Do you wear your pants tucked into your motorcycle boots or are you a loose legger with your pants over the top of your boots?
Look around at other riders and you will see examples of both.
But why is there a difference and does it matter?
We’ve asked around various riders and found there is a variety of reasons given for both versions.
The case for pants tuckers
Obviously, if you have skinny jeans or narrow race leathers they have to go inside the boots.
There are also some practical reasons for this.
The main reason we have been told is that your pant legs flap around annoyingly if they are over the boots.
One rider told me he has worn his pants tucked since he snagged his trousers years ago in a hi-low range lever on an old trail bike and fell over.
Riders have also told us that it seals in the warmth in winter
There also seems to be a fashion trend among boy racers and, at the other extreme, some Ulysses members, to wear their pants inside the boots.
Then there is the cafe racer “rocker” fashion trend to wear your jeans tucked into white socks with the tops rolled down over the tops of the boots.
Rocker style
Some say it’s less messy and point to riders with their pants caught half mast on the top of their boots.
The case for loose leggers
Rossi circa 2005
There was a trend back in the early 2000s for MotoGP racers to wear their leathers over the top of the boots.
The reasoning was aerodynamics and not getting your outside boot buckles caught on anything! They seem to have all gone back to leathers inside the boots.
Adventure riders tend to wear their pants over the tops of their buckled boots for the same reason of not getting them caught on anything such as bushes.
Charley Boorman is a loose legger
Mostly riders wear their pants over the top because it is too uncomfortable to jam their trousers inside their boots.
It also has the practical side of keeping the rain from dribbling down into your boots.
And in summer, it allows air down into your boots so your feet don’t sweat.
Are you a tucker or a loose leg rider? What are your reasons? Leave your comments below.
This stylish motorcycle shoe is the result of a collaboration between Milan shoemaker Seboy’s and Italian vintage motorcycle restoration workshop Soiatti Moto Classiche.
They say the shoe has extra leather in the toe for protection with discrete gear shift protectors on both shoes to cater for riders of vintage motorcycles with the gear shift on the right.
That seems to be about the sum total of the protection offered.
We’re very wary of any elasticised boots as they can easily slip off in a crash, but in this case there is the added perceived hazard of laces which could get caught in the levers.
Stylish beginning
Massimilano Agostinacchio and Roberto Rusticchelli of Seboy’s started developing the shoe after going for a ride with their friend Alberto Soiatti and his father, Daniele.
Alberto Soiatti in his workshop
“We spent several months consulting stylists, designers, we evaluated hundreds of projects but we were never fully satisfied,” Massimilano says.
“Nothing came close to the dream of creating something unique and special until a sunny afternoon in which we decided to ride our motorbikes together and it all seemed so clear to us.
“We had to create a shoe inspired by the line of the beautiful motorcycles of the ‘70s. It has to be fascinating, sinuous and actual nowadays as in 20 years.
“It must be comfortable and pleasant to wear in our everyday life as well as when we ride our beloved motorcycle.”
Funding appeal
The collaboration is seeking Kickstarter support to get the project to production.
So far they have only two backers at $343 toward a $16,213 goal with 36 days to go.
“We decided to launch the project on Kickstarter because we truly believe in this community,” Massimilano says.
“We’ll offer the shoe to an interesting price, from the factory directly to you.”
The “interesting price” is €290 (about $A470), but Kickstarter supporters can get them for €199 ($A323).
They are expected to be delivered in August 2019 in black and dark brown with sizes from 6.6 to 11.5 (40-45 Euro).
* What price do you put on style and safety in a motorcycle shoe? Leave your comments below.
Dickies has been a go-to name for work wear for generations. The company’s garments are tough, cheap, and available almost everywhere. Dickies’ new Moto Collection adds abrasion-resistant cloth to familiar designs. It’s not the kind of stuff we’d trust to save our hide on a real off, but it’s perfect for wearing in the garage or on a quick rip around the block after cleaning out your carbs for the 1,000th time. The Eisenhower jacket’s contoured arms and gusseted shoulders are comfortable enough in a riding position, but an attractive price is the real winner.
