Hey there,

I am getting ready for my first ride next week with my early teen and pre-teen boys. I have most of the riding gear set, but am curious about boots at this stage. The MX boots I have tried on for a reasonable budget are stiff and inflexible. I presume this will make it difficult for the boys to shift easily. I am looking into ATV type boots like Gaerne Explorers or MSR VX-1's but am not sure these are any more flexible.

I am condisering for the first ride to outfit them in some sturdy hiking boots until they get the basics down and can shift properly, then advance to some real boots.

What is your expereince with new riders and boots? Is the risk of an injury worth the easrier learning ability or is it best to get em used to the boots and teach them with what they will eventually be wearing?
Your help is appreciated.

 

you dont need motocross boots those things are stupid. just get some hiking boots. get some at wallmart they can tear up.

 

Fox and Thor both make a decent budget riding boot for around $100.00. These type of boots do start out a little stiff, but they will loosen up after a few rides. Better yet, let the kids wear them around the house/yard for a few hours and you will be good to go. If they will be on foot shift models, the shifter may need to be raised a tooth or 2 for boot clearance. That is mostly for sport models though. If they are riding utes with full footwells/floorboards riding boots aren't as essential.

 

I would go with the flexable type, much easier to shift. I spent 190 on a pair of fox racing forma pro, I cant use them to shift the banshee. List price is 220 on the forma pros,anyway thats what the dealer said.size 10 and 4s$.

 

A lot also depends on how you ride and wht type of trails you are on. My two youngest are limited to 'easier' trails. As such, we put them in hiking type boots. We've even gone to Wally-World rubber boots when we knew we were riding in very muddy conditions.

A real consideration for buying $100 to $200 boots is that they will fit for about a week before they outgrow them. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

If they get into some serious riding or especially on higher speed sport bikes, then ATV boots become more important.

Jaybee

 

carlw, seems to have the typical "devil may care" atitude of a guy who started out on 3 wheelers..........

Well......the boots are supposed to be stiff and not very flexible.......that's what is going to save their ankles when they run over their leg! Beginners are especially prone to putting their foot out, since they have developed that reflex from riding bicycles or dirt bikes. Best to start them out with the maximum possible protection, because that is when they are most likely to make a big mistake!

AND usually, you will have to raise the shifter one notch, so they can get a big boot underneath it........

Do you have nerf bars yet??????? These will save you a lot of grief. If you don't have them, absolutely wear MX boots!

Our preference is Alpinestars Tech 4's with the ATV sole, but they are pricey for an entry level boot.

 

Here's an update: Went and purchased 3 pairs of Fox Tracker Off-road boots today. $130 each and the have the ATV soles on them. Seem pretty flexible out of the box, much more so than the MSR's I took back last week.

I agree with a couple of you, the need to protect your feet is worth the hassle of learning to shift with them.

We'll start out with the boots and never give my kids a chance to know how it feels with "hiking" boots as one daring individual spoke of in this thread.

Thanks for the advice guys, most of it anyway.

 

That really is the way to go, good job! Wearing boots is like wearing a helmet to me now, I just don't feel right unless they are on. About the only downside is I have AStar Tech 5's with the smooth sole, and traction is at a premium when pushing stuck quads out of the mud or snow, lol.

 

Yea, I just wear a pair of my work boots they have never faild me. The only time you really need a good pair of botts is when you have a kickstarter (they help your shins, the kickstarter won't bust your shin when it kicks back) thats the only time I think they are use full.

 

At least the older kid can hand them down to the younger some day. We have boots that have been handed down in the immediate family, then given to the cousins who have handed them down to eachother, who.........