From Altberg to Daytona (and Back Again)
June 2018
After 16 long years and more than 100,000 miles of loyal service, the time had finally come to retire my trusty British-made Altberg Clubman Roadster boots. They were still waterproof, still cosy in winter, and still felt like a hug for my feet, but there was no denying they were showing their age. And so the hunt began for a worthy successor.
Naturally, my first thought was to simply order another pair of Altbergs. With a six-week delivery time, though, I figured I might be riding barefoot by the time they arrived. Time to see what else the boot world had to offer.
My two biking buddies, Bob and Bonzo, had always sworn by Daytona boots from Germany. Their top-of-the-range Road Star GTX came with rave reviews and a jaw-dropping £359 price tag. Fortunately, Sportsbikeshop.co.uk offered a finance option, so I bit the bullet and placed the order, trying very hard not to think about how much I’d just spent on a pair of boots.
True to Sportsbikeshop’s usual form, they arrived the very next day, neatly packaged and practically shouting “test me out!” So I did what any self-respecting biker would do and took them for a spin.
The first thing I noticed? Two zips per boot. Double the zips, double the fun, presumably. They felt superbly well made and comfortable straight out of the box. The left boot needed a little breaking in before gear changes felt smooth, but nothing like the brutal initiation my old Altbergs had put me through.
So far, so good. A thousand miles in, my wallet still winced whenever I remembered the price, but I had to admit they looked sharp and felt solid. Winter would be the real test.
August 2019
Fast forward 14 months and 7,000 miles, and my fancy Daytona boots decided to betray me. On a scenic ride through North Wales, I began to feel an odd discomfort when changing gear. It got progressively worse until every shift felt like my left foot was being tortured. I finally pulled over, yanked off the boot and sock, and discovered a nasty cut on my foot. On closer inspection, the inner lining of the boot had snapped, leaving a shard of sharp plastic poking straight into my flesh. Lovely.
Thankfully, I always carry a first aid kit (you never know when your boots will try to kill you), so I slapped a plaster on and limped my way home.
I contacted Sportsbikeshop, who claimed they’d never heard of such an issue before (always comforting), but they did point out that the boots came with a 12-month warranty. Naturally, I was 14 months in. Just my luck. Why do things always fail just outside the warranty? To their credit, they agreed to send the boots back to Daytona in Germany for inspection, and if the fault was confirmed, they’d repair them free of charge.
Six weeks later (a German factory shutdown didn’t help), the boots came back as good as new. Or as good as new as a boot can be after attempting to sabotage its owner.
In the meantime, I needed a backup pair, so I popped into my local shop, Bikers World in Coleshill, and picked up a pair of Richa Nomad boots for just £79. And you know what? They’re fantastic! Comfortable, well made, and an absolute bargain compared to the Daytonas. There’s a lesson in there somewhere, perhaps that the cheaper option isn’t always the worse one.
January 2025
After seven years and nearly 49,000 miles in my Daytona Road Star GTX boots, I’ve switched back to a new pair of Altberg Clubman Roadster boots. I’m still breaking them in, but they’re every bit as fantastic as I remember.
