Member Contributer pm_wizard Posted February 21, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted February 21, 2008 For those of you using these boots, which sole did you get and are you satisfied with them? Thanks, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ArTravlR Posted February 21, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted February 21, 2008 For those of you using these boots, which sole did you get and are you satisfied with them?Thanks, John I have the CTB lites and am very pleased. I have the cleated soles. The soles remind me of the type soles found on the Timberland boots popular in the 1990's. They are very tough. It did take a while to break them in. I removed the string laces entirely. I have worn these boots on a 9K three week trip last year on my ST1100. I am not sure I would do the same on the Interprize. I followed the Aerostich breakin procedure to the letter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer pm_wizard Posted February 22, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 22, 2008 Thanks for the info, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer elizilla Posted February 22, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted February 22, 2008 I had a pair of those boots, but when I got them they didn't have multiple sole choices. The soles I had were a hard, tan colored rubber, without any blocky tread. I liked them when I first got them - there's a lot there to like. They're tall, highly protective, the legs laces adjust nicely, the soles grip the road really well even without any tread blocks. They support the bottom of my feet, unlike some boots I have owned. They weren't very comfortable but I had heard from many people that this would be the case until they broke in, and that I'd just have to tough it out. So I toughed it out. The first season, I wore them on an eleven day, 7000 mile trip, and they kept the rain out. But they were hot, and in the heat of AZ and NM, wearing those boots for 20 hours a day or so, I got terrible heat rash on my feet. Also when I came home, I noticed I had all these little brown spots on the skin on top of my feet, and they never did go away - it's been six years since this happened. I asked the doctor about it and he said they are caused by circulatory issues, probably due to bad footwear. The spots shouldn't hurt anything, but they will never go away unless I have cosmetic laser treatments, and I haven't done so. Early in the second season, I rode 2000 miles in a three day weekend. On the way home I did 700 miles in frog strangling rain. The Combat Touring boots started leaking about 400 miles into this rainstorm. I sealed them again when I got home and they mostly kept the rain out for the rest of the season. The soles wore through, and I ordered the replacement soles from Aerostich, and had them glued on at the local shoe repair. It worked well - the boots seemed as good as new. I sealed them a bunch more times, but each time, they started leaking again sooner after being sealed. (I used Sno-seal and Rain-seal.) Instead of softening to a gentle curve, they started to crease in the spot where all shoes and boots must flex, over the ball of my foot. In April of the third season, I combined a business trip with a fun trip. I rode to WV for a long weekend, and from there I rode up to Boston for work. It rained all the way from WV to Boston. I was in Boston for two weeks, commuting between the hotel and the office on the bike. It rained every single day, except for the day that it snowed. The boots soaked through on the way from WV to Boston, and they never dried out from one day to the next of commuting. About a week into the trip, the leather inside the boots, under the gore-tex lining, started to crack and became exceedingly painful where it was digging in to my shins and ankles. I ended up replacing them in the middle of my business trip, with a set of Frey Daytona Gore-Tex boots. (Now THOSE were good boots, immediately comfortable and waterproof for the long term. I wish Daytona would make a boot like that with the nice soles that the CTs had, but they don't, and the soles on the Daytonas are crap. I also wish the US distributor for Daytona would get some boots in sometime - I've been trying to get another pair for over a year.) The CTs never broke in to a point where they were any more comfortable than they had been the first day I owned them. And when they started cracking on the inside and became so excruciatingly painful, I had to consider them to have reached the end of their useful life. You can't tell me I didn't tough it out long enough, because I wore the darn things completely out! YMMV, but I'll never buy another set. One thing I have noticed, though, as a CT veteran... every person I know who really uses CTs hard, and still likes them, has big feet. I have small feet. My theory about the CTs, is that they work far better in the larger sizes. Also, it may be like having a Shoei head or an Arai head; if you have the right shape foot, the CTs will suit you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ArTravlR Posted February 22, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted February 22, 2008 You know elizilla, you nailed the CBT's quite well but I've spent 26 yrs in the US Army and learned a great deal about leather boots. To soften the leather I use Apache Cream and treat the leather with Sno-Seal. My CBT Lites do not have a Gore-Tex liner. (CBT's have two layers of leather) The reason the inside leather cracked & failed during your 3rd season was due to salts from sweat. Annual treatment with a damp