Tourmaster Solution Boots

[RFMike]

OK, here's the next post on gear used during my last tour.

I purchased the Solution boots a little over a year ago, and am mostly satisfied. I've worn them for about 6,500 commuting miles, and the 4500 mile tour I just got back from.

Pros:

After break-in, they are pretty comfortable. They were tight for my high arched feet (read pull until your face turns red, then pull some more), but loosened up eventually. They are comfortable riding and walking, even though there is no arch support. I've got strong arches, but if you don't, be forwarned, these are not really walking boots.

The soles have great grip. I have a 30" inseam, so I need soles that grab, and these do. You would think that they would wear fast, but they don't. They are still in great shape after that much use.

Ankle protection seems like it would be very effective, but you don't feel it at all, riding or walking.

The style is quietly understated, in comparison to much of what is out there, which is a plus to me.

Price is great for what you get.

Cons:

Not many, but having said that, these are not waterproof after six hours of heavy rain riding. Not bad, but not waterproof. And, don't try to put them back on after your socks are wet- they won't go back in, no matter how hard you push. Dry socks, and maybe some powder, but not wet.

For the money, these are very good boots, and are waterproof through 2-3 hours of rain. After that, use rain boots.

Mike

[sennister]

How hot are these boots?

I am looking for a pair of boots for when I am doing my commuting. Something like this might be nice but I worry about how hot they will be on a long ride being that they are somewhat waterproof.

[Trekker]

I've ridden through some pretty hard rains with my Tourmaster Solution boots, and never experienced any leaks, (steady moderate rain for over 6 hours, very hard sideways rain for 1/2 hour). I suppose these could be resealed to increase the waterproofness.

I don't think these are any hotter than other boots.

I agree these are not the best walking around boots.

[Mellow]

I have these now and have ridden in some rain.. not sure about 6 hrs of rain but I've stood in 4 inches of water and it rained most of the day that day... they were actually quite waterproof for me.

My biggest problem with most water proof / touring boots is there isn't much tread on them and it wears out pretty fast... I think I have about 40,000 miles of riding and camping on these boots and have even used them for hiking a couple of times, because I forgot my hiking shoes.

They were tight at first but do loosen up quickly. They are not as comfortable as my Oxtars were - the opening in the boot is smaller so you have to jam your foot in rather than just place it in as with the Oxtars.

I need to review the Teknics I just got yesterday but so far the Oxtars are my favorite but at about half the price the TM are the best bang for the buck for me so far.

Sennister - The boots, in my opinion, are warm but not hot. Maybe the extra breathable waterproof material acts to shield you from the heat more, I'm not sure but they are not nearly as hot as just plain leather boots.

[Mellow]

Oh... forgot to add.. no matter how waterproof a boot is supposed to be, I treat the leather to mink oil first thing and do that about once or twice a year.

[dond]

The only ankle protection my Solutions offer is fairly thick leather. There is no actual armor in the ankle area.
Never leaked after a few trips to the OR coast in the rain. Love my TMS!

http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10657

[sherob]

For $100, these boots are great :bow1: I loved my Oxtar's, but I couldn't eat $200 for another pair of them when I could have these for $100. :rolleyes: I'm kinda hard on boots... these are holding up pretty good so far. :)

[c-lapier]

I bought the Solution boots after reading reviews on this site. Great value<$110.00>, uncomfortable until broken-in<2-3mo>, warmer than non-waterproof boots I've worn.

[RFMike]

These boots are warm when it's 95 degrees, but what isn't? I agree with Mellow, they seem to be cooler than lace-up boots, or the typical pull-ons, maybe because they are more open at the top. On a long ride, I never feel that they are hot at anything below 90 degrees.

My boots have armor inserts at the ankle bones, both sides. The outside you can see by the round imprint, the inside there is no accent, but it is there. As I said, you hardly notice them.

One more thing, that might or might not matter to you. These boots claim to be leather, and they actually mostly are, unlike many others that claim to be but aren't. If you roll back the overlap material at the seams, you can see the backside texture, which in real leather is unmistakable. That means that the uppers are going to outlast the soles, if you take care of them. Mink oil once or twice a year, black shoe polish when the leather starts to show.

The best thing I can say is that if I needed a pair of boots right now, this would be the choice for me; best performance for the money.

[sennister]

These boots are warm when it's 95 degrees, but what isn't? I agree with Mellow, they seem to be cooler than lace-up boots, or the typical pull-ons, maybe because they are more open at the top. On a long ride, I never feel that they are hot at anything below 90 degrees.

My boots have armor inserts at the ankle bones, both sides. The outside you can see by the round imprint, the inside there is no accent, but it is there. As I said, you hardly notice them.

One more thing, that might or might not matter to you. These boots claim to be leather, and they actually mostly are, unlike many others that claim to be but aren't. If you roll back the overlap material at the seams, you can see the backside texture, which in real leather is unmistakable. That means that the uppers are going to outlast the soles, if you take care of them. Mink oil once or twice a year, black shoe polish when the leather starts to show.

The best thing I can say is that if I needed a pair of boots right now, this would be the choice for me; best performance for the money.

I figured you would have the best input as far as how hot they are. It looks like you live about 20 miles from me :) My daily commute on my bike is from Stillwater to Hastings on 95 (Manning).

[RFMike]

Hey, we are close. I live about 15 miles from the border. I worked in Stillwater for about four years at a little architecture shop. Nice town. Spendy, but nice.

The boots are great for this climate. I think it would be hard to go wrong. I rode last fall into the thirties, and the feet were ok. Course, I had my feet tucked into the warm air stream...

[Dave Tracy]

I'm in Eau Claire, where did you buy you boots in the cities? I went for a ride yesterday about 30 miles great to be out of course it was after the snow stopped. But the lace up boots wont cut it.

[b.carez]

I bought a pair of SIDI Way Tepor boots for myself and a pair for my wife earlier this year and have been very happy with them so far.

I wear them at work where I am on my feet most of the time and they are comfortable enough that I haven't brought another pair of shoes from home to wear.

I was able to look at and try on many different brands and types of boots at Iron Pony in Columbus OH when I bought these and they just seemed to be made better and have better protection than anything else they had in a touring style boot in this price range.

They cost a little more ( I think they are about $170.00 now) but compared to the other boots I felt like this was the best boot for the money.

I haven't had them in any prolonged rainstorms but they have kept me dry so far.