June 2018
After 16 long years and over 100,000 miles of service, it was finally time to retire my trusty British-made Altberg Clubman Roadster boots. They were still waterproof, cozy in the winter, and like a hug for my feet—but alas, they were starting to show their age. So, the hunt began for their worthy successor.
Naturally, I thought about just getting another pair of Altbergs, but with a delivery time of six weeks, I figured I might be riding barefoot by then. So, I started looking around to see what else the boot world had to offer.
Now, Bob and Bonzo, my two biking buddies, had always sworn by Daytona boots from Germany. Their top-of-the-line Road Star GTX came with rave reviews—and a jaw-dropping £359 price tag. Luckily, Sportsbikeshop.co.uk had a finance option, and I decided to bite the bullet (while trying not to think about how much I’d just spent on boots).
True to Sportsbikeshop’s style, the boots arrived the very next day, neatly packaged and screaming “Test me out!” So, I did what any self-respecting biker would do—I took them out for a spin.
First thing I noticed? These Daytona boots have two zippers per boot. Double the zips, double the fun, I suppose. They felt incredibly well-built and comfortable right out of the box. Sure, the left boot needed a bit of breaking in to get that smooth gear shift action, but nothing as brutal as my old Altbergs.
So far, so good. I’ve clocked about 1,000 miles in these boots and, while I still felt a twinge in my wallet every time I thought about the price, I had to admit they looked sharp and felt solid. Winter would be the real test, though.
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 started feeling an odd discomfort when changing gears. It got progressively worse until it felt like my left foot was being tortured every time I changed gear. I finally stopped, yanked off the boot and sock, and discovered I had a nasty cut on my foot. Upon further inspection, I found that the inner lining of the boot had snapped, leaving a piece of sharp plastic to poke right 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 my foot and limped my way home.
I reached out to Sportsbikeshop, who claimed they’d never heard of such an issue before (always comforting), but they did remind me that the boots came with a 12-month warranty. Of course, I was 14 months in, just my luck, why do things always fail just out of 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 fix them for free.
After six weeks (which included a German factory shutdown), the boots came back, good as new—or as new as a boot can be after trying to sabotage you.
In the meantime, I had to find a backup pair, so I visited 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, great quality, and a bargain compared to the Daytona’s. There’s a lesson in there somewhere—like maybe sometimes the cheaper option isn’t so bad after all.
