Alpinestars Stage Gtx Boots
Alpinestars Stage GTX Boots
CW EVALUATION
These boots are made for ridin'
WHEN IT COMES TO WATERPROOF RID-
ing boots, color us convinced. Allied with a good all-weather suit, waterproof boots let you sail serenely on while others are diving for the nearest overpass at the first sign of sprinkles doing the ritual rainsuit/rubber overboot cha-cha.
Those boot-meisters at Alpinestars have several waterproof models in their catalog. We sampled the midpriced Stage GTX, a not-so-basic black leather boot that combines conservative good looks with some of the protective features found in the company’s sport boots-including inner and outer ankle cups, armored heel and padded shinguard. The boot’s watertightness comes from a built-in Gore-Tex liner and an inside-rear zipper that’s sealed with a full-length velcro strip.
Right off, we ran into a problem with one of our boots-at the start of a week-long European tour no less! One hard-plastic ankle cup had been installed in the wrong position, digging
STAGE GTX BOOTS
Alpinestars USA
3860 Del Amo Blvd. #401
Torrance, CA 90503
310/542-5996
Price $230
Ups
A Put an end to the Totes two-step
A Usable over a wide temperature
range
`~owns
v Poor choice if sightseeing treks are
on the agenda
V Not the most expensive Alpinestars,
but still pretty pricey
V Available only in black
into the rider’s shank with every upshift. Minor pocketknife surgery removed the offending armor, but left a slit in the liner. Back home, Alpinestars replaced the defective boot, no questions asked. Otherwise, the boots worked just as advertised, effectively fending off everything from thundershowers to day-long drizzles with nary a drop of moisture getting past. Impressive.
Our only real complaints about the Stage GTXs came off the bike. GoreTex is a breathable material, but not overly so in this application. Do any real walking in these boots, especially in warm weather, and your tootsies start sweating. Worse, there is no interior footbed padding, so feet rest right on the boots’ hard-rubber soles. If you insist on hiking in these boots, we’d suggest a trip to the Dr. Scholl’s shelf at the local pharmacy for some padded insoles.
But if you’d rather ride than walk (and who wouldn’t?), we recommend the GTXs highly. Just the thing, we’d say, for zingin’ in the rain. □
