muffinman
April 10th, 2009, 02:29 PM
My lower extremities has now been Icon'ed out. Just got a pair of Icon Chukka Field Armor boots (black) to complement my Icon Victory riding jeans and Icon Knee/Shin Field Armor. I've been riding and walking around campus in these for a couple days now and...long story short - I could not be happier with my purchase. I think I've found my "perfect" set of casual riding boots.
Objective
My "mission" was to find a pair of riding shoes/boots I could wear for short trips (IE: to campus, to the store, etc.) that are 1.) comfortable 2.) look casual 3.) provide reasonable protection and 4.) $100 or less
Of course, I wasn't expecting race-boot like protection but as with most things in life, it's about making compromises you can live with.
Initial Impressions
Build quality is excellent - looks and feels sturdy. Even the mesh panel areas feel very heavy duty. The tongue is very well padded and ventilated. Heel armor is very substantial - absolutely no worries here and the toe box has a leather laid over what appears to be steel.
I have thin feet and the boots fit perfect for me once the laces were done up. I credit this to the lace-up system that allows you to tighten/loosen the boots as needed. The buckle system is comparable to the ratchet system found in snowboard bindings.. really nice touch that allowed me to get a real tight fit (I have narrow ankle/feet and was delighted with the level of buckle adjustability) and secure my laces. Unless you have some super-wide feet, these boots can be adjusted to fit.
Very, very comfortable... not as stiff or as heavy as I thought they'd be. Once fully broken in, I could probably walk in these boots all day. It also feels cooler than my Vans skate shoes thanks to the mesh panels.
My ankles are completely covered.. no plastic or steel armor in the ankle area but it is very well padded and there's some stiff leather on both sides for *some* support. Again, if you're looking for hardcore ankle support, you won't find it here. Wearing a pair of motorcycle ankle braces may help alleviate some concerns... either way, it is 10000000000x better than wearing Nikes, skate shoes, or other riding shoes that pretty much leave your ankles completely exposed.
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/299/chukka1.jpghttp://img8.imageshack.us/img8/7744/chukka2.jpg
Styling
Looks bitchin' ... very sexy. The black is very subdued and on one would suspect they were motorcycle boots with your pants covering them. Looks better in real life than in online pictures. My riding bootcut riding jeans completely cover the buckle.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6241/chukka3.jpg
Image shown with Shark RSR2 Troy Corser helmet, Dainese Laguna Seca Jacket, Icon Victory Jeans, Icon Leg Field Armor, Icon Field Armor Chukkas
Riding Impressions
Man, these things flow a TON of air... it'll be too cold for winter riding, that's for sure. For summer riding, I think you'd be hard pressed to find another pair of boots that ventilates as well as these - they'll keep your feet cool/dry all day long. The soles are higher than my Vans shoes so for the inseam challenged, these *may* help you reach the ground better. Not a huge difference though.
Grip is great...the tread was designed to maintain grip on the street. Maybe it's a combination of the heavier weight + thicker sole (more of the feet planted on the ground + better tread design, but out of the 4-5 different shoes/boots I've worn while riding, these have the best traction, hands-down.
Ok.. for those of you used to riding in superstreamlined race-style boots, or sneakers, you're going to have to get adjusted to not being able to "feel" the shifter. The first time I hopped on the bike, I stalled my bike because I had no idea I had downshifted to first... didn't feel a thing. Just be more conscious about where your feet are so you don't accidently upshift/downshift and you'll be OK. It took me all of 15-30 minutes to get used to it - no biggie.
Alot of people expressed concerns about the boot being too thick to fit under the shifter... this MAY be true, but I think it's blown out of proportion. I wear a size 7-8 in Men's so my boots are smaller but I'm able to fit my boots under the shifter WITH room to spare. If you have... I don't know, size 13 feet, you may have to adjust the shifter, but for most it should be fine. Again, you just have to adapt and get used to it... As a plus, I feel more confident shifting.. meaning that when I downshift and I feel it, I KNOW it downshifted and vice-versa.
Conclusion
I've always felt like I was tempting fate when I rode to campus or took other short trips that would involve walking (pretty much anything short of joy riding) in my Vans skate shoes... so I'm very happy that these boots worked out so well for me. They look great, are super comfortable, breathable, and provide infintely more protection than sneaks (and more armor than most "riding" shoes).
