[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Just that wet jeans are awful to ride in. And pants are also much more comfortable on a ride than jeans.

Although I extensively wear Riding Jeans, especially for casual and city rides, my biggest cheese with them is their tendency to slip on the seat while riding pants don't. I have 3 pairs (Bikeratti, Zeus and RE) and all of them had a tendency to slip on both my earlier RC390 and now V650.

[derek]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

By far the most comprehensive and comfortable knee guards I've ever worn are leatt dual hinge guards. It's available at lazyassbikers

And thanks to you, I picked these up. Along with an icon 2 jacket for the missus. I’m still waiting for viaterra to release their riding jacket!

[neil.jericho]

I had recently picked up a pair of Royal Enfield's Cooper sneakers during their sale and have used it for a few short rides and while running errands. So Im posting a short review to help other readers.

I am someone who always wears my A* SMX1R boots (ankle length) while riding anywhere in and around town (except for when I would ride to office back in the day) and I do have a pair of racing boots for longer rides and track usage. But there have been instances where I have felt that a pair of ankle length shoes / boots that offer some protection while being more comfortable to walk around in, as compared to the A* ones, would be welcome. With that in mind, I took the plunge on the RE Cooper sneakers that looked good and which could be used for casual wear as well.

The features of the sneakers, as stated on the product page are

• Fit: Regular fit;
• Outer Layer: Made from the Abrasion-resistant high-quality leather and coated canvas;
• Sole: TPR anti-skid sole,
• Impact Protection: TPU protectors in heel cup, toe box, and ankle.
• Comfort: Toe shift patch helps in shifting gears while riding, Padded foam around the ankle provides added comfort.
• Zipper at the back for easy entry and exit.
• Royal Enfield branding at the ankle.

In the real world, shifting gears with these sneakers is easy and it does the job really well in that aspect. The fit was slightly loose for me even when it was tied up, so I threw in a set of under sole pads from an old Skechers pair that I had lying around and that completely sorted out the fitting part. I probably should have bought one size lower instead. Wear them with a pair of jeans and nobody would even notice that they are riding sneakers with protection, in comparison, the A* boots used to draw a lot of attention everywhere I went.

Coming to the crux of the matter - yes, it does offer less protection than the A* SMX1R but it is a lot more practical and convenient for day to day use. I still prefer the A* boots for the greater protection and only occasionally opt for these when I am on my bike. I do often wear them as a pair of informal shoes if I have to go somewhere while taking the car.

So, which bikers are these types of shoes meant for?
1. A lot of riders only have expensive, top of the line, full length boots (either racing or touring usage) that are perfectly suited for their weekend riding. But those are an overkill for in city meets or short errands and the riders will only have a pair of Nikes for these scenarios. Here, a usable city focused pair of sneakers like the RE Cooper ones would be perfect, as it would provide some protection while still being suited for motorcycle as well as casual wear. And, at Rs 3,500 (regular price) they are affordable as compared to a pair of ankle length boots like the A* SMX1R which goes for Rs 18 - 19K or so while offering a lot more protection.

2. Many riders new to riding gear, tend to put boots as the last item on the list and prefer to manage with their sneakers or other rugged footwear. Spending upwards of Rs 10 K for a pair of boots while on a budget can be challenging. Sneakers with some protection like this are a lot more affordable and are surely better than what they were using earlier.

3. Riders, like me, who have ankle length boots but want sneakers for more mainstream usage but without the added attention.

Ultimately, it all comes down to drawing a balance between protection / safety, convenience / comfort and affordability.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I had recently picked up a pair of Royal Enfield's Cooper sneakers during their sale and have used it for a few short rides and while running errands. So Im posting a short review to help other readers.

In the real world, shifting gears with these sneakers is easy and it does the job really well in that aspect.

Ultimately, it all comes down to drawing a balance between protection / safety, convenience / comfort and affordability.

On a similar note, I got the RE Rickman Sneaker matching my Ravishing Red Interceptor, just for the reasons stated by Neil above. INT650 was my first bike with only the toe gear shifter! I was a bit skeptical of the gear lever mark it would leave on my other boots/shoes. Actually, you need excuses to buy a new pair! I tuck in the laces (the weakest point of these sneakers) behind the tongue of the shoe. I also got it on Sale at 25% off. These are older line of sneakers from RE and only few sizes are left now.



