“ Getting the boot on requires a little more effort ” the very least we were always wary that a twisted ankle could be the least of your worries .
The RST Adventure , at the outset looked like it had a very good sole . Designed to not only grip the bikes footpegs in all sorts of conditions but to also offer a stable footing when walking . The construction is of vulcanised antislip rubber and does indeed look like it ' s up to the job .
Wearing the boots they do feel comfortable . They are easy to put on , fastening isn ' t an issue with two heavy duty metal clasps attached to plastic ratchet buckles , these hold the boots snug and can be adjusted to fit any sized foot and lower leg . The upper part of the boot which , is quite low on the leg compared to other adventure boots , is fastened with a Velcro cuff . This works well however , the height of the boot isn ' t great when needed to protect the upper shin from hard objects often thrown at it , as is often the case on gravel or stony tracks . The shortness of the boot is also a problem when traversing water crossings , either on the bike or on foot . A pity because the boots , as promised are waterproof , as long as you don ' t go any deeper than your ankles . The waterproofing comes mainly from the Sinaqua lining . This does keep the boots inner dry however , it is said to be breathable , based on the amount of sweat that often came out with our feet we very much doubt the claim .
The boots are extremely comfortable to walk in right from the outset , no need to break them in . Sitting on the bike they also offer a very high level of comfort unfortunately when it comes to offroad riding where standing is required the same can ' t be said . A lack of stiffness in the sole which , ironically allows for comfortable walking , doesn ' t provide enough support to the foot , it won ' t be long before the arch and ball of your feet are in great pain .
We found the need to stop every 30 minutes or so to allow the pain to subside . This is a major shortcoming compounded more by the fact that the soles of our test boots lasted no greater distance than 15,000 kilometres before the sole had worn right through causing both boots to split , rendering them useless .
It ' s a pity that RST has chosen to take such a cheap approach to the sole as the rest of the boot is quite well constructed . The look of the boot is certainly one of adventure however , like many 4x4 vehicles their use should be one of ' softroad ' and not offroad . They ' re a reasonably good looker but certainly not up to real adventure riding .
Second on the list are the Forma Adventure . These are more expensive than what RST has to offer , although coming in at AU $ 379.00 they shouldn ' t be too far out of the budget of most riders .
Out of all three boots reviewed those by Forma are the only ones that make reference to having a CE certification and this is evident in the quality of the construction and the 12 month warranty offered to purchases made within Australia .
The whole upper is a full grain leather although , not coated with any man-made material . The leather comes protected by oil , and wed recommend that you continue this practice if you would like to keep the appearance of your boots ( they do have an antique look out of the box ), if you are like ' some of us at Traverse , and don ' t mind your boots looking dirty and used , then forget about the oiling . Like the RST the Forma has protection for the shin , heel and ankle in the form of PU moulded guards with extra rigidity around the ankle . They do feel much stiffer than the RST boot , which does cause issues when you initially wear the boots , the lack of free movement caused some of our heels to blister when walking , to be honest it took a great amount of time to wear them in . Once worn in they can almost be worn as regular walking boots .
There ' s also additional protection around the toes , we ' ve
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