Who wears heavy duty boots/shoes while scooting?

[DennisD]

I can't help but wonder, though. Has there been any research comparing the risk of loosing one toes but dragging your tennis shoe clad foot vs catching a hard soled boot on something as you go around a corner because the boot won't safely on the deck of your scoot.

Let's face it, most of the potential injuries we talk about are rare, and that's a very good thing. Riders just need to consider the risks and make choices based on those considerations. Frankly, it's hard for me to visualize one size 12 shoe being larger or smaller enough than another to make that much of a difference.

You're absolutely right. Accidents like that only happen to other people and then it was only because they rolled the dice once too often. I wear tennis shoes and flip flops all the time and it hasn't happened so it won't because accidents like that are rare and it will always happen to someone else, not me.

We all roll the dice from time to time, but do it too often and that chicken will come home to roost.

[voodoosix]

we all roll the dice every day, be it scooting or in some other parts of our lives. i put myself in harms way more at work everyday than i do by riding barefoot even.

[cthoops]

I used to wear work shoes, sneakers, etc. until I laid Olive down at a VERY slow speed. The only real injury I had was my foot, which got caught underneath (I think I may have reflexively stuck my foot out to try to catch myself). No broken bones according to the x-rays at the walk-in center, but I literally limped for six weeks. Since then it's only my Timberlands, regardless of the weather.

[Howardr]

Alright, I have to eat a large amount of crow. I had to lay my scooter down last night, and, as previously posted, was only wearing my crocs. I'm not sure how I hurt my foot, but it sure hurts. I think I've got a pretty bad sprain of my ankle and my foot. There is also a large "rasberry" on the instep of my foot.
That being said, I'm still not sure if I will done boots for my commute in to work, but I will when I ride recreationally.

The lesson? Don't be stupid like me, wear boots when you ride. It is easier than I thought to sustain a foot injury.

Howard

[Penguinboy]

HowardR- Sad to read your post! Hope you're OK! And how's the Buddy? I ride an 08 St. Tropez as well, so I think I feel extra bad for you for that reason! Plus I'm hoping I didn't jinx you with my topic here!

I wish you a speedy recovery!

-Danny

[Howardr]

Danny, thanks for your concern Do be careful making left hand turns. On your St Tropez. See my thread from today regarding the center stand touching the ground during turns.

Howard

[GaryEPSP]

When riding for fun... side zip tactical boots. When going to work, dress shoes.

+1. I wear my Bates Enforcers as they are perfect for scooting, as well as being very comfortable off the bike.
-K

I have been wanting a pair of these, Smorris also praises them. I sometimes wear my old army boots but mostly wear sneaks in the summer. I know I should upgrade...

[NathanielSalzman]

My big feet barely fit on the deck as it is. I don't want to catch a boot on a curb whilst zipping around a corner or something.

If you're riding that close to the curb, snagging a boot is the least of your problems.

I have a size 12 foot and when I ride I wear high ankle lace-up Doc Martens. I ride with those boots on every time. Every time. I just pull a Mr. Rodgers when I get to work - change my shoes, hang up my jacket.

I've ridden my wife's Buddy enough to experience its small footboard area. I ride either with my feet tucked back just a touch toward the passenger foot rests or with my toes hanging off the sides. It doesn't worry me at all, it just isn't the most comfortable thing.

The shoe-related thing I have to watch out for is to not drag my feet or especially not to kick along at stop lights and such. I've half-wedged my boot between the ground and the center stand a couple of times. Do that with any speed at all and it wouldn't surprise me if you could lose a foot.

I don't mean any offense to those asking the question, but the thing that gets me about this topic is that it just seems so no-brainer obvious. Am I the only one whose parents wouldn't let him ride a bicycle in flip flops because I could lose toes? Parents didn't make us wear helmets on bikes back then but we sure as heck better have had shoes on! Later in life when I took up longboarding and mountainboarding, pretty much everybody always wore shoes because, well, they wanted to keep their toes. Maybe it's because they wiped out enough times to know the value of proper gear. I remember getting a wicked speed wobble on my mountainboard one time which whipped me right off the board and onto my back, slamming the back of my head into the side of the hill. I had a proper skateboard helmet on, thankfully, but it still rung my bell pretty good. I imagine that had I not been wearing it, I would have been knocked out cold or even killed. But instead I was just a little dizzy. I'd always wear that same helmet when I longboarded too and when people would ask me why I wore it, I'd just show them the myriad of scrapes and marks on my lid and say "otherwise these would all have been my head."

Hopefully we can all learn from our unfortunate 2-wheel comrades the importance of proper gear, including boots. This notion that it's too much trouble to put on a different pair of shoes, or that it takes away from the joys of riding to wear a full-face helmet and jacket is just ridiculous. I for one get a much greater sense of contentment when I ride knowing that should the worst happen, I've done everything I can within reason to mitigate and manage risk and injury.