sponge and Saddle Soap would have extended the life of the boots. I do agree the CBT's may never be as soft as a pair of Corcorans or as waterproof as a pair of Matterhorns but the CBT is a good boot better suited to the Dual Sport arena than on a VFR. My opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer chonsey Posted February 22, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted February 22, 2008 You know elizilla, you nailed the CBT's quite well but I've spent 26 yrs in the US Army and learned a great deal about leather boots. To soften the leather I use Apache Cream and treat the leather with Sno-Seal. My CBT Lites do not have a Gore-Tex liner. (CBT's have two layers of leather) The reason the inside leather cracked & failed during your 3rd season was due to salts from sweat. Annual treatment with a damp sponge and Saddle Soap would have extended the life of the boots. I do agree the CBT's may never be as soft as a pair of Corcorans or as waterproof as a pair of Matterhorns but the CBT is a good boot better suited to the Dual Sport arena than on a VFR. My opinion. Corcorans and Matterhorns, have not heard those names in a few years :goofy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer pm_wizard Posted February 22, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 22, 2008 Interesting review. Elizilla, thank you very much for the detailed response. I too have a small foot and I have large calves, so finding a pair of boots that fits properly has always been a challenge. I may have to give this a little more thought. Cuiously my regular riding boots are Frey Daytona boots and I find them very comfortable on and off the bike. I am planning on going on an Aerostich tour this autumn and I am starting to think about gear, and boots in particular. So all of this has been very useful. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee 2002 Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 I had a pair of those boots, but when I got them they didn't have multiple sole choices. The soles I had were a hard, tan colored rubber, without any blocky tread.I liked them when I first got them - there's a lot .......... Great review. Thanks for taking the time to type it all up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer elizilla Posted February 25, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted February 25, 2008 Interesting review. Elizilla, thank you very much for the detailed response. I too have a small foot and I have large calves, so finding a pair of boots that fits properly has always been a challenge. I may have to give this a little more thought. Cuiously my regular riding boots are Frey Daytona boots and I find them very comfortable on and off the bike.I am planning on going on an Aerostich tour this autumn and I am starting to think about gear, and boots in particular. So all of this has been very useful. John John, Hmm, now there's an idea... maybe I can find some Frey Daytonas in Canada. Where did you buy yours? Is there a shop in Toronto that carries them? I would happily spend a Saturday riding to Toronto to buy boots, sometime this summer; it's only four or five hours away. Also, the Frey Daytona website shows some more dual-sportish boots, similar in style to the CBTs. I'd love to try some of those on, but I've never seen any available for sale, and they're way too expensive to order when I haven't ever had a chance to try them on or even see them. Robert, As for wiping the leather in the CBT's down to clean away the salt from my feet, how do you wipe it down when the Gore-tex is in the way? The layer that broke down is sandwiched between Gore-tex on the inside and the other leather layer on the outside. Also I wonder if my early spring trip might have applied more salt to the leather, from outside the boots, since the roads probably had some left over from winter, especially in Massachusetts where it snowed during my visit. I will definitely look for some of that Apache Cream. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer pm_wizard Posted February 26, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 26, 2008 Elizilla, There is a very good dealer for Frey Daytona in the Toronto area: www.riderschoice.ca They do not have a great range and are more race/sportbike in orientation. I will have to hunt a bit more for the boot selection. My Frey daytona Evo Sport are soooo comfortable on the bike and pretty good for walking around. I think mine are size 41, but I would have to check that, but you can tell its a small size. 10 cm of white stuff coming tonight, 10 cm more on Friday and another 10 cm on Sunday or Monday, so it is definately not riding weather yet! Let me know if I can help you with anything in Toronto. if you ride up in the warmer weather we have a local VFR club. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer elizilla Posted February 26, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted February 26, 2008 The local BMW dealer here, has boots similar in style to the Combat Tourers. Maybe one of those would suit you? You could stop by your local BMW shop and see, at least. Though they're even more spendy than Aerostich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer pm_wizard Posted February 27, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 27, 2008 Elizilla, I will give the BMW store a try. They have a large selection of gear, and what with the "long way round" and "long way down" hype thay probably have a ful set of world traveller off-road gear! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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