I know this has nothing to do with performance but they have no forum for riding gear.
Was wondering if there was some secret way of breaking in riding boots. The things are stiff and make it very difficult to shift. Have had them for about 5 or 6 months but don't wear them. Now that I ate it pretty bad the other day and tweaked my ankle I think its time to get my money out of them.

Any help would be appreciated
If it matters they are the 99 Fox Formas

Thanks again
David Chapman

 

One old remedy for leather is a product called neats foot oil. Don't ask me why it's called that, I never heard of an animal called a neat! Anyway, it is a liquid that is applied sparingly to the leather and allowed to penetrate. It probably would take several applications to get any real results. Just be sure to let each application soak into the leather before appying more.Neats Foot oil can usually be found in hardware stores or leather goods shops.
Another trick we used in the airborne was to put on our new jump boots and soak them completely in water, then wear them until they were dry. Not too pleasant if you were going to a dance that night but it worked
I believe the Fox boot is made of split cowhide & tend to be rather stiff. Top Grain cowhide is much more supple & needs little or no break-in. The down side is top grain is more expensive. Both types will give the same protection, but only if you wear them. That free advice from one who's broken both ankles & a screw in one; this while wearing mx boots. Without them, can you say "amputation?"

 

My brother-in-law has the same boots you have and it took him forever to break them in. They are also a little bulkier than a lot of others but they offer good protection. I just bought a new pair of Alpinestars tech 6. I just made myself wear them and walked around at the race track and now they are great. It took about 3 weeks.

 

Neatsfoot oil definetly works. With a sponge, apply it two or three times, allowing the boots to dry in between. Then, wear the boots as much as possible. Around the house, in the yard, althought riding with them is the best. After the neatsfoot oil, some aggressive riding breaks them in real good.

 

Yea, that's the unfortunate thing about the Forma's. I love mine for riding dirt bikes, but I still wear my old worn out AXO's for quad riding.

The 99 Forma was really wide right where your foot hits the shifter -- they fixed that in the 2000 model.

I've had mine for 2 years now, and it would still be difficult to quad ride in them :-( Good boot, but there's definitely better choices out there for riding quads.

 

Pam,
Would a Husband be included in the "Bunch 'O other things" category? You see, it's just me and my only child, trx 440ex. I just thought if you were also on your own, that you probably needed some help raising those three kids of yours. I promise I wouldn't let them sit around the house doin' nothing. I believe children should be active. And discipline, that's my middle name! I would ride those kids every day to make sure that they are always performing to the best of their abilities. Funny thing just happened, as I was typing this post 2 of my friends stopped by and have offered to become, well like Uncles, I guess. Think of it 4 adults, 4 kids, what a great family unit. Sometimes my buddies shock me with their selflessness! Kinda chokes you up, you know?

 

TRX440,

Yea, I guess the hubby would be included in that "bunch o' other stuff", never thought of it that way -- I'm sure he wouldn't be pleased to know that!

I don't know about this communal living thing -- especially since it sounds like it would revolve around my "babies". We'd have to talk about the care and feeding of the kids. I mean, they'll need new toys pretty frequently (powder coating, plastic, performance mods, etc), and since all kids get sick pretty often, we'd need to make sure they get better (bore kits, stroker cranks, etc).

Also, I had only mentioned my babies who are still crawing (walking on all fours), those who are walking on two wheels will need the same tender loving care.

Since my two-wheeled babies are no longer crawling around on all fours, they require new shoes more often (about once every 3 months). They also have a tendency to fall over more frequently, so they require replacement of handlebars, levers and plastic occasionally.

Ya know, this does sound like a pretty good deal. I mean, with all my children, it's hard for one guy to support us. A commune, with the care and feeding of my babies as the common goal of all the members, would be a wonderful thing!

;-)

 

Pam,
That's a quality post. Too funny. I would expect nothing less from the Beaver state.

 

Sorry if you are a Duck's fan