[Nimz]

Hi Experts:

Does anyone have any experience with Shima exo Vented shoes?

https://amzn.eu/d/5S2hUg2

I have an option to pick up in Dubai.

Am looking for something I can put on very quickly for short rides to run errands within the city and the occasional breakfast ride. And also looks like a sneaker.

Any quick responses would be appreciated.

Thanks a bunch.

[aeeshaan007]

Hello members,

I had earlier put a post for recommendations on boots. After feedback from multiple members I had zeroed in on
1) Falco Oxegen 3 wtr
2) TCX RE Stelvio

The RE boots have been out of stock for quite sometime and when I made up my mind on Falco, my size is out of stock in whole of India 😂.

I would like to get further recommendations. My usage would be mainly road touring, occasional track. Waterproof would be an added convenience as I hate soggy shoes while riding.

Any suggestions in this regard would be helpful

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by aeeshaan007

Hello members,

I had earlier put a post for recommendations on boots. After feedback from multiple members I had zeroed in on
1) Falco Oxegen 3 wtr
2) TCX RE Stelvio

The RE boots have been out of stock for quite sometime and when I made up my mind on Falco, my size is out of stock in whole of India ��.

I would like to get further recommendations. My usage would be mainly road touring, occasional track. Waterproof would be an added convenience as I hate soggy shoes while riding.

Any suggestions in this regard would be helpful

Falco also has adventure boots. But I'm only seeing negative reviews of them. Personally know at least 3 cases. RE TCX Stelvio is awesome. But unfortunately that chapter is more or less over for anyone looking to buy new ones.

Search this thread for Forma Adventure and Tarmac Adventure boots. There are some comprehensive posts on them. Both are waterproof. I personally don't have knowledge on them outside of what's available on this thread.

Couple of updates from my end -

RE Carpace Riding Denims Knox L2

Had to size up by one because of the hip armour but overall good fit. However, the jeans themselves don't feel premium to me. It felt equivalent to paying 2k for the jeans and 3k for the Knox armour. Nonetheless, I'm happy with its fit so far.

Viaterra Holeshot riding gloves

My Viaterra Grid full gauntlets basically saved me and consequently, are now unusable. While I will buy another Grid full gauntlet gloves soon, I picked up the Holeshot. Again, feels premium and you wear it feeling that added protection from Day 1!

My only gripe with Viaterra gloves is that you need to break them in, which can take some time. I wish they just fit from day 1.

[bf1983]

DISCLAIMER : Have no connection to the store. Merely a first time customer passing on a deal.

https://planetdsg.com/

Planet DSG is having a sale of Alpinestar gear. I picked up a Jacket for 70% off and a pair of DryStar gloves for 50% off.

The Alpinestars Sportown Drystar® Air Black Riding Jacket is a full mesh riding jacket with a separate detachable rain liner that can be worn independently. This jacket used to retail for around 33k which to me seemed rather excessive for a mesh jacket. But for 10k it's great VFM.

To be fair I didn't need another jacket as my current Raida jacket is working perfectly fine but the lure of getting a $369 jacket for just 10k was too much and I bit the bullet. The Jacket is leagues better in quality and fit and finish than the Raida but most importantly it's FAR more comfortable than my current Raida so the Raida will be worn for city rides or very short rides only.

Even though the jacket used to sell for 33k it still came with just elbow and shoulder armor. No chest or back protectors and the Alpinestars protectors cost a pretty penny.

The Alpinestars Valparaiso Drystar Gloves are purely for rains or cold weather. They claim to be ventilated but they were extremely hot and uncomfortable to wear in our climate. The quality of the gloves is extremely good and hopefully it should last me a long time as they will be my primary gloves for the rainy season rides. I paid 5k for them.

[TheHelix0202]

Got these Raida Explorer boots (Size 12) for touring + trail riding yesterday. These are my first set of proper boots, and I’ll update this post in the future, after I break them in and use them over a few thousand kilometres. They’re decently snug fitting, riding pants, once I buy them, will make them snugger (?).

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Got these Raida Explorer boots (Size 12) for touring + trail riding yesterday. These are my first set of proper boots, and I’ll update this post in the future, after I break them in and use them over a few thousand kilometres. They’re decently snug fitting, riding pants, once I buy them, will make them snugger (?).

Good for touring Don't know how much effective protection these can give on a trail as these doesn't have any structural rigidity (squeeze test). You can touch both sides of upper, about 2 inches above the ankle bone!

That said this is definitely a good start and keep you safe from abrasions along the trail. But be very careful with the bike falling on your leg scenario on a trail. The website says, "Full Grain Leather & Suede Upper" hence should last long if proper leather care is taken. In addition, these are "CE Certified: EN ISO 20345 Standard"

Ideally, a pair of proper riding trousers would easily go over the boots. Riding denims can slip into them! Wear your boots for pants trial.

