Fellow ADV Riders, Gaerne has added a new Adventure Touring and Dual Sport Boot models, and are getting close to completion. This new model is called the Gaerne G-Midland Boot. It features more protection and support than both the G-Adventure and Balance models, along with typical Gaerne quality. The G-Midland has a plastic heel counter, plastic support at the ankle, hard supports at the shin, along with a more reinforced and rigid toe, like an MX boot. It clearly has a lot of reinforcement, yet supposedly is still fairly light. The boots rae waterproof, with a Gaerne Aquatech liner. They also have a lugged sole that will be easy to walk in yet still movable on the footpegs. Price is $367, similar to other dual sport boots and adventure touring boots we sell. Boot threads seem to be getting a lot of vociferous debate lately (I have been sitting on this one for a while, which was killing me...), Recommendations are all over the place but the general message is toward urging people to wear stiffer boots - a good thing. Apart from brand and model preferences, the best boot advice is that people "should wear as much boot as they can tolerate". This G-Midland fills in a spot in Gaerne's line quite nicely, and I look forward to trying them. BP
Any idea about size range yet? For purely selfish reasons, I would love to see it go up to at least a 50..... Thanks, Coleman
I'm a big Gaerne fan, but if your going to go this far with a boot, why not finish the job with the hinged exoskeleton?
interesting. I posted a question on your thread about the Balance oiled. Do you have a weight comparison between the Balance and these? I need a new pair of boots and I am not sure if I should wait or get a pair of Balance.
It does look good, and "Stout" seems to fit. Still, there are flex zones, that combined with the leather cut pattern at the ankle will hopefully give good flex. AFA no hinge, I would prefer that also. The SG10 and the SG12 both have mechanical hinges, so we know Gaerne knows how to develop them....my guess is that they passed either because of the tooling cost or the development time. Since I have "Gaerne feet" (wide) I cannot use some other boots, I am looking forward to trying these. BP
They look good to me except for some concern about the height of the toe box looking big for shifter position.
It looks small because it is a size 41. The toe area is a normal height. Pics of the production version look more normal: BP
Thank you. I posted a question on your other thread about the oiled balance. I am trying to figure out which to order from you. Oiled balance or G-Midland. something I can walk with yet provide good protection. Also wondering about sizing. I wear sidi cross fire size 11. What would you suggest?
AFA sizing, I prefer not to cross against other moto boots, it usually ends up wrong. Instead, look at the EU size of a 3-4 pairs of your athletic or hiking shoes and get an average. That should guide things. The conversation on DS boots occurs with varying context. Some people feel that MX boots are the only choice, because they have the maximum protection. This is true. Some people feel that MX boots are too stiff, too heavy, and too uncomfortable for DS use. This is also true. Trying to define a mid point between convenience and protection will satisfy some people and not others. The G-Midland looks to be a lot more rigid and supportive. The will certainly sacrifice some "walkability" but should be nowhere near an MX boot. Probably best thing I can say about the topic is this: people should try to wear as much boot as they can tolerate. Hope that helps. BP
Thank you for the detailed answer. I'm going to look at the sizing of various shoes and boots. I'll be in touch with you next week.
