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New boots Recommendations


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On 1/9/2020 at 2:10 AM, nigel dabster said:

I think the thing to take away is that everyone commenting hasnt had 4 or 5 makes in the last two years to compare and have a very subjective view. 5 years ago i had gaernes, they were great but laterly i had wear issues, now im on styl martins, didnt get on that well with hebo or alpine stars.

As above fit and size is everything, try before you buy and ask different riders on different boots, and youll get a different answer.

Pretty unhappy about the wear on my gaernes.They are a pretty wimpy boot.Leather gets cut easily and the upper plastic guards pulled through the attachment screws twice.I find my old alpine star scout boots actually work better for trials.Wish AP still made the scouts. 

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I tried several on and here is what I found
 Hopefully helpful info to someone. 
 
Also,  how tight should a trials boot fit? Snug to the point of no foot slop or is a little slop a good thing? Obviously these aren't ski boots.
 
Gaerne balance oiled US10 EUR 44.5
  • Little support 
  • Little protection
  • Minimal ankle support
  • Feels mostly broken in to start
  • Hot spots from just below middle buckle on antero lateral ankle / anterior aspect of medial malleolus could become better/worse after break in period?
  • Just slightly wider than alpinestars in forefoot and toebox and significantly wider in heel
  • Heel hold dependent on buckle tightness
  • 1/4 to half size larger than alpinestar 
  • Feels nimble
  • Feels like a hiking boot
Alpinestars 
  • Lots of support 
  • Moderate protection
  • Moderate ankle support
  • Good heel hold only minimally dependent on buckle tightness
  • Might not accommodate a high instep
  • Feels quarter to half size smaller than gaerne 
  • Less nimble than gaerne; feels heavier than gaerne 
  • Feels more like an enduro boot then gaerne 
  • Thicker sole than sidi (however under ball of foot thin enough for excellent balance, slightly better than sidi)
  • Well padded 
Forma boulder black US 10 EUR 44
  • Less support than alpinestar more support than gaerne
  • Middle buckle cuts into anterior of ankle when flexing forward
  • Minimally wider than gaerne in forefoot and toebox
  • Instep is snug
  • Ankle has tons of room (swims)
  • Poor heel maybe better for high volume ankle
  • Slightly longer  boot than alpinestar but not quite as long as gaerne 
  • Cuff is one to one and one-half inches taller then gaerne and alpinestar
  • Last seems to fit similar to predators but predators have best heel hold for me
 
Sidi 
  • Slightly less wide then gaerne 
  • More protection then gaerne, less then alpinestar
  • Slightly longer then alpinestars and slightly larger overall
  • Less heel hold then alpinestar but more than others
  • About one inch taller cuff
  • Lots of mobility
  • Front of boot cuts into ankle with flexion but no buckle involvement so will probably go away with break in
  • Feels lighter then alpinestar, lighter then forma  not as light as gaerne 
 
 
 
 
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  • 8 months later...

Thought I might as well add my 2c on Sidi.

I guess I've ridden a few hundred hours in mine and they still look amazingly good really. On MTB's I used Sidi shoes and found the synthetic they used way more durable than anything else I'd tried, seems similar in the Zero's. It's also fairly water resistant (I can walk in and out of creeks and not feel any leakage. I don't spend a huge amount of time in water though) and best of all I give them no care, unlike leather.

I've replaced the sole once (Sherco pegs were hard on the soles compared to GasGas and Beta). Also had an extra rivet put in the corner of the shin guard as it tended to catch on the pegs. The soles are fairly grippy but don't have a very aggressive tread so aren't great in soft, muddy conditions.

I've a high instep and wider forefoot - I went up a full size from my usual (that's what I did in Sidi bicycle shoes too). They are a trifle long but otherwise fit well with a better and thicker footbed in there (Sidi footbeds are pretty token). The top of the cuff is a bit loose, but I've got pretty slim calves.

Bottom line - I'll buy them again.

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31 minutes ago, bikerpet said:

"I've replaced the sole once (Sherco pegs were hard on the soles compared to GasGas and Beta). Also had an extra rivet put in the corner of the shin guard as it tended to catch on the pegs. The soles are fairly grippy but don't have a very aggressive tread so aren't great in soft, muddy conditions."

Has resoling them been successful - the 4rt kickstart seem to be the only shortcoming with my SIDI boots - had varying success with new soles  -last time on Gaerne was a waste of money  - do you just use local cobler?

 

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On 10/8/2020 at 10:56 PM, jimmyl said:

 

I bought new soles through Splatshop and had a local cobbler resole them for me. He said they were a bugger to get the soles off. The resole was OK, although it has peeled in a few places at the edges - I've just glued them back with Aquaseal or Seam Grip which has worked fine.

The soles are starting to wear through again at the pegs - I just noticed that a couple of days ago. Not sure how many hours I'd have put on them since the resole - probably a hundred or so I'd guess. This time I'm not going to resole them, just rebuild the worn area with some Aquaseal, Shoe Goo or similar urethane product. Hopefully that will still grip the pegs OK, I reckon it should as there'll still be original rubber exposed as well as urethane I expect.

If they last long enough for another resole I'll have to do a bit of grinding to get rid of the urethane, but the old soles had to be ground off anyway.

I'd also forgotten - the stitching on the inside of the calf where the leather top joins to the synthetic lower wore through - I had that restitched. Now the other boot has come adrift too so I'll get that sewn up, it was a pretty cheap repair.

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  • 5 months later...

Sidi update and re-sole question here.

I've been patching up the resoled Sidi soles with ShoeGoo which has extended their life. The uppers remain in excellent condition for the amount of time they have on them I reckon

I'm looking at putting a third sole onto these soon and am going to try another brand sole. I'm hoping to find something more durable than the original Sidi. Any suggestions? I can get Hebo, Forma and Gaerne soles pretty easily. The Forma are cheapest which is appealing, but not if they don't last. The cost of the resole is more than any of the replacement soles.

Any suggestions for a nice durable sole?

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