Shop pants typically fit like they’ve been imported from 1950, with high waists and baggy legs. The Moto chinos can be had in a variety of fits, and because they’re made from the same tough textile as the Eisenhower jacket, they’ll stand up to years of crawling around on the concrete while you clean chains and change oil. Dickies threw in a contoured waist to keep the things comfortable on a bike too.
A good pair of boots is as at home in the garage as it is in the office. Red Wing has been making its Iron Rangers for over 100 years. Like the Dickies threads, the boots are made to take a beating, but they’re comfortable enough for daily wear. The Vibram sole stays stuck even on wet concrete, and a thick leather upper will last for years with proper care.
The CDC is pretty clear about dermal absorption. For many workers, toxic substances enter the bloodstream through the skin, not the lungs. Disposable shop gloves are our go-to for keeping the nasty stuff off our hands and out of our bodies, but the cheap, thin parts-store variety are about as durable as a paper towel. These 14-mil bruisers walk the fine line between being tough enough to resist tearing and thin enough to maintain dexterity. At $20 a box, they’re more expensive than the kind you’ll find at the dentist, but you’ll use fewer per project, reducing waste while you’re at it.
My wardrobe is bursting with motorcycle helmets, jackets, boots and pants l’ve been reviewing and Mrs MBW says it’s time to get rid of some of the surplus gear and pass on a bargain or two.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is jackets are only large, pants 34” waist and helmets small (55-56cm). Also, I will only sell helmets to anyone who comes to my place in western Brisbane to try it on first. That’s a safety and fitment issue!
Working out what to sell is difficult because I have a wide variety of gear and sometimes I need the right gear when testing various types of motorcycle.
So I need adventure gear for testing adventure bikes, plus cruiser gear, track wear and even hipster outfits!
But I have so many that I don’t get around to wearing or that have been superseded.
So while none of this gear is faulty or not fit for purpose, it is simply surplus to my needs and not a reflection of my opinion on their quality. You can read my original reviews by clicking on the names.
Jeans
Saint Unbreakable Technical Black Denim Slim Fit Jeans
There are several pairs of riding jeans with and without kevlar lining in my cupboard that I can’t wear anymore because I’ve put on a bit of a gut from fine wines, and bad beers.
It’s easier to flog them than stop drinking!
They are all 34” waist and include Draggin’, DriRider, Harley-Davidson, Icon, Neds, Saint and Shark Leathers.
Sjark camos
They are black blue, grey and camo and ranged in new price from a couple of hunjee to $700!
They cost $1099 new, but you can have it for $790 with clear and tinted visors. It weighs just 1295g which makes it the lightest modular helmet available.
It has the same impact protection as AG Pista SGP-R helmet as worn by Valentino Rossi.
The Harley-Davidson Vintage Strip helmet is basically a Bell Bullitt made for Harley with their logos. It costs $539 new and I’ll let it go for $200.
Both are less than two years old.
Boots
Johnny Reb
TCX
Axo
Stylmartin
Any pair of boots on offer will walk out the door for just $50 a pair if you pay postage. They are all size 11 or 45 Euro.
TCX Street Ace Air boots join the booming trend in recent years for commuter riding shoes that you can wear on and off the bike in equal comfort with some protection.
The trend is understandable. The last thing most city riders want is to have to carry a spare pair of work/casual shoes because their motorcycle boots look like SS stormtrooper boots.
Most of this new generation of commuter boots wouldn’t look out of place in a casual office, at the movies, in a restaurant or bar, or most other social occasions.
TCX’s Street Ace Air boots cost $219 which is about average for these types of shoes. They come in sizes EU 36-48 and US 3.5-13.
Tough boots
TCX’s Street Ace Air stand out from the commuter crop as a slightly tougher-skinned boot.
They are made of a thick and stiff leather that is perforated all round, except the toe and heel. Inside is a breathable lining so your feet are less likely to sweat and stink out the office.
After several weeks of use, my gear shift has hardly scuffed the left boot. Perhaps that’s because the aged or vintage “anthracite” leather disguises any rubber marks from the shifter.
The branding is also discrete so they don’t look like kids’ gym shoes.
Unlike most other commuter boots we’ve tried, these have a very stiff, non-slip rubber sole.
