Aerostitch Combat Touring Boots

I've been riding in a set of Aerostich Combat Touring boots for about 5 years.  I usually reserve them for longer trips, just because they are not as easy to slip on as my engineer boots.  Weighing in at 2.7 pounds per boot and measuring 14" tall, they are a serious riding boot. 

The boots are made for Aerostich by an Italian company called Sidi, who makes professional grade racing and motorcross boots.  Alot of features you would find on a professional boot are used in the design of the Combat Touring boots, but they left off all the plastic and buckles so you don't look like a Storm Trooper when you get off your bike.

The first thing you'll notice about the boots is the lower side buckle and velcro closures.  These along with a set of speed laces keep the boots firmly in place and provide a lot of ankle support.

One of the best features of these boots are the soles.  Between the tread pattern and the material they are constructed with, I've never had them slip.  Even walking on wet linoleum doesn't phase them.  You can't beat that when backing the bike around in a wet parking lot or a slippery driveway.





They are also very waterproof, although Aerostich makes no claims that they are 100% watertight.  Something with the way they are stiched and the combination of a leather liner keeps them sealed up tight when in the rain, but they are breathable enough that your feet don't get sweaty.  I just treat them once a year with beeswax based leather dressing.

For added safety, they have a patch of Scotchlite reflective material on the heel of each boot, which is great when your riding a vintage bike that has poor lighting to begin with.  Every little bit helps when it comes to getting noticed at night. 

I've had two minor issues with these boots since I've owned them.  The first being that with the padded uppers, they can be pretty tough to fit under a pair of jeans.  Even with boot cut jeans, it takes some extra effort to work the jeans down past the uppers.  The other issue is that they squeak when I walk.  Over the years, the noise has gone down considerably, but it's still there everytime you walk across a quiet room.