Need advice on A* SMX 5 boots

[SpeedDemon]

Im looking to finally get myself some proper riding boots. Ive been riding in my nike high tops this year and after reading all these threads about people fakin their feet up in soooo many different ways its pushed me to the point where i want some good boots. I love the white Sidi Vertigo boots but dont have 500 bucks to spend on boots right now and my feet are a bit wide for these boots. So ive been looking at the A* SMX-5 boots, The reviews i have read online say these are good everyday riding boots and thats what i mostly do...No track days for me yet anyways im just wondering if anyone here has or had these boots and what they think of them

[YORCHI]

I saw those at Cycle Gear and I liked them, but I decided to go with the A* Roam Waterproof boots because they were waterproof and I think they were like 10 bucks cheaper. It might be an option for you if you can take a look at them.

Also, Cycle Gear has Bilt boots on sale for like 80 bucks...another option to consider...

I don't mean to deviate from your OP but maybe it's something worth considering. I like the boots you mentioned though, they seem legit, sturdy, and should hold up. They aren't the best boots in the world but if you want them and can afford them now you should do it since it's better than riding in regular sneakers.

[alex.s]

a* smx5's:
i have them.
i love them.

once broken in they're comfy, tho a little hot at times.
they aren't waterproof, so riding through rain will leave your toes ever slightly damp.

when tightened down the ankle protection hides under loose jeans.

i've even dropped the rear wheel of a bike on my toe while unloading it and they protected me well... noticed that the bike was on my toe but really didn't bother me all the bad

i've recently pushed a bike/walked about 3 miles in them. that being said, i wouldn't want to jog in them.

[SpeedDemon]

Yeah i dont think id want to go for a jog in them lol. How do u find the ankle roll protection. I have not been able to try to boots on as no shops locally have them in stock. Also how is the size is it pretty close to your shoe size?? I have heard these boots fit a bit big i was going to order half size smaller than i wear in shoes

[alex.s]

they are maybe 2 or 3mm larger than my normal 11 shoe. ankle protection is pretty good when tightened. there are definitely better boots out there, but i paid a great price for mine. not sure what retail is... i think i remember them being like 200 retail or something... i paid around 140 or something like that for them

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by SpeedDemon

Yeah i dont think id want to go for a jog in them lol. How do u find the ankle roll protection. I have not been able to try to boots on as no shops locally have them in stock. Also how is the size is it pretty close to your shoe size?? I have heard these boots fit a bit big i was going to order half size smaller than i wear in shoes

What size are you normally? I'm normally a size 9 but I got the size 42 boots...on their size chart it says that 42 is for a size 8 but these fit great. Perfectly snug which is how they should fit.

The ankle roll protection isn't the best, I feel like I can roll it if I really tried, but there isn't anything really there to protect it except for the thick materials wrapped tightly around your foot. Any real ankle protection is going to have some type of rod or bar going up the boot to prevent any bending at all in that area. These don't have it.

Try them on in person, if there is any chance you could ride in water or rain then I would really recommend you pick the Roam boots because they are pretty much the same thing but one are waterproof and one aren't.

[SpeedDemon]

yeah they are 219.95 and seem to be the best quality boot in that price range. Did you get a size 11 boot aswell then(Alex)?? Would you say half size smaller is too drastic of a change and could possibly too small??
Im normally a 10 and was looking at getting a 9.5 that is offered online. I tried on a pair of technic boots or how ever its spelt and they felt like thin winter boots lol no kind of support at all, these seem to be stiff untill you really try and make them roll

[alex.s]

i was torn between the smx5's and a sidi boot that cost the same. i chose the a* because they seemed like they were more comfy but looking back i think i would choose the sidi's now. my foot is between 10.5 and 11, closer to 10.5 than 11 but slightly larger than 10.5 so normal shoes i wear 11. the 10.5 in the smx5 fit perfect so i got those. i would highly recommend either buying from somewhere with a great return policy or trying them on in store before committing

[SpeedDemon]

Well i was going to get them from Ridersdiscount they have a good return/exchange policy. I tried on a pair of the sidi's and they were super tight on the sides on my feet becuz i have wide feet. They dont have any of these boots anywhere i have looked around here in stock otherwise i would have tried them on. Im the same as you alex my feet are inbetween 9.5 and 10 but 9.5 shoes dont fit me. I was going to order the 9.5 boots

[mishka]

If you can find a way to pony up $400, get the Sidi ST boots. I have a wide foot and their size 14 fits snugly. I have thick toes so walking around in them is a strenuous, but I'm glad I have all the protection when I ride! Someone else was looking for suggestions on here for boots and someone recommended the STs as well. I tried on the A* boots you want in a size 14 at a Cyclegear and the fit wasn't comfortable.

