Here's what I did to get hiking boots that also work well for the bike: I took my good Cabella's Hiking boots to our local cobbler (yeah, I had to search for a while, found a cobbler in the older part of our town) and had him put a leather patch on both shoes for the shift lever. Cost $25 Works great, looks good, the color of the patch is a good match and this can surely be done to other boots as well!
But what about armor? The padding may work okay for ankles, but what about shins? And I hope they don't have shoe strings as the only thing holding them together. Shoe strings are useless in an accident. Shoes are the first thing to fly off unless you have more of a secure closure than strings. Just something to think about. Nice idea though to put pads on existing shoes. Never would have thought of that. :lol:
...and you are right, those are definitely not the best solution at all. My boots are fairly tall but nothing like the knee high dual sport boots that buckle and offer the best protection. Now of course I wonder if I can further modify the boots by adding say...one good buckle or two so that I don't lose them in an accident. Furthermore I wonder just how safe a lot of lower end boots are that I looked at. Some have not much but a single velcro strap. Hmmmm......
I've wondered about that one myself. That's why I don't recommend the HD boots. They are only for looks. The boots I have have a zipper on either side, and velcro adjusters on both side of the back of the boot. They're really comfy and look really good with jeans and probably slacks, but wouldn't work with a skirt, unfortunately. That seems to be a consensus around here that they just don't make decent boots for women.They are either for looks or for MX. If you've not posing or MXing, you're pretty much limited on what is out there. Now the men on the other hand.....Not FAIR
I assume that you won't ride in a skirt, so you are already going to have to change anyway. Instead of riding in half ass boots, just throw a pair of shoes into the bag with your skirt and call it a day.
Hi ladies, Thanks for your input! I agree about the HD boots... I stopped into a Harley Store store in WA state and spied some nice LOOKING boots 'till I picked them up. I can go to the mall for the style and nice soft leather. When I asked the gal helping me why was there no protection she gave me the same answer a few other HD riders gave me - well, I guess we ride safe enough so we will not need them :). An option that another lurker suggested is here: http://www.revzilla.com/product/icon-womens-bombshell-boots * And yes, there other options without the high heel. But with the heel I might even get a date with that cute guy "down the hall" Tehe. Cheers, Carrie
ME!? Wear a skirt?! NEVER! I was under the impression that Carrie might want or need to wear a skirt to the office. Hell, you can't even get near me with one of those contraptions. :lol:
Can anyone recommend a good pair of pants for offroad riding (good kneepads, roomy) for a 34 in inseam?
I wear fieldsheer men's mesh pants. Maybe Cuttle will have a better idea. She does a whole lot more off road than I do.
Klim Dakar pants. They come in talls. Very well-made. Most of the guys I know who ride dirt wear them. Sent from my tiny little keyboard via Tapatalk.
+1 I tried on a pair last week and they're the first pants I've tried that didn't gap at the back and I have a (relatively) small waist and big hips. Reasonably priced too.
Will check them out. Square shapes on pants have been a problem as well as length in "women's" so far.
34 inseam? you are lucky. For off-road riding I wouldn't bather with kneepads, get yourself some shingurards and take the pads out of the pants. And definitely look into Klim, good stuff and roomy enough for shinguards. Another good brand is revit (just don't throw your pants over a hot exhaust and burn a hole in it... don't ask how I know it ). In the long run you'll end up with more than one pair anyway, vented and non-vented....
I've got a pair of the Klim Dakar pants in Tall. The smallest size they come in is 28 and they fit me well with wool leggings underneath. I ditched the crappy knee pads and wear Forcefield leg tubes. I'm happy with them but they're still a bit short and I'm about a 33" inseam. They ride up when I'm sitting on the bike, but not nearly as bad as some other pants I have. I have a pair of FirstGear Escapes that ride up so high the boys call them my "riding capris". Klim also make the Mojave (hot weather) in tall. Their new "adv" pants, the Badlands and the Latitude, come in talls but the smallest waist is 30". Here's me in the Dakars on my DRZ. Good luck in your search. I've spent my entire life searching for any kind of pants to fit. That's why I wear skirts
I know all about pants that ride up...and shrink after washing (was no problem in the 80s) and short jackets, sleeping bags, etc.... ...and bikes. (That's how I chose the KLR over -say, a Ninja for a starter bike. Ninjas are good bikes but the salesguy had fun with that one.) I like the idea of shin guards versus pads in pants, I wondered how well those pants stay in place when something does happen...boots might be next on my list. Turns out my before-mentioned hiking boots are good for short rides and then hike, but not that great for any length of time standing on pegs... Thanks, ladies!
Cowgirl told me about these pants, which I'm buying. I'm losing weight, so as I shrink, the pads can be transferred over to a smaller Lycra pant. The pants with armor are $159. New Lycra pants are $75. http://www.bohn-armor-pants.com/catalog/ It seems to me they'll hold armor in place a lot better than the various pieces I have already.
Interesting, but I wonder just how well they really hold up to the slide. One wouldn't think Lycra would hold up, and I know denim won't. If you buy them, give us a review. I would definitely love to hear it.
I do have a pair of the short padded pants... you will need at least one pants size up to wear them and they get pretty hot in the summer (they are worn underneath your riding pants)
You wear them under your riding pants, so I don't think it's going to be an issue. Those under Klim Dakar pants look pretty bomb proof.
You would think that they would be cooler than that. Somewhat like mesh, perhaps. The Bahns are being marketed as wearing them under regular blue jeans. (thus the remark about the slide and denim) I'm with you two...under my tex pants or not at all. Thanks for the info. I'll just stick with my riding pants.