These Boots Are Made For Walking

                      The brown boots are the Targhee Mid Hikers                                     
Black are the Presidios. 

I love the weekend and the early morning dog walks. I used to dread walking and now things have changed, I have embraced walking and have decided to add hiking to my activities. A large part of my new found walking enjoyment is all due to wearing good comfortable shoes and socks.

I have finally found hiking shoe nirvana! In the past I have bought hikers and found them NOT to be flexible, or comfortable. I have suffered from blistered heels and toes whilst wearing conventional hikers. Ouch! The break-in period was painful and  more often than not I could never get them to the point of not having any foot pain when wearing them. I couldn't get them to the comfort point and this in turn limited my hiking experience and enjoyment. As much as I love rambling trail walks it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Things have now changed.

Motorcycle Man and Scooterpie Jr gave me fabulous hikers for Christmas, 2 pairs in fact. (Screaming deal on sale) They are Keen's and they are amazing. The comfort factor is huge and there was absolutely no break-in discomfort - NONE. The first pair is the Targhee mid hiker which is waterproof and breathable, great sole and very comfortable. The traction the sole gives you is great and I tested them out going down a steep dirt track to take a picture of a blue heron. The other pair is a lace up called the Presidio, it is made with Nubuck leather. Both are waterproof and breathablem, which we know on the West Coast is always a plus due to our rainy climate. I am now a Keen convert.   Both shoes rock!
The final part of the equation is the sock. Yup socks, if you haven't slipped your tootsies into merino wool or you seriously need to consider this. (These socks are amazing in motorcycle boots too) There is no friction, they wick away moisture and keep your feet warm or cool depending on the temperature. Love these hikers and socks! I have happy feet!

Check out the cool merino wool socks - Christmas socks are the best Socks!

Review TCX GoreTex T-Lily ladies riding boots

I recently purchased a pair of  women's TCX T-Lily GoreTex riding boots.  Retail $299 to $339 CDN.
Pro's
*Good price for a leather Goretex riding boot approx $299 to $339 *Canadian funds
*Solidly built leather boot with a Goretex membrane for waterproof and breathability. 
*Good ankle protection with the armour.
*Good shin protection.
*Waterproof - I have ridden through a few torrential downpours with pooling water on the road and my feet were dry!!!! No more prune toes!
*Good zipper closure with a velcro tab on the zipper pull to secure the zipper pull to the velcro on the boot. Easy to zip up.
*Flexible around the calf area so they are not tight and you can easily zip up and put your pant leg inside the boot.
*Shifter pads on toes.
*Narrow in the heel cup and moderate width through the foot bed, so it isn't too tight.  I have found in past ladies boots have been difficult to fit due to them being super narrow.
*Comfortable foot position in the boot and fairly comfortable to wear when off the bike.  They don't look chunky either and go nicely with jeans.

Con's
*The insole of the boot is not very comfortable and could use a little extra padding and I found the foot bed a little hard.  I have remedied that by adding an insole.
*The boot feels a little cool in the wind because of the breathability of the GoreTex and I have found this in past with other GoreTex products I have.
*The boot sole could be a little heftier and have a bit more tread or deeper at least.

Summary:  Overall I am fairly impressed with these boots. My  feet stayed absolutely dry in the torrential downpours I have used them in so far.  I think they will be a little warm in the summer. Time will tell after several miles of riding to see how they  perform long term. My previous boots only survived 8 months of daily commuting and weekend moto diva riding.  Nice boot, good quality, worth the money spent.

The T-Lily's get The Princess Scooterpie/Moto_Diva 5 Star approval recommendation.

Goretex Boots

Last Christmas Motorcycle Man & Scooterpie Jr bought me ladies Triumph Tritex waterproof boots. They worked like a charm for 8 months and were very comfortable. The boots also came with a great 1 year warranty & assurance from the local dealer that they stand behind their product. Late August I noticed that they where coming apart on the instep. Off I went to the dealer and he was awesome. He didn't have my boot size in stock unfortunately and had to order them. I was able to keep the original boots until they came in so I wasn't sacrificing foot safety.