They actually feel a bit too stiff for a lot of walking. They may soften with age.
However, that stiffness protects your foot from rotational forces in a crash.
TCX has also added tough toe, ankle and heel impact protection that is padded on the inside so they still feel comfortable.
Laces or no laces?
These TCX boots feature a lace system which some riders claim can be dangerous because you can get them caught in the pegs or levers.
That happened to me once and I quickly learnt the lesson to tie the laces short or tuck them into the top of the boots.
Despite that incident, I actually prefer lace-up boots because you can get a good solid fit as you can vary the tightness along the length of the laces.
This works particularly well for me as my right foot is bigger than the left thanks to breaking it in an off-road jump (even though I was wearing expensive MX boots).
Elasticised boots can be more dangerous than lace-ups as they will pull off in a crash, while zip-up boots never fit as well.
Besides, these TCX boots have a high ankle so the laces would have to be tied up very loose for the loops to get caught in any levers or pegs.
I didn’t even do them up to the top eyelet and the laces still don’t droop low enough to cause any concerns.
About TCX
TCX is an Italian company that started in 1999 as Oxtar. They make a range of road and off-road race, touring and leisure boots for male and female riders.
The company has patented their TCS (Torsion Control System) that controls the movement of the riders foot in both directions to protect from ankle injury.
TCX was the first boot company to have CE Certification on all its products.
The proof is in the riding so we put a new pair of TCX X-Blend waterproof boots to the ultimate test recently simply by riding in the rain for a couple of days.
Not only did the $299 Romanian-made boots prove to be waterproof, but with some hot and dry weather thrown in, we also found they are breathable.
Waterproof and breathable?
Now we know what you’re thinking: “How can a boot be both waterproof and breathable?”
It’s a tough synthetic resin made by polymerising tetrafluoroethylene, whatever that is!
You would probably know it best as the coating on non-stick pots and pans. It is also used to make seals and bearings.
Most waterproof/breathable riding gear features Gore-Tex which is actually the proprietary name for a version of teflon that has been stretched by a factor of seven times its normal size, Mark says.
“The stretching process induces the teflon to have thousands of miniscule holes per square inch.
“These holes are big enough to allow air and water vapour through but too small to allow water droplets through – hence it’s a breathable while being waterproof fabric.”
The T-Dry lining in a lot of TCX boots is also teflon, but it is not stretched, simply rolled thinly and then perforated by a machine.
Mark admits that it is not possible to even get close to the amount of holes per square inch using the machine method.
Waterproof lining
“So, although the perforations work in the same way, they do not allow the T-Dry Teflon to breath as well as Gore-Tex.”
However, we rode through drenching rain and did not get wet socks. That is, until we rode for a while in the rain without wet-weather pants and the rain dribbled down our pants and into the boots.
Maybe because they breathable, the water that got into the boots quickly dried out when the rain stopped and we kept riding.
Better still, they did not develop a horrible odour even after my mistake in letting water dribble inside.
Comfortable TCX boots
Some of the waterproof boots I’ve tried before have been clunky and thick, not very comfortable and impossible to walk in.
These boots have all the certified protection in the heel, toe and ankle with a non-twist, thick rubber non-slip sole.
Yet they are very comfortable to walk in because they bend between the toes and the bridge of your foot.
That also means they are compliant enough to work the levers and provide plenty of feel while riding.
Aged look
They come in full-grain black or aged brown leather.
The latter really looks trendy. After some wear, they get a nice patina of age, although the black rubber from my gear shifter has rubbed off on the toe wider than the double-leather protector.
These boots come up well above the ankle for extra protection and they lace all the way up to get the perfect fit.
That’s handy for me as I once broke my right foot in an off-road bike crash and it has heeled as little bigger than the left foot. Consequently, when I buy boots and shoes to fit the right foot, the left is then loose. Not so with these.
It takes a while to tie them up, but once tied they are a firm fit. A zip down the side would be have been handy for quick removal.
The TCX X-Blen waterproof boots come in sizes EU 39-47and US 6-12.5.
The fastest-growing sector of the motorcycle clothing market is leisure safety gear while traditional Cordura and leather suits are decreasing in demand, says a British motorcycle clothing brand.
The trend mirrors growth in retro and naked bikes and the decrease in sportsbike popularity, says Merlin major shareholder Steve Franklin.
He and his Yamaha-loving sons, James and Patrick, flew out from Manchester recently to meet Australian retailers and distributors Link International.
Merlin execs (from left) Patrick, James and Steve Franklin
The Merlin executives also claim modern riders want clothing made with sustainable materials by manufacturers with integrity.
Steve says Merlin products are CE-approved, materials are sourced directly from experts and each manufacturer is inspected frequently for quality control.
“I want to be able to sleep at night,” he says, claiming they have only 0.97% returns on faulty gear and that one-third of that is down to user error.
Merlin flanno leisure jacket has DuPont kevlar throughout
They say the biggest market for motorcycle gear is now “moto leisure”.
Steve explains that it is like Nike’s “athleisure” range which appeals to people who want to look like an athlete but be comfortable.
“Similarly, moto leisure has all the safety gear but riders are able to go into a pub and not look like they’ve just had their knee down,” Steve says.
“It’s something you can wear all day.”
Heritage rider gear that reflects neo-classic motorcycles, such as the Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle that Steve rides, represents 45% of the market.
Steve says tech wear such as Cordua adventure suits and leather race suits are only 37% of the market and decreasing while the other two sectors are in “double-digit growth”.
That adds up to more than 100% of the market, but Steve says there is a lot of overlap where riders wear items from each section.
He says their women’s range was greater than 20% of their stock, but they pulled back.
However, James says they are now expanding their women’s range again.
“It’s a small part of the market but there are many more women’s groups emerging,” he says.
“They don’t all want to wear pink. They don’t want traditional riding gear but something that is a bit fashionable.
“Our feedback is that most brands just do dumbed-down versions of men’s gear.
“We recognise that women’s fit is different, even in women’s boots.”
Merlin employs fashion industry expert Melanie Field to help with women’s sizing so “it’s not just a small version of men’s gear”.
“She also has an eye on what colours and styles are currently fashionable,” James says.
Sustainability
Merlin Maple gloves with organic cotton denim panels
Riders are now seeking sustainable, organic materials directly sourced from reputable manufacturers, Steve says.
“The speed of development in organic materials is really gathering pace,” he says.
James points out that 76% of the materials they use is bought directly from “the experts in the field”.
“This ensures we have control of the quality,” he says.
Merlin also employs local inspectors in each of the countries where their products are manufactured to guarantee integrity and quality control.
They produce 60% of their gear in Pakistan and the rest in Portugal, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and India.
“We don’t manufacture anywhere that we don’t don’t have someone on site to make regular inspections,” Steve says.
He and his sons also spend 16 weeks a year doing inspection tours of manufacturing sites.
They say 75% of profits are turned back into the company to improve quality.
Safety standards
Merlin Holden leather jacket
Steve says rigid European CE approval standards are “both a curse and a blessing”.
“The cost of gaining CE approval is onerous at $10,000-$15,000 per product,” he says.
“We have to test the smallest and largest sizes and one in the middle, plus each different colour.”
Link International Merlin brand manager Ron Grant also points out that Merlin doesn’t just use high-quality safety materials in the impact areas specified for CE testing, but throughout their garments.
However, James says CE is also a blessing by making it “really difficult to get into this industry”, so it is “flushing out the bad quality and those operating in the black market”.
He says gaining CE approval was easy for them because they were exceeding the full testing process before CE became mandatory last year for manufacturers operating in Europe.
About Merlin
Merlin Chase heritage jacket
Merlin was registered in 2011 and started trading in 2012.
The name and logo come from “merle” which is French for blackbird.
It is 100% owned by the company’s 200 full-time staff who become shareholders after six months.
Steve’s background was in turning around ailing businesses.
“I just wanted to start a business then get someone to take it over,” he says.
“But once my sons entered the business, we found we had a passion for making good products and not just for business,” he says.
“We don’t cut corners. We wanted to make the best quality product we could with the technology and materials available.
“We’re always improving the product so it is relevant and exceeds customer expectations.”
These TCX boots feature a lace system which some riders claim can be dangerous because you can get them caught in the pegs or levers.