I'll leave you guys with pictures of my Chukkas working in conjunction with my Icon Leg Armor... perfect fit... it actually *improved* the fit of my Leg Armor since it now rests on top of the boots and doesn't slide down anymore as the day progresses.
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1830/chukka4.jpg
Objective
My "mission" was to find a pair of riding shoes/boots I could wear for short trips (IE: to campus, to the store, etc.) that are 1.) comfortable 2.) look casual 3.) provide reasonable protection and 4.) $100 or less
Of course, I wasn't expecting race-boot like protection but as with most things in life, it's about making compromises you can live with.
Initial Impressions
Build quality is excellent - looks and feels sturdy. Even the mesh panel areas feel very heavy duty. The tongue is very well padded and ventilated. Heel armor is very substantial - absolutely no worries here and the toe box has a leather laid over what appears to be steel.
I have thin feet and the boots fit perfect for me once the laces were done up. I credit this to the lace-up system that allows you to tighten/loosen the boots as needed. The buckle system is comparable to the ratchet system found in snowboard bindings.. really nice touch that allowed me to get a real tight fit (I have narrow ankle/feet and was delighted with the level of buckle adjustability) and secure my laces. Unless you have some super-wide feet, these boots can be adjusted to fit.
Very, very comfortable... not as stiff or as heavy as I thought they'd be. Once fully broken in, I could probably walk in these boots all day. It also feels cooler than my Vans skate shoes thanks to the mesh panels.
My ankles are completely covered.. no plastic or steel armor in the ankle area but it is very well padded and there's some stiff leather on both sides for *some* support. Again, if you're looking for hardcore ankle support, you won't find it here. Wearing a pair of motorcycle ankle braces may help alleviate some concerns... either way, it is 10000000000x better than wearing Nikes, skate shoes, or other riding shoes that pretty much leave your ankles completely exposed.
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/299/chukka1.jpghttp://img8.imageshack.us/img8/7744/chukka2.jpg
Styling
Looks bitchin' ... very sexy. The black is very subdued and on one would suspect they were motorcycle boots with your pants covering them. Looks better in real life than in online pictures. My riding bootcut riding jeans completely cover the buckle.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6241/chukka3.jpg
Image shown with Shark RSR2 Troy Corser helmet, Dainese Laguna Seca Jacket, Icon Victory Jeans, Icon Leg Field Armor, Icon Field Armor Chukkas
Riding Impressions
Man, these things flow a TON of air... it'll be too cold for winter riding, that's for sure. For summer riding, I think you'd be hard pressed to find another pair of boots that ventilates as well as these - they'll keep your feet cool/dry all day long. The soles are higher than my Vans shoes so for the inseam challenged, these *may* help you reach the ground better. Not a huge difference though.
Grip is great...the tread was designed to maintain grip on the street. Maybe it's a combination of the heavier weight + thicker sole (more of the feet planted on the ground + better tread design, but out of the 4-5 different shoes/boots I've worn while riding, these have the best traction, hands-down.
Ok.. for those of you used to riding in superstreamlined race-style boots, or sneakers, you're going to have to get adjusted to not being able to "feel" the shifter. The first time I hopped on the bike, I stalled my bike because I had no idea I had downshifted to first... didn't feel a thing. Just be more conscious about where your feet are so you don't accidently upshift/downshift and you'll be OK. It took me all of 15-30 minutes to get used to it - no biggie.
Alot of people expressed concerns about the boot being too thick to fit under the shifter... this MAY be true, but I think it's blown out of proportion. I wear a size 7-8 in Men's so my boots are smaller but I'm able to fit my boots under the shifter WITH room to spare. If you have... I don't know, size 13 feet, you may have to adjust the shifter, but for most it should be fine. Again, you just have to adapt and get used to it... As a plus, I feel more confident shifting.. meaning that when I downshift and I feel it, I KNOW it downshifted and vice-versa.
Conclusion
I've always felt like I was tempting fate when I rode to campus or took other short trips that would involve walking (pretty much anything short of joy riding) in my Vans skate shoes... so I'm very happy that these boots worked out so well for me. They look great, are super comfortable, breathable, and provide infintely more protection than sneaks (and more armor than most "riding" shoes).
I'll leave you guys with pictures of my Chukkas working in conjunction with my Icon Leg Armor... perfect fit... it actually *improved* the fit of my Leg Armor since it now rests on top of the boots and doesn't slide down anymore as the day progresses.
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1830/chukka4.jpg