Advantages: Comfort and excellent fit

Disadvantages: Do not offer as much protection as race-reps

Stylmartin Carbone Future £129.00 - Racing and Sports touring boots.
Any of you who have followed Motorcycle racing from the 70's will remember the Stylmartin brand from racers like Eddie Lawson, Nieto & Ferrari. In more recent years John Kocinski remained loyal to the out-of-date looking boots even as all around him seemed to be wearing Alpinestars. Well the Italian firm are back and look like they intend to stay !

So what made me switch from my Alpinestars GP boots with their carbon fibre everywhere and race-track pedigree and choose the untested Stylmartin Carbone Future ? Well, i cant answer that, other than the Alpinestars had developed a fault with the velco fastening and it was time for a change. So what makes Stylmartin would considering ? Well they are packed with features to make your life much easier, and anyone who had ridden bikes for a while will know that your feet are just as important as your head and hands.

Firstly there's the double fastening feature around the ankle, zip-up on the left with a velcro fastening and also velcro on the right ankle - this enables you to precisely adjust the fitting around your ankle and lower leg preventing annoying drafts down you legs !! I suspect this is also a handy way of allowing universal fitting for both ladies and gents !
What else ? well carbon fibre heel & shin protectors add a little peace of mind and the Kevlar ankle protection provides ample support to the vulnerable areas. Protection aside there are reflective areas in the ankle and top of the foot to provide a handy glow at night. The velcro attached toe sliders lasted only a couple of days before i noticed they were missing - nothing new here and seems to be a feature of all boots unless the sliders are bolted on! the rubber sole provides excellent grip in all conditions.

 Inside the boot is where they stand out from the competition. A fully breathable anti-bacteria lining prevents any unpleasant smells - even after 4000 miles of use an d the lining provides and elasticated seal around the top of the boot to keep the warm in and water and cold air out ! The inner sole is possibly the most comfortable of all boots i have ever tried on - in fact it was an article in MCN which prompted me to try these boots in the first place just on their comfort alone. A trip to the British GP at Donington was to test their comfort to the limit, 3 hours of riding followed by 8 hours of walking and being perched on a grassy bank all day and not once did my feet complain - even in the sweaty May heat. I felt like i'd sat there for the whole day in my slippers!!!!!

These boots are without question the most comfortable available on the market today, they may not offer the best protection or keep you dry in the winter but they are exceptional value for money with a little bit of Italian style thrown in and Chris Walker used them for the whole 2000 season! If you put pose before your pocket buy something else, if you take your biking seriously and appreciate a little comfort, buy these boots.