They took some light showers and were ok. As this pair is made of leather in matt finish or distress look, it catches a lot of dust and needs attention. Very understated except the red soles. I'm happy as I've a full length riding boot to complement this pair of riding sneakers!

Agree and promote all the points mentioned by Neil as to who should get these.

Ride Safe,
surjaonwheelz

[BikeDevil44]

Quick question.
Has anyone here tried the TVS Racing riding pants which seem to offer CE level 2 armour for the knee and also hip inserts.
Thank you in advance.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

On a similar note, I got the RE Rickman Sneaker matching my Ravishing Red Interceptor, just for the reasons stated by Neil above. INT650 was my first bike with only the toe gear shifter! I was a bit skeptical of the gear lever mark it would leave on my other boots/shoes. Actually, you need excuses to buy a new pair! I tuck in the laces (the weakest point of these sneakers) behind the tongue of the shoe.

Excellent choice! I had the Rickman sneakers in my final two shortlist but took the Cooper sneakers just for their brown colour. I completely agree on the excuses to buy a new pair

I must try tucking in the laces behind the tongue of the shoe. I always wear lace-less shoes, even for formal wear that I use to office, so that the laces dont get stuck while riding. I forgot to mention that in my earlier post.

[dinodavid]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I must try tucking in the laces behind the tongue of the shoe. I always wear lace-less shoes, even for formal wear that I use to office, so that the laces dont get stuck while riding. I forgot to mention that in my earlier post.

I always get the lock laces in addition to the shoes I buy. More convenient and safe. It's easily available on Amazon.

[surjaonwheelz]

Hello Riders,

This question is for those riders who have gradually upgraded from local/beginner riding gears to a level up or premium riding gears. What do you do to your old gear?

I've some riding gears which is now 5 years old and I don't know whether to pass it on or simply discard it or keep it stored. Some of the foam armors (typical back protectors that come with the jacket) have disintegrated, I've put them out of service. Other armors have not shown any visual disintegration.
The advantage with old gear is that it fits like a second skin! I'm always inclined towards storing them for that occasional use when other gears are dirty or unusable. In that case you have to justify every sq-feet of storage space utilized!

The other category is slightly misfit gears or lower spec stuff which you may have bought for a stop-gap solution and now you don't use it or need it. But these gears still have some usable life left in them.

Luckily, I passed on my old helmet to a guy who was not using one helmet due to all silly reasons. I got him used to a helmet so that later he could buy one of his choice!

It's not that all of us has got the riding gear sorted at the first attempt and it's never ending!

Please share your experience.
/surjaonwheelz

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Hello Riders,

This question is for those riders who have gradually upgraded from local/beginner riding gears to a level up or premium riding gears. What do you do to your old gear?

In my case I retire them from active highway duty and use them in city for casual errands such as service centre / petrol bunk visits and such things where I know I won't even be exceeding crawling speeds. If the armour is too old, better to replace it.

I've some riding gears which is now 5 years old and I don't know whether to pass it on or simply discard it or keep it stored.

Passing on somehow sounds a little weird because it is after all like clothes one wears, so this is a nice topic - not sure if there will ever be any 'needy biker' willing to take used biker 'clothes' as giveaways However, I have seen ads on olx selling used riding gear and maybe there is a section of (mostly beginner riders like price-sensitive youngster) buyers who don't mind used riding gear at 1/4 or 1/5 the cost of brand new stuff.

Luckily, I passed on my old helmet to a guy who was not using one helmet due to all silly reasons. I got him used to a helmet so that later he could buy one of his choice!

Helmets are more generic due to the compulsory rule everywhere and can somehow be passed on or even sold a bit more easily compared to other riding gear such as jackets/pants which are likely classified as used clothes and shunned.