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Good for touring Don't know how much effective protection these can give on a trail as these doesn't have any structural rigidity (squeeze test). You can touch both sides of upper, about 2 inches above the ankle bone!

That said this is definitely a good start and keep you safe from abrasions along the trail. But be very careful with the bike falling on your leg scenario on a trail. The website says, "Full Grain Leather & Suede Upper" hence should last long if proper leather care is taken. In addition, these are "CE Certified: EN ISO 20345 Standard"

Ideally, a pair of proper riding trousers would easily go over the boots. Riding denims can slip into them! Wear your boots for pants trial.

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz

Thanks, man! Yeah, I was surprised to see the lack of sidewall protection (?) - the absence of a metal ring going around the upper heel area was surprising, and they do fail the squeeze test. But under 10k, these are the only real decent ones out there.

Thanks for the riding denims advice too, I was confused between denims and regular pants, but I don’t think the jeans would go well with longer rides. Plus no thermal liners.

[surjaonwheelz]

New Gear Alert: Scala Trekker Gloves

I recently purchased the Scala Trekker full gauntlet riding gloves from Open Road, Pune at a discount for Rs. 5,499/- It was old stock and doesn't have the visor wiper on the left hand index finger. As these are not even water resistant I was fine without it!

The primary reason to get these was that I wanted to try Kangaroo leathers, they're supposed to be supple and comfortable. I have goatskin and cowhide riding gloves.

Though the website mentions,"Made from 100% highly abrasion-resistant Kangaroo genuine leather." There is no Kangaroo leather tag on the glove!


In hand, the glove feels plush, it may be due to the Kangaroo leather or the Polyester lining. In addition, the fit is a sports touring fit, overall the fit and comfort is better than the competition. These gloves are not CE certified but has a Sastec L2 knuckle protector which is soft and very comfortable. In addition, it has the Knox SPS hard sliders and pinky finger bridge.


Indian CE certified full gauntlet gloves:
Rynox Storm Evo 3
Viaterra Grid 3
Solace Furious/Outlaw

The Grid, a pair of goatskin gloves will definitely require breaking them in. My hands didn't fit the Rynox well. My throttle hand thumb area gets a bit stressed after long rides hence I went for a relaxed sports touring fit rather than a track focused fit. According to me, this pair would also surpass CE ratings if certified! The discount sealed the deal, otherwise this pair is the costliest of them all.

Ventilation might be an issue on this pair as the perforated fingers are covered with a solid leather patch to enclose the foam inserts to protect the finger joints.

Furthermore, the ribbed stretch panels are present on only 3 finger joints. I would have loved it to be present on the thumb also!

Coincidentally, bhpian Sportztourer was hunting for his 2nd pair of gloves and he has made a review video in his style,

Video link

I've used these gloves for less than 500 kms now and it's too early to comment on the durability so consider these as my initial impressions. For comfort, include this pair in your shortlist!

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by aeeshaan007

The RE boots have been out of stock for quite sometime and when I made up my mind on Falco, my size is out of stock in whole of India 😂.

I would like to get further recommendations. My usage would be mainly road touring, occasional track. Waterproof would be an added convenience as I hate soggy shoes while riding.

Any suggestions in this regard would be helpful

RE TCX boots have gone out of stock for a while now. Also, most imported boots are not available in stock since imports are restricted.

I wanted to replace my Sidi Fusion boots and tried to get a pair of Falco boots but most stores in Bangalore had no stock in my size.

Finally bought the Falco Marshall Adventure boots (link) which I managed to get in my size from Highlander HSR Layout, Bangalore. Very comfortable boots, waterproof and sturdily built. Do check them out. This is an Italian brand but made in Romania IIRC.

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Falco also has adventure boots. But I'm only seeing negative reviews of them. Personally know at least 3 cases.

Could you please elaborate on the negative reviews and for which variant of the Falco boots? From what I researched, the Falco Marshall has very good reviews.

I also replaced my Spartan jacket which was quite old with the RE Nirvik jacket. More details on the jacket - https://store.royalenfield.com/en/um...g-jacket-brown

Will be getting a pair of these pants to replace my Spartan riding pants as well which are quite old.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Could you please elaborate on the negative reviews and for which variant of the Falco boots? From what I researched, the Falco Marshall has very good reviews...

Falco Marshall was something I also loved when I wore it at the store. Uber comfortable!

Coming to your question, what people (via chat or WA groups) have reported is that the buckles come off, or that the waterproofing doesn't really work.

Like this -

This has happened with a couple of people.

