Cypher
New member
Took a trip down to my local J&S Accessories today and treated myself to a new Alpinestars GP Plus leather jacket, some RedRoute kevlar jeans with hip protectors and Sidi B2 Gore-Tex boots.
Went there with an intention to buy the RST CPX-C jacket but they didn't have in stock so I decided to try something similar on, which was RST Pro Series. It didn't feel too bad but I could tell that it was heavy-ish and a bit restricting. While standing it I turned to my right and noticed the Alpinestars jacket. It felt so much softer than the RST one that I had to try it on!
Put it on and it instantly felt like a second skin. Light, comfortable and going into my basket...
Jeans fit perfectly and feels like I've worn them for a long time already. Not much to say. Hip protectors give extra boost of confidence if something happens.
The biggest surprise for me were the boots though. They're my first proper boots (currently have Alpinestars Fastbacks) so I didn't really know what to expect. Was torn between SM-X 5 waterproof and Sidi B2's. Took literally ages to decide what to buy. So long in fact that the shop managers thought I had left already I kept switching between them both trying to determine which ones feel better. My conclusion was that SM-X 5 were a bit comfier to walk in and were a bit more padded inside and hence closer to the foot however they are not gore-tex whereas Sidi's are a bit slimmer, don't have so much padding inside meaning they feel a bit more harder (almost wooden in a way) but at the same time more breathing. Shame they're not gore-tex as it would have made the choice so much easier.
After long deliberations I made the decision to get Sidi's. Mostly because of their slimmer profile and thinner padding assuming that the feet won't sweat that much in the summer. Paid, put them on and jumped on the bike to ride home. Imagine my shock when I realised that I couldn't even change gears in them! With my current boots, just because they're so short, I can bend the foot and move the toes up and down. The new boots on the other hand I almost can't even bend. Unfortunately it was a bit too late to go back and ask for a refund so decided to stick with them hoping that they would wear in.
After riding home some 10 miles I must say I'm getting used to them. It's not as easy to switch gears yet as it was with my (now) old boots but I'm getting there. I have to slide the foot a bit further under the gear lever, which is different to how I ride now (I flick gears with tips of my toes oftentimes). Have to be a bit more careful with the rear brake too which I tend to use a lot as due to the sole being thicker I slammed it and almost locked the rear wheel a couple times
Overall I must say I'm satisfied with my purchase apart from the hefty amount of money that I've spent but it's all for good cause - safety
What about you, did you have the same experience with your first boots? Is it normal that they're so stiff? Will they wear in and start bending easier with the time? Did I make a mistake of buying them and they're not meant for upright bikes like ours?
Thanks for all the answers and advice in advance!
Went there with an intention to buy the RST CPX-C jacket but they didn't have in stock so I decided to try something similar on, which was RST Pro Series. It didn't feel too bad but I could tell that it was heavy-ish and a bit restricting. While standing it I turned to my right and noticed the Alpinestars jacket. It felt so much softer than the RST one that I had to try it on!
Put it on and it instantly felt like a second skin. Light, comfortable and going into my basket...
Jeans fit perfectly and feels like I've worn them for a long time already. Not much to say. Hip protectors give extra boost of confidence if something happens.
The biggest surprise for me were the boots though. They're my first proper boots (currently have Alpinestars Fastbacks) so I didn't really know what to expect. Was torn between SM-X 5 waterproof and Sidi B2's. Took literally ages to decide what to buy. So long in fact that the shop managers thought I had left already
I kept switching between them both trying to determine which ones feel better. My conclusion was that SM-X 5 were a bit comfier to walk in and were a bit more padded inside and hence closer to the foot however they are not gore-tex whereas Sidi's are a bit slimmer, don't have so much padding inside meaning they feel a bit more harder (almost wooden in a way) but at the same time more breathing. Shame they're not gore-tex as it would have made the choice so much easier.After long deliberations I made the decision to get Sidi's. Mostly because of their slimmer profile and thinner padding assuming that the feet won't sweat that much in the summer. Paid, put them on and jumped on the bike to ride home. Imagine my shock when I realised that I couldn't even change gears in them!
With my current boots, just because they're so short, I can bend the foot and move the toes up and down. The new boots on the other hand I almost can't even bend. Unfortunately it was a bit too late to go back and ask for a refund so decided to stick with them hoping that they would wear in.After riding home some 10 miles I must say I'm getting used to them. It's not as easy to switch gears yet as it was with my (now) old boots but I'm getting there. I have to slide the foot a bit further under the gear lever, which is different to how I ride now (I flick gears with tips of my toes oftentimes). Have to be a bit more careful with the rear brake too which I tend to use a lot as due to the sole being thicker I slammed it and almost locked the rear wheel a couple times
Overall I must say I'm satisfied with my purchase apart from the hefty amount of money that I've spent but it's all for good cause - safety
What about you, did you have the same experience with your first boots? Is it normal that they're so stiff? Will they wear in and start bending easier with the time? Did I make a mistake of buying them and they're not meant for upright bikes like ours?
Thanks for all the answers and advice in advance!
