For optimal performance on the track or trails you'll need to make sure you select the correct pair of dirt bike boots. When you're deciding on which motorcycle boots to buy, you'll need to look beyond the brands that are available and rather look at the features designed into the specific boots.
You can get a bit of a deeper understanding of what to look out for in a pair of motorcycle boots by reading our guide to choosing the best dirt bike boots. If you'd like to jump straight into it, here’s what you can look out for in your next pair of dirt bike boots and how to differentiate between motorbike boots made for different styles of riding at a glance.
Boots Designed for Motocross
Although it isn't always the case, motocross boots are typically more streamlined in their design, and you can expect a bonded sole with a smallish section around the arch of the foot that can be replaced if it gets worn out. The sole on a motocross boot will have a shallow tread allowing you to move the boot up and down along the peg without too much resistance. This is for quicker gearing and braking while manoeuvering at high speeds, then returning your foot to the correct riding position with the ball of your foot on the pegs for maximum control of the bike.
Standing on the toe area of your motorcycle boot allows your ankles to bend more naturally and provides an extra pivot point in your stance. This provides you more freedom to naturally adjust to changes in the bike’s orientation and keeps your body upright while riding.
A good pair of motocross boots will provide solid protection against plantar flexion in the ankle. However, the pivot systems designed into the ankle area of most dirt bike boots for natural ankle movement means that you'll still be slightly susceptible to dorsiflexion injuries.
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Boots Designed for Enduro/Adventure Riding
For the most part, enduro and adventure riding is a slower, more technical style of riding and you’ll often need to put one or both feet on the ground and lift your weight off the bike to get through trickier sections, or even push your bike and help it along on steep inclines. This is why you’ll find a deeply grooved pattern on the soles of your enduro boots.
You'll also find that boots with stitched soles, like Gaerne SG-12's, have a harder layer inserted into the sole construction to protect the bottoms of your feet from the impacts they'll experience while riding on a technically challenging trail.
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Boots Designed for Cross Riding
If you’re expecting to do both styles of dirt riding at some point, don’t worry, you won’t need to buy more than one pair of motorcycle boots. There are a few boots that are designed to transition seamlessly between a motocross track and an enduro trail. You can also get away with using most enduro boots on a motocross track without heavily sacrificing on performance if you're starting out. We won’t go into too much detail about this, since it’s a small niche, but you can see suitable cross-riding bike boots at the link below.
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