That said, I am still left with all helmets from when I began my riding journey 15 years ago . I've stashed the older ones away in the attic, not sure what to do with them. For now I'll claim that I retain them for memories and get away with it as long as there is no space shortage in the attic, lol! Jokes apart, helmet disposal is an interesting topic and I would be curious to know what is the right way to get rid of them. Obviously they cannot be dumped similar to other trash / garbage.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Passing on somehow sounds a little weird because it is after all like clothes one wears, so this is a nice topic - not sure if there will ever be any 'needy biker' willing to take used biker 'clothes' as giveaways However, I have seen ads on olx selling used riding gear and maybe there is a section of (mostly beginner riders like price-sensitive youngster) buyers who don't mind used riding gear at 1/4 or 1/5 the cost of brand new stuff.

Jokes apart, helmet disposal is an interesting topic and I would be curious to know what is the right way to get rid of them. Obviously they cannot be dumped similar to other trash / garbage.

There was a thread for Helmet disposal (How to dispose off an old helmet?) earlier, you can re-kindle it! By passing on I don't mean to earn any monetary benefit from them. It's more like breaking the barrier and introducing them to riding gears. If they're clean and usable, why not pass it on? But as you said it's very difficult to find that 'needy biker'

[yesyeswe]

Can we use safety shoes as riding boots? I saw a pair of Allen solly safety boots and they looked pretty solid and of high quality to me, plus they had good reviews on Amazon as well. I have a pair of timberland boots which i use on my rides, but gear shifting in them is cumbersome.

The only riding i do is like once a month and that too with the RE group, small nearby rides so don't want to spend too much on the boots. By the looks of the safety boots, i am sure the gear shifting would be hard as well.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

Can we use safety shoes as riding boots? I saw a pair of Allen solly safety boots and they looked pretty solid and of high quality to me, plus they had good reviews on Amazon as well. I have a pair of timberland boots which i use on my rides, but gear shifting in them is cumbersome.

The only riding i do is like once a month and that too with the RE group, small nearby rides so don't want to spend too much on the boots. By the looks of the safety boots, i am sure the gear shifting would be hard as well.

Short answer NO. For both boots.

https://youtu.be/rmWQKoN6yX0

Long answer, maybe after you break your foot or lets wait for Neil to pipe in.

Ps: accidents do not choose between long trips or short trips. You can fall anywhere...anytime.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

Can we use safety shoes as riding boots

Short unpopular answer - yes

Slightly longer version:

I've owned multiple riding boots. The touring kinds like my alpinestars ridge, race type boots like my Smx R and a couple of motocross boots. I'm going to compare them all to a pair of CAT steeltoe ankle length boots that I own and have ridden in a lot

The touring type boot is probably the biggest sham in safety. After a few short months, my alpinestars ridge was about as supportive and rigid as a sock. Soft toe area, a plastic disc on the ankle as a "protector", very pliable heel and a relative bendy sole. The race boot wasn't too high on protection either. Super flexible, good shin protection but everything else is bendy and pliable, meant to provide max feel from the controls + footpegs and let's you move around comfortably. No real crush or rotational impact protection. It's just meant to help u take a long slide on a perfectly level race track

In comparison, my CAT has a steel toe hard enough to kill a grown man, a very stiff sole (comparatively) and while there aren't any fancy plastic circles around the ankle masquerading as protection, the laces on this thing come up high and if you cinch it down, your ankle is much more secure than in either of the two boots I mentioned above. The only place it loses out is to the Smx R in terms of shin protection. Everywhere else, it feels comprehensively better at protecting your feet

The MX boots are a different ball game. Nothing comes close in terms of the protection they provide. Heel, toe, ankle, shin... the protection is leagues ahead of everything mentioned above. But...

They're heavy, super stiff, uncomfortable for daily use and very impractical. I'm used to them so I would even wear them if I were to go touring. But would I wear these to Karol Bagh market? If I dont mind all that pain from walking around or people staring at the stormtrooper that just waltzed in. Some folks are super cool and dont give 2 hoots to all this attention, but I like to keep a low profile

I would however recommend that you stay away from Friggin Allen Solly man... cmon! They make office shirts from crying out loud. They know nothing about safety boots or workboots. You've got timberlands that I'm sure are about as protective as my CAT. change your gear lever position and ride in those.