I understand the budget scenario, I had to stop eating for a week to afford the STs, but my feet are worth it in case the worst happens.

[shiroganeshinobi]

I'd say go halfway and get the SIDI vertigo air. They dont have the side bars like the STs but they are good everyday street boots.

[setasai]

TCX has a tendency to have a design for wider feet. If you have wide feet, I'd hightly recommend looking into them.

[noche_caliente]

You can search through the What's in your closet thread to see exactly which SMX boots I have, as I don't really remember, but I love mine. They are really comfortable and have great support. I've worked a full day on my feet in them and not had any problems - highly recommend them

[SpeedDemon]

Thanks for all the advice everyone i tried the sidi's vertigo on this morning and they are still a bit narrow for my feet i find when im walking or just standing in them. They guy at the shop told me he has the SMX-5 in a 9.5 we compaired foot size's and have almost the exact same feet so i went ahead and ordered them thanks again everyone

[SpeedDemon]

So I cancelled the order when the told me it was going to take 15-25 buisness days to get them shipped to me and i would also have to pay duties on them when they come across the bored so it would have been another 40 bucks or so and atleast a month untill i would get my boots. I went to some small bike shop the most unlikely place to have high end boots and they had everything i could want for boot selection. I tried on the sidi ST boots and they dont fit my feet at all WAY to narrow. I tried on some TCX i think they were called and they felt ok but the SMX-5 boots are most comfortable boots ive tried on. So i bought them, they were a little bit more than online but no duties and i dont have to wait for a month to get them. I have been wearing them around the office ever since i got them good thing there isnt too many people here today lol Thanks for all the advice on the boots i really like them and cant wait untill i can go for a ride in them

[Powerlogix]

Congrats on the new boots, post a review on them after you put a lot of miles on them.

[SpeedDemon]

So i went for my first ride with the boots tonight and first thoughts are i love them. Super comfortable and light no vibrations at all. The one thing i did notice tho was it seemed weird as hell to shift gears...I find i have to push my toes down otherwise i feel like i might upshift by accident is this just becuz the difference from shoes to real boots and how long did u take for you to become comfortable shifting after switching to boots?

[Havok]

Originally Posted by SpeedDemon

So i went for my first ride with the boots tonight and first thoughts are i love them. Super comfortable and light no vibrations at all. The one thing i did notice tho was it seemed weird as hell to shift gears...I find i have to push my toes down otherwise i feel like i might upshift by accident is this just becuz the difference from shoes to real boots and how long did u take for you to become comfortable shifting after switching to boots?

Don't ride with your foot under the shifter! You want re balls of your feet on the peg and slide your foot forward and back for shifting, it's weird at first but after a while it becomes second nature.

I have SMX-5's as well and I love them. On my 5 day moto trip to San Diego that was all I had. Spent 5 days at the zoo and sea world and had them on the entire time, feet felt fine but I have had them a while and they are well broken in.

[TeamGreen]

Originally Posted by SpeedDemon

So i went for my first ride with the boots tonight and first thoughts are i love them. Super comfortable and light no vibrations at all. The one thing i did notice tho was it seemed weird as hell to shift gears...I find i have to push my toes down otherwise i feel like i might upshift by accident is this just becuz the difference from shoes to real boots and how long did u take for you to become comfortable shifting after switching to boots?

They'll break in and you'll be used to it after a few rides. I've had them a few weeks now and it feels weird to ride without them.

Originally Posted by Havok

I have SMX-5's as well and I love them. On my 5 day moto trip to San Diego that was all I had. Spent 5 days at the zoo and sea world and had them on the entire time, feet felt fine but I have had them a while and they are well broken in.

Wow, now that i'm not so sure i could endure. Did you wear them with shorts? Hope mine get that comfortable.

[Havok]

Originally Posted by TeamGreen

They'll break in and you'll be used to it after a few rides. I've had them a few weeks now and it feels weird to ride without them.



Wow, now that i'm not so sure i could endure. Did you wear them with shorts? Hope mine get that comfortable.

No jeans and not once did I notice them. Once broken in they are very comfortable, the only issue is there is not much extra room in them so gel inserts caused them to be to tight around my feet so I had to take them out.

[W8INLINE]

hi speeddemon.. i just came across this thread. quick question. what small shop did you buy the boots from? I live in stouffville and gp bikes/royal distributing is about 40kms..wondering if this shop is any closer to me.

thanx

[lv250]

I love them. They are comfy it is true they can get hot if just sitting around. To defeat this I open them up and leave them open until I need to ride again.

I can not say or input on any other brand since I have no others. I plan to try a couple of others but I am very happy with mine.