[ericalm]

When riding for fun... side zip tactical boots. When going to work, dress shoes.

+1. I wear my Bates Enforcers as they are perfect for scooting, as well as being very comfortable off the bike.
-K

I have been wanting a pair of these, Smorris also praises them. I sometimes wear my old army boots but mostly wear sneaks in the summer. I know I should upgrade...

This thread had me looking for new boots options and I did see a number of tactical boots that looked okay.

What I like about some of them is that they provide the necessary protection, look fairly lightweight and comfortable, and are vaguely athletic shoe-styled, some even with air soles. Many riding boots aren't comfortable for standing or walking, and I also don't want to look like I'm wearing boots all the time.

[gt1000]

Hopefully we can all learn from our unfortunate 2-wheel comrades the importance of proper gear, including boots. This notion that it's too much trouble to put on a different pair of shoes, or that it takes away from the joys of riding to wear a full-face helmet and jacket is just ridiculous. I for one get a much greater sense of contentment when I ride knowing that should the worst happen, I've done everything I can within reason to mitigate and manage risk and injury.

Well said, as was DennisD's comment about "rolling the dice". And it's precisely my point! If you've been riding for a while and hanging out on different moto forums, you read about folks getting really messed up without gear and other folks surviving surprisingly bad encounters while wearing gear. I just read a new one today on the Ducati MS board about a guy and a deer. Suffice to say, his gear saved his ass. It's unlikely you'll encounter a deer on the typical scooter ride, but that unleashed Golden Retriever can do just as much damage.

Riding a bike is unpredictable. The more miles you pile up, the higher your risk. Sure, you're more experienced, and that helps, but you're also exposing yourself more often to random dangers. Inattentive drivers, deer, daydreaming bicyclists, big dogs, sand, gravel, choppy pavement, oil or grease and a host of other risks. I was riding home last week and something hit my helmet really hard. Acorn? Bird? Big bug? I have no idea, but without my helmet it would've hit me square in the forehead and might have been enough to take me down out of sheer surprise.

Do I fully gear up every time I ride? No, there are times when I'm going a few blocks to pick up milk where I take shortcuts. Usually, once I'm a block or two from home, I'm thinking I should have taken the extra two minutes to gear up. I hardly ever shortcut helmet, gloves and boots though because that's where the most significant damage tends to happen. And when I say "hardly ever", I'm talking about maybe once a year for some lame-assed reason.

As for boots, I tend to go with moto boots for a couple of reasons. One, already mentioned, is waterproofing. I have an old pair of Tourmaster boots that are my everyday scoot boots plus a newer pair of Sidi Sport Tepors. Both are comfy, fine for walking and completely waterproof. Nothing worse than ruining a pair of boots or shoes when stuck in a downpour.

[xtetra]

I try to avoid sneakers as much as possible. Usually I wear a pair of Merrill hiking boots but in truth they probably wouldn't hold up too well in a slide.

I was thinking about all leather high top sneakers which have thick ankle padding. Probably better than my hikers, but they still have laces.

My favorite combat style boot is called a tanker's boot. They are all leather and have one buckled strap over the top of your foot and a longer strap that wraps around your calf two or three times and buckles at the top. They are garbage for a long walk but not bad for riding. Their shortcoming is that there isn't any padding at the ankle like many motorcycle boot designs. The straps also stretch and you have to use an awl to punch new holes for the buckle. Its kind of a pain but you do get a better fit that way.

[DennisD]

I don't mean any offense to those asking the question, but the thing that gets me about this topic is that it just seems so no-brainer obvious. Am I the only one whose parents wouldn't let him ride a bicycle in flip flops because I could lose toes? Parents didn't make us wear helmets on bikes back then but we sure as heck better have had shoes on! Later in life when I took up longboarding and mountainboarding, pretty much everybody always wore shoes because, well, they wanted to keep their toes. Maybe it's because they wiped out enough times to know the value of proper gear. I remember getting a wicked speed wobble on my mountainboard one time which whipped me right off the board and onto my back, slamming the back of my head into the side of the hill. I had a proper skateboard helmet on, thankfully, but it still rung my bell pretty good. I imagine that had I not been wearing it, I would have been knocked out cold or even killed. But instead I was just a little dizzy. I'd always wear that same helmet when I longboarded too and when people would ask me why I wore it, I'd just show them the myriad of scrapes and marks on my lid and say "otherwise these would all have been my head."