Per me, for general riding around, these kind of workboots provide adequate protection for every day kinda riding. This is just my opinion and obviously doesn't apply to everyone. As always, YMMV

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

This question is for those riders who have gradually upgraded from local/beginner riding gears to a level up or premium riding gears. What do you do to your old gear?

When my helmets reach 4 - 5 years of usage, I try to find someone who doesnt ride with any helmet or use a cheap helmet and give it to them (after letting them know its used) with the hope that they take their safety seriously and wear it all the time. Once, I gave a helmet to our erstwhile driver as I saw that he was using one of those cheap, road side Rs 500 helmets for going around town on his bike. Later, while shifting homes, I gave a helmet to one of the packing guys who was curious about the, to him, expensive helmets that I had. When I got to know that he rides without a helmet, I asked him to take it on the condition that he promised me that he will start riding with it. Some of my other old helmets are lying in my parents house.

Recently, I gave away my old A* jacket to a young friend and riding enthusiast here in Cochin. I asked him to upgrade the armour in a year or so and it needed a small patch but otherwise it was perfectly functional and good to go for several more years.

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

Can we use safety shoes as riding boots? I saw a pair of Allen solly safety boots and they looked pretty solid and of high quality to me, plus they had good reviews on Amazon as well. I have a pair of timberland boots which i use on my rides, but gear shifting in them is cumbersome.

The only riding i do is like once a month and that too with the RE group, small nearby rides so don't want to spend too much on the boots. By the looks of the safety boots, i am sure the gear shifting would be hard as well.

yesyeswe, there are a couple of things here that I would like to share my thoughts on. Firstly, you are not the only person who has found gear shifting difficult on the Continental GT 650 while wearing protective footwear. On all my test rides of the Continental GT 650, I was wearing A* ankle length boots and I have consistently found that it is very difficult to shift gears. It looks as though this issue of gear shifting difficulty doesnt impact everyone, so maybe it is for people with bigger feet who are wearing protective gear? My shoes size is either a 9.5 or 10 or maybe even 11 depending on the brand. I do not have any issue with the GT 535 though, gear shifting is a breeze there, so it has to do with the ergonomics of the GT 650 and size of the protective footwear. This is the main reason why I prefer riding the Interceptor 650 over the GT 650.

With that out of the way, you own the bike and you need to keep your feet safe while being able to comfortably ride it, which includes shifting gears. I tried looking up the Allen Solly safety boots but could not locate them so I cannot say how good they are / may be. I would say look at Orazo boots as your primary option, they are very popular in India and give you much more safety than regular shoes or other simple non riding boots. Prices are very good as well. But try to find a store where you can physically put them on and ask if you can sit on your bike and see if you are able to shift the gears with it.

If it is too bulky and you cannot use them, you next best option will be looking at the riding shoes / sneakers similar to what surjaonwheelz and I had posted about recently. These come with some ankle protection and will be a lot more comfortable than your Orazo boots.

Do remember more comfort will result in less protection so its a trade off.

[surjaonwheelz]

Back in the year, 2013 when I started looking for Riding gears there were a few brands and stores available locally. Riding gears were part of trekking and mountaineering stores also.

The following brands were around in Pune, Rynox was just coming up and their riding jacket was heavy as hell.

DSG - Oldest in Pune circle
Cramster - Holed out a pair of leather gloves, their product line-up never evolved
Aspida-Scimitar (Spartan Pro-gear) - Using two jackets, arguably the best local brand in terms of variety and reach
PGS Biking Gears - Seen on Bullet groups
Rynox - They have shown promising evolution of their product line-up

Over a period of time, 5-6 years so many local brands came up. It's difficult to keep track. I'll try to provide a link to all available brands.

RR Gears - Single product wonder, no website yet! RR Riding jacket
Lone Ranger
Raida
Scala - no website but available in popular gear stores
Mototech
Biking Brotherhood (BBG)
XDI
XTS
Solace
Tarmac
Zeus
Viaterra
TBG - been around for long but not seen their products
Bikeratti - Riding jeans but their waterproof gloves are an underdog. Get your D3O armor here

Do share your local brand riding gear experience and product you're using or used in the past!

I may have missed out some local brands, please list them too.

Note: I'm not promoting any particular brand, just sharing the options available locally. This is not a local vs imported gear debate!

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz