GEAR REVIEW
GEAR REVIEW
By DOUG South
ALPINESTARS COROZAL ADV
DRYSTAR OILED BOOT of CMA ' s expanding
PART outreach is spending time with various riding groups on assorted styles of bikes with different riding gear needed to meet the needs of each riding focus . I love all types of riding and have gear from hardcore off-road protection to cruiser traveling gear . But today ' s Gear Review is for adventure riding boots . Adventure boots span the middle ground between super stiff motocross boots that are hard to walk in , with high shin protection , to street riding boots with softer , shorter tops that are easier to walk in with less traction on the bottom .
The boots I ' m reviewing today are Alpinestars Corozal ADV Drystar Oiled . That ' s a mouthful ! Starting with looks , I love the vintage look of the brown oiled leather , but they also come in black , non-oiled leather for about
$ 10.00 less . Speaking of price , expect to pay around $ 270- $ 325 for these boots . On the outside of the boots , they have an obvious motocross heritage with hard armor , tall shin protectors , and a lot of ankle support . They are easy to put on or take off with a large Velcro closure at the top and a pair of fully adjustable cam buckles and straps in the middle . These have the most ankle support of any adventure boots I ' ve looked at or owned . They have a hinge plate assembly on the outside to keep from overextending your ankle . Usually , only motocross boots have this technology . These boots also have inside and outside ankle bone cups built in . They have a little flex in the shank but are much stiffer than many riding boots . They flex at the ball of your foot but do not flex in the arch . By doing this , they are easy to walk in , but the stiff center area allows you to stand on your pegs a good portion of the time without hurting your arches . They also have a nice sizeable suede leather area on the inside of the calf for burn protection and to help grip your bike while standing . The traction on the bottom is designed to walk comfortably on trails and dirt while exploring the backcountry on your adventure bikes . Let ' s talk about fit or roominess .
I usually wear a size 11 to 11 Β½ , and I purchased the size 11 , which is 45.5 EUR sizing . I have a pretty high arch and typically need to upsize to fit in stiff boots , but these fit perfectly . I bought them , then headed to an adventure rally for four days of riding dual sport adventure rides . They were comfortable out of the box with no break-in ; I had no sore spots at all . They were , in fact , so comfortable and waterproof , and they offered great protection that I wore them ( continue on page 28 )
23βͺMARCH 2024βͺwww . cmausa . org