Hopefully we can all learn from our unfortunate 2-wheel comrades the importance of proper gear, including boots. This notion that it's too much trouble to put on a different pair of shoes, or that it takes away from the joys of riding to wear a full-face helmet and jacket is just ridiculous. I for one get a much greater sense of contentment when I ride knowing that should the worst happen, I've done everything I can within reason to mitigate and manage risk and injury.

A lot of parents fall into the trap of "do what I say, not what I do". You as parents don't want to wear a helmet because "its too hhhhhhhhot". Well, guess what. As soon as your head is turned your lovely child is going to chuck that helmet. "My daddy doesn't wear one and he's ok!" And some parents either just don't care or think like children - "Aw, leave em alone. Nothins gonna happen! I never wore shoes all summer and we never had no helmets either - either - either" .

Wearing gear is not always convenient or perfectly comfortable and in today's society there are an AWFUL LOT of people who will go to great lengths and take silly chances to not be inconvenienced or less than comfortable. But as has been seen, the chances of greater inconvenience and greater discomfort doesn't just happen to someone else.

I might just be a grumpy old fart but I cannot believe that anyone that has managed to live to adulthood would be senseless enough to wear CROCS on any 2 wheeler - motorized or not.

Glad your injuries are no worse.

Dennis

[Penguinboy]

As the OP, I'm really psyched to see my post go 2 pages! WOO WHOO! Also, glad to read all the info and comments and suggestions people have. As a new rider, this is how I learn. There's not a big scooter community around me, so this is my community, my scooter club!

When we bought scoots, me and Janet also knew there was going to be another $300-$500 investment each in quality safety gear. We're prepared to make that investment and wear the gear we buy. We got good helmets and now were looking for good boots. I tried on some Magnum Stealth II today, over the ankle, side zip and laces. From what I've read here, laces are bad? Or some laces are bad? Just wondering...

Again, thanks all for taking the time to comment, to check back, and in a lot of cases, recomment.

-Danny

[Penguinboy]

If anyone is looking for new boots as a result of reading the posts here, I just came across this deal on Magnum Phantom V-lite 8" side zip boots. Thinking of getting them b/c the ones I was originally looking at, the Stealth II, is more than twice the price and they seem very similar.

Anyone have an opinion if these would make good scoot boots?

http://www.lapolicegear.com/mamephv8sizi.html

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[gt1000]

Laces are only bad if they can get tangled on something. Lots of moto boots are laced but the laces then are tucked under a velcro flap. If you can contain your laces and keep them from catching on anything, you have no worries.

[DennisD]

As the OP, I'm really psyched to see my post go 2 pages! WOO WHOO! Also, glad to read all the info and comments and suggestions people have. As a new rider, this is how I learn. There's not a big scooter community around me, so this is my community, my scooter club!

When we bought scoots, me and Janet also knew there was going to be another $300-$500 investment each in quality safety gear. We're prepared to make that investment and wear the gear we buy. We got good helmets and now were looking for good boots. I tried on some Magnum Stealth II today, over the ankle, side zip and laces. From what I've read here, laces are bad? Or some laces are bad? Just wondering...

Again, thanks all for taking the time to comment, to check back, and in a lot of cases, recomment.

-Danny

Laces will hang you up at a dead stop. Get that lace hung on something sticking out anywhere and TIMMMMMM BERRRRRRRR! Over ya go. They're time consuming also. Good fitting motorcycle boots with side zippers, no buckles, no straps, no conchos, or any other extraneous crap. Simple is better, safer, easier. And your wife won't yell at you for tracking mud in the house with those great big UGLY sasquatch lugged soles.

If two pages have made you happy, hang around. It will probably get longer. Now, if you REALLY want to see some action, start an oil thread and ask for reasons why such and such suggested by so and so is better than whatcha whozit said to use. Stand back and watch the show!

[ScooterTrash]

Converse low tops

[cmc715]

I always wear my Red Wing zip side boots, gloves, jeans, and helmet. I have a Corazzo Max riding jacket, but sometimes I go out in a t-shirt, which is probably not good.

[mlstephens]

Oxtar Jupiter 2 XCR boots, every time I'm riding.

[addictionriot]

Oxtar Jupiter 2 XCR boots, every time I'm riding.

ooo me likey. where did you find those?

[mlstephens]

ooo me likey. where did you find those?

NewEnough.com
The Oxtar brand is closing out, so they're cheap but limited sizes. The new boot is exactly the same but branded XCR and twice the price. They look better in person than in the pictures; the black piece near the ankle isn't nearly as shiny as it appears in photos.

[gt1000]

Oxtars are common and popular, you should be able to find them locally if you have more than one motorcycle shop nearby.

I tried a range of Oxtar boots when I bought my new Sidi's. Really liked the Oxtars a lot but they're built for wider feet than the ones I have just below my ankles, so the Sidis work better for me. Both are top notch quality.