four fastening straps) of the Sidi On Roads for a substantial reduction when compared to the price of the latest version (supposed to be easer to take on and off) that seemed to be priced the same at most if not all of the vendors with whom I spoke. If I recall correctly the previous version was selling online at some of the vendors for about $225.00 and the latest version was $325.00.

I put off the purchase for a couple of months and the previous models got hard to find in the size that I required. Actually almost impossible. I located one pair at a dealership somewhere in San Fran but they were priced more than the newer version at the online retailers. I guess the old saying "if you snooze you loose" proved true.

I just ordered a pair of the latest version of the Sidi On Roads from New Enough.com. They were the same price as everyone else on the Internet plus a $12.00 shipping allowance. New Enough seemed pretty nice to work with. It's the second purchase that I have made from them.

I did notice that Extreme Supply had a lot of Sidi boots listed on e-bay. I made a couple of offers on the previous model of the On Roads in my size but they were unwilling to negotiate the offer that I made (about $125.00 less than the online price for the latest version).

Final decision; a few dollars here and there ain't worth it to me...but $125.00 would have been!

[mistercindy]

Pure opinion follows:

I have had 3 pairs of Sidi boots. After a few years I wore out a pair of On-Roads. Bought a second pair of On-Road boots. A couple of years later I wanted the convenience of the side zipper so bought a pair of Thunder boots. Eventually wore them out too. I still had/have the second pair of On-Road boots, but last summer while spending the summer on the road the Thunder boots were pretty well worn, and stopped being waterproof. I bought a pair of inexpensive boots at the rally in Gillette. Back home over the non-summer (no real winter here) I have been mostly wearing the On-Road boots. Heading out this summer I plan to wear (out) the Concours boots I bought last year - and expect to replace them with another pair of Sidi boots - Thunder or equivalent current model.

Paul, you don't find the On-Roads too hot in the summer? I take one look at them and think sweat factory in Texas summers. I ask because my BMW Contours, after five years and ~40,000 miles of cool weather wear, are about done and I'll be in the market for another pair of heavier cool weather boots. Sidi's On-Roads are on my list. As are the Daytona GTX Road Stars.

[TANDEMGEEK]

Let us know if you still like them after you no longer require the support for your ankle.

Well, I decided to put on my Alpinestar Web Gore-tex boots today just to see how they'd feel after wearing the Crossfire's for the past 8 weeks...



It was quite interesting to discover how unsubstantial the Alpinestars felt in just about all respects. The 'feel' was on par with the difference I've felt between wearing an un-padded leather jacket and one that has full CE soft armor.

The ergo's weren't all that different either, e.g., ease of shifting, braking and the like. On put another way, after a very short initial break-in period the Crossfires didn't present any issues with regard to the operation of a street bike.

Now, what also became clear is that my ankle is perhaps at 70%, my foot is still somewhat swollen and wearing the less supportive boots was premature. However, that said and in answer to the question above... I like the Crossfires even more now than I did on yesterday's commute.

Clearly, this is a very personal preference noting that I also tolerate wearing a pair of black armored mesh overpants and a black armored mesh jacket here in the Atlanta area on weeks like the past two when temps were pushing triple digits in the shade. In this regard, the Crossfires are on par with the rest of the gear in that while I find I get warm I don't feel like I need to rip off the gear to cool off as soon as I can.

Anyway, that's the latest update.

[TANDEMGEEK]

And on the second day...

I opted to wear the Alpinestars again yesterday as I had an off-site meeting and didn't want to carry a pair of shoes to put on after I arrived, which is clearly a must-do with the Crossfires.

The Alpinestars felt a lot more familiar on the second day, albeit still far less protective and supportive than the Crossfires.

However, I was quickly reminded of why I really liked wearing the 3/4 touring boot when I arrived at the conference center and was able to spend the entire day enjoying the comfort and inconspicuous look under my black Lee jeans all day.

Hmmm. The allure of convenience (not having to change boots) and comfort (motorcycle boots have always been more comfortable than most shoes) doth weigh heavy against the belt & suspenders / risk mitigation value of dealing with the Crossfires. This is, of course, analogous to all of our 'gear' decisions:

- No helmet vs. tupperwear vs. open face vs. multi vs. full face
- No jacket vs. leather jacket vs. armored leather/textile
- Shorts vs. slacks vs. denim vs. overpants vs. armored leather/textiles

Just where do you draw the line between prudence and overkill....

[TANDEMGEEK]

Let us know if you still like them after you no longer require the support for your ankle.

Still wearing 'em most, but not all of the time.

They're a bit of a hassle to get into some of my bulkier cold weather overpants but patience and technique usually prevail in short order.

Under the premise of "overkill" I have been shopping around again and looking at the Sidi On-Road and Discovery boots. However, when I look at what I've got and consider what they'd sell for vs. the cost of the replacement boots I continue to rationalize why I'm probably better off sticking with the Crossfires.

Now, I will note, they aren't nearly as warm as my AlpineStar Goretex boots but I suspect a better pair of socks would level the playing field.

[TANDEMGEEK]

New 'Adventure' boot from Sidi looks like it could be the sweet spot for me....

As noted in my December update, the Sidi Crossfire TA's have been great boots where the only issue I've encountered surfaced once the super cold temps hit: the somewhat beefy calf-area and two upper buckles can make getting over pants and one-piece suits with quilted linings on a bit of a challenge.

I suspect if I wore XL or larger pants it wouldn't be an issue, but the Large pants + liners really put the zippers on my Highland pants & suit to the torture test as the pants legs end up being stretched at their seams to fit around the boot.

Anyway, I came up with a trick whereby I can get the pants zipped up around the boot tops by zipping up the legs before pulling the pants all the way by taking advantage of the more roomy calf and knee area vs. the more narrow lower leg and calf. Of course, the problem here is, once you assume a riding position the zippers and seams are once again pulled to their limits as the pants try to ride up to a more natural position.

Like I said, this is the only downside I've found to the TA's... well, at least as a commuter boot with maximum support for a still mending, formerly broken ankle. However, I just notice that Sidi has release a new boot called the "Adventure' which looks like the On-Road boot with the ankle and mid-foot 'armor' of the Crossfire boot, to include two of the nifty Sidi buckles that make getting a custom fit a repeatable process every time you put the boot on.

So, at this point I've put my Crossfires up for sale on the Adventure Rider board just to see if there's any interest. If someone is willing to buy them for a reasonable price, then I'll be giving the 'Adventure' boots a go...

[jpeck]

Bikebandit.com carries Sidi and gives a 10% discount to AMA members. If you're not already an AMA member this is another reason to join.

Another recent development at Sidi is that they now offer a couple of models for people with wide feet. I recently purchased a pair of their Mega Rain touring boots and can attest to the fact that they really are wide width. My previous Sidi's were great in other ways but were always a bit on the tight side for me. The Mega's solved that problem.

John Peck
Maple City, Mi