Cost obviously plays a huge part in which boots you ' ll wear
boots , with stats and figures that seem impressive . What ' s the reality ?
In the figures there ' s no mention of CE approval , we couldn ' t imagine that they wouldn ' t be certified , coming from the giant German manufacturer .
The upper is full leather of a thickness between 2.4 and 2.6mm . We can ' t say how this compares to the others however , the BMW Gravel feels to have about the same stiffness as the RST Adventure which , is slightly less stiff than the Forma Adventure . This doesn ' t make it anymore comfortable or less protective , to be honest all three boots feel to be on a par . The leather is listed as being hydrophobic , meaning it will repel water . This is the case however , given enough water and the leather will soak it up .
The inner upper of the boot is suede , BMW claims this is to provide greater grip on the motorcycle . This might suit some riders who grip the bike more with the higher part of their lower leg .
The leather also has reinforcements at both the toe and heels , as well as plastic reinforced gear shift pads , these aren ' t overly evident but we can guarantee they are there .
On the inside there ' s also protection for the wearer . The shins and ankles are protected by foam passed linings . They do seem sturdy but we didn ' t feel as well protected as that offered by the Forma boots .
The lining of the boots is Goretex , offering waterproofing while still breathable . They are certainly waterproof , although are still a little lower than the Forma , although not by a lot so wouldn ' t be such a problem in deep water . The BMW boots still caused the testers feet to sweat but not as much as the others . The lining is very comfortable , the best of the three boots .
The BMW Gravel boots are held snug by two plastic and metal ratchet clasps , similar to the RST Adventure . They feel sturdy and well made and do what they were designed . Unfortunately , there ' s only two and like the RST they have a large Velcro area at the top to hold the rest of the boot on . This just doesn ' t seem to work , the three buckle approach is much preferred . It ' s similar to an MX style boot which certainly does work , due to years of refinement .
The sole of the BMW boot is the strangest of the three . It ' s tread just doesn ' t look right . There ' s no doubt it does the job , it just looks more suited for less adventurous riding however , the construction of the BMW sole is brilliant .
It ' s a hard yet flexible rubber , similar to the Forma Adventure and although these boots haven ' t done anywhere near the distance of the others they aren ' t showing any signs of wear . Another great feature of the BMW Gravel is the rigid plate that sits within the soles construction , in a standing position this is a godsend , preventing foot fatigue , it essentially disperses the pressure point of the footpeg across a greater area making
it almost feel like you are riding a cruiser with footboards .
As you would expect with a BMW branded product the build quality of the Gravel boot is of the highest standard and looks like it would be hard-pressed to fail .
All three boots have their strengths and weaknesses , and obviously the price plays a huge parts . It goes without saying that anything based around the adventure bike market is going to be somewhat of a compromise , trying to cover all aspects of this style of riding , and with all that in mind only one of the boots compared covers all bases as far as we ' re concerned ... the Forma Adventure .
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