How comfortable are they?
Can you walk in them?
How are they different/similar from/to a road racing style boot?
I ask because I found a deal and you know how I love deals. One day I'll have a dirt bike. For now, I could use them with my 950SMR I guess.
Just curious
I have ridden Motocross since I was 12, doesn't make me an expert, but I have worn a few boots in my time. Here is the answer to your question.
Comfort: depends on the brand, but that is not what they are meant for. For comfortable MX boots, I'd go Fox Pro Forma, Gaerne SG1, SG2 etc, I own both these brands currently and haven't worn anything as comfortable. Nike is making a pair, but not sure they are out in main stream yet. So far only two riders wear them, Dungey and Stewart.
Can you walk around in them? Well they are hard to walk around in as they don't bend, some have articulating skeletal frames, SIDI, Gaerne etc.
Difference from road boots: MX come up a lot higher on your shins, heavier than street by far.
I hope this helps. Someone else can pipe in, usually it takes one person saying something, for people to have an opinion :)
[thumbsup]
Comfort: Ever ski? Think like that. If they fit you well, they can be pretty comfortable, but if not...
Can you walk around in them? Again, like ski boots. They really aren't meant for a stroll. They are pretty heavy, and rather stiff Not so stiff as ski boot, but pretty solid. As noted some have hinge mechanisms to make them bend better while still offering protection, but they are still pretty stiff by comparison to road boots
Difference from road boots Weight, a lot more. Stiffer, taller and thicker across the food bed. Toes are a lot more protected, so combine that with the stiffness it cam make shifting and fine rear brake control iffy. They usually sue some sort of buckle system to keep them closed vs a zipper seem on most road boots.
They do vary tremendously, some you can walk ok in (e.g., hinged sidis, all A* boots), some you can walk very easily in and even hike a bit in (all trials boots), some are difficult to walk in because the ankles tend not to bend forward much (AXO Prime for example). This is no different from some road boots (like my Oxtar boots).
All are very, very different from road boots, much more bulky, heavier and way stiffer in all respects.
Note that MX boots are the strongest, stiffest off road boots while trials boots are the softest and most flexiable.
As for comfort, it depends on what you are doing. Nothing in the world would be 1/100th as comfortable while riding MX. they'd make poor office attire and would suck for rock climbing, but overall I'd rank quality, good fitting MX boots as very comfortable, they are just heavy and stiff so not good for walking or doing much other than riding a MX bike (or a bike with similar ergonomics).
The huge advantage they have is protection. You can bash your foot off trees, rocks etc and they do an amazing job of preventing injury and, especially, they are generally stiff enough to keep your foot from getting squashed when you pin your foot between a rock and engine case or something like that. Also, the footbed is really stiff, which is absolutely necessary to keep from wrapping your foot around the foot peg with the g-forces you see in MX/off road. The soles will be fairly smooth and hard so you can move around on the pegs a lot and so that they aren't shreded by the huge forces involved.
Trials boots have softer soles with a ton of grippy tread so that you can minimize the number of dabs and maximize the amount of push you can get from a dab. They are very flexible so you can contort your feet/ankles and have precise control of the rear brake. Protection and durability is very much compromised as compared to a MX bike, but speeds are very low and the bikes are 150lbs so injuries are still rare. They also are pretty decent for walking and hiking a bit as the rider needs to be able to hop off and hike sections during the event and no one is going to change footwear 30+ times a day.
Been riding a Honda XR4 for few months now and I'm new to off-road. Thought I could get away with my old army boots but changed my mind after a few rough ones. Got a Thor Quadrant soon after.
First time I wore those Thor boots I started laughing. Certainly made me feel like Robocop. It was way stiff. 1st time using it felt like learning to ride a bike again. Can't shift and brake well. Everthing felt really vague. After some persistent use it gets better and better. I'm not saying I'm good at it now. Lord knows I'm still trying.
I'm enjoying off-roading. I like the sensation of how the bike behaves when on the dirt thats so new to me. So much that I'm neglecting my monster.
Give it just a bit more time and you'll wonder how you could possible ride in the dirt in anything else. [bacon]
I'm a big fan of the Fox Pro Forma boots when I'm on the Katoom. When I'm walking, not so much. They come up to your knees and make you walk around on your heels. If you're going out for just a ride, they offer all of the protection and comfort you could hope for, just expect to feel like you're on stilts when the kickstand goes down.