There was a little wrinkle in the warranty process, Triumph stopped making my boots. So now a conundrum what's next? The dealer went above and beyond to make me happy and I actually ended up with a better quality GoreTex boot at no extra charge other than the difference in the tax.

The boot is a GoreTex TCX Lily. They fit like a glove and are extremely comfortable. The reviews I have read have all been very positive. They are rated as waterproof, so here's hoping!

These boots aren't made for walking - thats not what they do

New motorcycle boots on the left - old leathers on the right.

These boots aren't made for walking..... thats not what they do..... one of these days the boots are gonna scoot right over you.....Get ready boots.....Get Scootin'

Shoes Glorious Shoes!  All of my girlfriends know of my fondness for shoes.  I love them high & spikey, strappy, pumps or wedges, it doesn't matter I love them all!  My new favorite shoes are my new Teknik motorcycle boots.  Since getting my scooter I have been schlepping around in a pair of thick soled, hot leather zip up boots because they offered me a little more protection than my sneakers. When I wiped out one of my shoes popped off in the crash and this made me realize how vulnerable my feet were in a crash situation when wearing non-motorcycle footwear. Have you ever wondered where the lone shoe in the road comes from? Now you know.

Yesterday I was out on some errands and I popped into my fave motorcycle store to look for some mesh gloves. Unfortunately I didn't find any gloves, but I did happen to stumble across a pair of ladies Teknik PowerSkin boots in the clearance section and they were my size.  It seems that it was destiny. I bought these for $99 - I thought it was pretty a good deal. They are waterproof and have a breathable sock liner inside.  They offer full ankle support/protection and have good safety construction through the heel and are reinforced in the toe for my eventual need for shifting a motorcycle.  They are mid-calf, which is what I was looking for.  The new boots offer me the protection I was missing in my previous non-motorcycle leather boots.  Surprisingly the new boots are pretty comfortable for walking in and when we went riding yesterday in the heat, my feet weren't hot at all.  In fact I was pretty comfy with my jacket zipped down to mesh and light socks in the boots.  

Anyone who has bought a scooter or a motorcycle for the first time knows how expensive it is to outfit yourself with gear.  I decided right off the top that it was going to be all about wearing gear, due to the fall I took on my first run.  (It was a newb mistake and I learned real quick what not to do.)  To this point my gear consists of my HJC full face helmet, Joe Rocket 10.0 textile ballistic nylon armored jacket, Joe Rocket ballistic nylon waterproof/windproof gloves and Teknik PowerSkin riding boots.  I am going to be purchasing some textile riding pants in the very near future, I just haven't decided on which ones yet.  

As I stated in a previous post regarding ATGATT and shoes, I want all of my little piggies to come home and don't want a paramedic hunting in the middle of the street for my lost little piggy.  One of the gals who was new to ScooterDiva.com had just purchased a scooter and only a mere few weeks later she had a wipe-out that involved her skidding across the pavement.  She had some protective gear on, but not boots or riding pants.  Unfortunately the friction chewed through the top of her sneaker and she lost the flesh at the end of her big toe and portions of the bone as well.  She did a pretty good job at mangling her foot and hurt her knee.  This is just one example of why gear even when scootering is important. Pavement is indiscriminate, it doesn't care whether you are on a scooter, motorcycle or bicycle when you wipe out.  

Some may think this is overkill for a scooter, but I commute on my scooter to and from work every day, hot, cold, rain or shine.  I need to be comfortable, dry and warm when we start our rainy season which is all winter. Gear also gives me an edge in protecting myself when dealing with traffic - I will take any advantage I can in this regard. I have also learned from the fall that your legs take a beating when they hit the pavement.   I would rather look dorky on my scooter in full gear, and be intact after coming into contact with the pavement.  It doesn't matter what speed you are going, slow or fast, the pavement hurts when you hit.