One person bought and probably used Falco on one ride only to see water seeping through the toe region.
It might've been a one off and eventually through multiple follow-ups, he was able to get his money back, but wasn't a great experience.
It convinced me not to go the Falco route at least for now. That said, I'd love to hear more positive reviews of it

[SkaiDrive]

Originally Posted by bf1983

https://planetdsg.com/

Planet DSG is having a sale of Alpinestar gear. I picked up a Jacket for 70% off and a pair of DryStar gloves for 50% off.

The Alpinestars Sportown Drystar® Air Black Riding Jacket is a full mesh riding jacket with a separate detachable rain liner that can be worn independently. This jacket used to retail for around 33k which to me seemed rather excessive for a mesh jacket. But for 10k it's great VFM.

Thank you so much for sharing this! I got a new xpulse 200 3 weeks back and first thing I wanted was protection. Found this at the right time and ordered these. Only 2xl was available so was confused whether it would fit me as generally my cloth sizes are XL. As I tried it on today, This was a perfect fit for me. Couldn't afford these gloves so went ahead with solace dual sports.

I had also gotten the raida discover boots from official website. It was mentioned refurbished and got at 4k. I was called to check through WhatsApp if the boot was okay and I said can't check much on pictures but as long as it protects me and refurbished one wont affects the quality I'm fine. Received them yesterday with a problem of zipper fitment in the right foot. The customer support was saying things along the line of it wouldn't be a problem and it's okay wouldn't affect the safety. They offered a refund if I'm not satisfied and didn't offer a repair work. So I went ahead with it anyway for now.

Went ahead with guardian gears 40L mini tail bag and 18l tank bag since they had a sale running when I checked. It expired soon after I ordered so got lucky. Seems like really good quality and can handle some rains. Had a good Experience from ordering to unpacking. Small things like manuals and proper packaging goes a long way in making a first impression.

Also got a rynox shark mobile holder. Seems like a great idea since I can move the holder from one bike to another and also carry around the pouch with full waterproofing.

Will be updating with photos soon. Phone camera got messed with some glitch!

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Coming to your question, what people (via chat or WA groups) have reported is that the buckles come off, or that the waterproofing doesn't really work.

The store staff specifically mentioned that the boot straps need to be securely fastened as they could fall off since they are adjustable and have no "stopper" at the end of the straps. However, the pic you posted does not look like the Falco Marshall boots. There is no rivet in the boot on the other side of the strap. Maybe you are referring to some other brand or model?

The 6KIOM website mentions water resistant and not waterproof so expect feet to get wet in a downpour. Here is the description - High-Tex Membrane – Falco membrane resistant to water penetration.

You can buy waterproof boot covers for those wet weather rides.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

The store staff specifically mentioned that the boot straps need to be securely fastened as they could fall off since they are adjustable and have no "stopper" at the end of the straps. However, the pic you posted does not look like the Falco Marshall boots. There is no rivet in the boot on the other side of the strap. Maybe you are referring to some other brand or model?

The 6KIOM website mentions water resistant and not waterproof so expect feet to get wet in a downpour. Here is the description - High-Tex Membrane – Falco membrane resistant to water penetration.

You can buy waterproof boot covers for those wet weather rides.

You're correct. The Falco Marshall is something I like too & could see myself getting one.
The pic I shared was of the Falco Avantour. They're meant to be waterproof. And water ingress from top of the boots is understandable. But not from the toes region. They accepted it as being faulty & refunded the individual.

I was able to procure one of the last few RE TCX Stelvio boots for myself, through help from @neil.jericho, a few months ago

[siddhant]

Guys, does anybody own a cooling vest for summer riding? The only one I see now-a-days is from Bikeratti - https://www.bikeratti.com/category/bikeratti-glacier but some stores also stock BodyCool Pro - https://letsgearup.in/products/copy-...ool-pro-a-lime

Is it comfortable wearing beneath a riding jacket and are these effective in the first place? Some online reviews suggest they are good for 3-4 hours but would like to know any first-hand reviews from BHPians if possible.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by siddhant

Guys, does anybody own a cooling vest for summer riding? The only one I see now-a-days is from Bikeratti - https://www.bikeratti.com/category/bikeratti-glacier but some stores also stock BodyCool Pro - https://letsgearup.in/products/copy-...ool-pro-a-lime

Is it comfortable wearing beneath a riding jacket and are these effective in the first place? Some online reviews suggest they are good for 3-4 hours but would like to know any first-hand reviews from BHPians if possible.

I have heard good reviews of cooling vests as a product in general. I just picked up a Revit one (link) day before yesterday from HNP Delhi but haven’t had the chance to use it well. I dont expect it to be as effective in Mumbai humidity but more once I’m outside Mumbai limits. Will update my experience as and when I’ve put some miles under the belt with it. In our heat, I understand its best to re - dip in water every 2 - 4 hours max.