Icon Super Duty 4
I’m going to start with my picks that tend towards form, and slowly work into more functional footwear.
So this is the 200-dollar Icon Super Duty 4. It’s probably my first choice for a commuting shoe – something that I can ride to work in the morning, but still wear around the office all day.
It’s a pretty legitimate motorcycle boot. Full leather upper, steel shanked sole, ankle armor on both the pointy bits, good heel counter and a solid toe box. But it’s also a practical working shoe. It’s comfortable to walk in, the tread is smooth on the footpeg interface but grippy enough to walk on everywhere else…
And the style is excellent.
That’s probably because Icon ripped off the Timberland shoe company here, but that’s their problem, not mine. In brown or wheat colourways, this looks stunning under a pair of jeans. I ordered the black because I wanted to see if there was any magic to it, and the answer is no. This disappointed me and I’d definitely do one of the other colourways if I were to do it again.
Fitment-wise, I wear an 11.5 in pretty much everything, and this 11.5 is spot on. To do it up, you tie the laces just like you learned in Grade 1, then snap this positive-lock buckle across the top. I love the buckle – it does an excellent job of snugging-up the entire shoe and it’s made from aluminum. I put mine through 15,000 riding kilometers and a load of hiking kilometers last season, and I have no reason to assume that it won’t do the same this year.
I like the build quality in general. They take a while to break in but – once you do – the Super Duties are very comfortable and solid. Icon doesn’t market these as waterproof, so they definitely won’t guarantee what I’m about to say, but the Super Duty 4 will probably keep you dry. If I spray some waterproof leather protector on top and stay away from the big puddles, I trust these through a rainy ride.
The one thing that I do hate about the Super Duty is this shifter panel. When I have my jeans rolled over the buckle, these stupid rubber nubs are the only things that give away the motorcycle boot. If it weren’t for them, you would never be able to tell this from a regular shoe! And it’s annoying too, because the nubs do nothing for helping me shift. Icon – get rid of these in the next iteration.
TCX X-Blend Waterproof Boots
Now, for 300 dollars I can get another multipurpose shoe in the TCX X-Blend Waterproof Boot.
I think this is better than the Super Duty in every way except for one. And I’ll get to that.
The X-Blend is CE-rated, it has ankle, heel and toe armouring. It’s full leather like the Super Duty, although this shoe comes up higher on the leg so you get a bit more slide protection from that. You also get a fully waterproof lining, so TCX sinks the Icon there. And yet somehow, the X-Blend manages to achieve the same weight as the Super Duty – about 840 grams.
Because of that, it feels very nimble on the foot. Out of the box, I would say that this shoe is more comfortable to wear, easier to walk in and it looks less clunky than the Super Duty. It’s more of a classic, vintage style and – koodos to TCX – this shifter panel is subtle enough that it doesn’t stand out.
I’m not in love with the laces, of course the only thing they really endanger is my pride. If the laces do catch on the motorcycle, I probably won’t notice until I come to the next stop light, try to put my foot down, and then topple over in a very lame and public crash. It’s annoying that that could happen here, but then again the Super Duty had the same problem.
No, the one thing that detracts me from this shoe is the comfort. The leather is incredibly supple right out the box, the heel is squishy, the ankle and toe areas seem to move with my foot … and that scares me.
I prefer a stiffer boot when it’s new. Give me a firmer sole, thicker leather and heartier armouring. Because I know that it all breaks-in over time and – when it does – the boot will be comfortable and safe. I don’t mind putting in the saddle time to get a shoe feeling like this. But when it feels this good out of the box, I’m skeptical that TCX sacrificed too much safety.
So I like the X-Blend. It’s meant to “blend” style and protection and it definitely succeeds. No – it’s not the exact blend I would want. For myself, I prefer a little more oomph from a motorcycle boot. But if you’re less concerned about protection than I am, this is probably an excellent choice.
Alpinestars New Land GTX Gore-Tex Boots
Now, I’ve picked two commuter boots that function well and look good. But what if I don’t care that much about appearances? Maybe I ride on the street just for fun. Maybe my daily commute is 200 kilometers which basically makes me a tourer.
If that’s the case, I want Alpinestars’ New Land GTX. The GTX is for Gore-Tex, so I know this is the most waterproof boot we’ve seen.
Gore-Tex is like solid gold for motorcyclists. We’re willing to pay a lot for guaranteed dryness, so you normally see this material come into play at the four- or five-hundred-dollar mark. The Land is only 290 bucks on fortnine.ca though. So how is it so cheap?
Obviously, you save some of that money by getting a half-length boot. We also save on the closure system, which eschews fancy aquaguard zippers and buckles for good ol’ Velcro. It makes me feel like a Kindergartener to do up my shoes with Velcro, but I have no legitimate complaints because this works fine.
The biggest cost-saving move was probably cutting off the Gore-Tex liner a good three inches below the top of the boot. I’d definitely want a waterproof pant that comes down below this point, or else water would leak through the top.
Anyway, I’ve loved wearing these boots because they’re versatile. More than anything else on my list, the New Land is warm when it’s cold outside and cool when it’s hot. Thanks to the accordion fabric front and back, there’s unrestricted movement around the ankle. It’s probably equal in walking comfort to the X-Blend, plus it comes in about 100 grams lighter.
I’ll run through the usual goodies to close us off: [1] Ankle protection baked into both sides, heel counter, toe box, reflective strip on the rear, two mesh vents which is a first of the day, CE certification, full-grain leather all around and a steel-shanked sole that is a hybrid somewhere between walking and riding.
Alpinestars Roam 2 Waterproof Boots
On that note, it’s the same exact sole that we see on the Alpinestars Roam 2 Waterproof Boot.
When I want to know what a boot is for, I always look at the bottom of it. This is a tech-touring sole, meaning that just like the New Land, the Roam 2 is for heavy street use. Serious commuting, touring – that kind of thing.
Three big differences from the New Land though. Obviously, it comes up higher, so I’m getting the slide protection and the shin armouring that comes with the territory. This would be the most protective boot on my list and – for that reason – I see the Roam 2 on sport-tourers all the time.
The second big difference is the waterproof membrane. This is A-stars stuff so it’s not Gore-Tex. No lifetime guarantee of dryness on the Roam 2 but – having said that – this boot gets amazing reviews when it comes to waterproofing so it’s probably one of the better non-Gore-Tex options out there. The Roam 2 also costs 60 bucks less than the New Land, probably because it’s not Gore-Tex.
The third big difference is the chassis – it’s synthetic leather here rather than real cow, so I’m lacking a bit of breathability. To be honest, I don’t care, because the waterproof membrane underneath isn’t all that breathable to begin with.
Other than that though, the Roam 2 runs the same stats as the New Lands. CE approval, toe, heel and ankle armor, rear reflective insert, etc., etc., etc. And just like the New Lands, I normally wear a size 11.5, but I find 10.5 is the better fit here.