new riding boots.......now what???

[Tommy Warren]

I just got a new pair of o'neal riding boots. I've never worn boots before and I don't understand how to shift with these pieces of crap. how do you do it? I can't bend my ankle at all...I raised the shifter a bit just so I could get my boot under it but I have to lift my whole leg to shift its annoying. is there a way to break these in????

[muddy400EX]

when they get broke in theyll be a bit better. once you get used to them, u wont ride without them. it'll be like puttin on your helmet

[slightlybent47]

Put them on and get them wet, just on the outside and walk around in them for awhile.
No joke it works.

[Tommy Warren]

thanks for the help i'll try that

[Canadian144]

Same thing happened to me when I first bought my Alpinestars Tech 3s.... I absolutely hated them! Couldn't shift at all!

I wore them around the house a bit though (after I rode in them I just put plastic bags around the bottoms).

Took another month or so until they were broken in.... now it feels weird riding without them!

And regarding the getting them wet thing, I read somewhere that it does speed up the process, but isn't good for the longevity of the boot.

[spanky101]

I can't see it bring that detrimental to the longevity of the boot too much. We get the muddy, wet and everything inbetween while riding so plain water should be better then all of that.

[Red400EXGuy]

when i first got my boots i would wear them around the house all the time, i've heard that if you took a blowdrier or maybe even a heat gun set on low you can warm up the boots when your wearing them and it helps with the flexability of the leather/plastic, which in turn helps to break em' in faster

[Sjorge450R]

all you can do is wear them around house and what not to break em in if you cant ride in them. Hell. Besides when I am just working on my quad (bringing it from the garage to shed) I NEVER wear anything other than riding boots. You get used to riding with them real quick. Its kinda like when you get a new quad. Its a little different, but after a few hours your good to go.

I had the same problem with my O' Neal's so I gave them to my cousin. Best solution I've found- Hinged ankle FTW! I splurged and bought some Sidi Crossfires.

[powermadd400ex]

take a hot shower in them and/or pressure wash them
the first one sounds stupid, but im totally serious.

[slightlybent47]

Those boots are made to get wet and it won’t hurt them at all, inside or out. Hell I even rinse the inside of them out when they get funky. I have had the boots I ride with for four years and they are still in great shape.
Put them on spray them down like you would do if they were muddy and you were rinsing them off and wear them awhile.

Look at all the hair scramble riders who get soaked and stuck in a creek and have to get off and push the bike out and get them wet inside and out. What do they do, rinse them off dry them out and put them back on. That’s what there made to do.

[ZBlaster]

Originally posted by Nova
I had the same problem with my O' Neal's so I gave them to my cousin. Best solution I've found- Hinged ankle FTW! I splurged and bought some Sidi Crossfires.



Yessir. I LOVE my Sidis.

Originally posted by ZBlaster
Yessir. I LOVE my Sidis.

Same here, I will never use a non-hinged boot again.

[Scro]

Fill the tub up with hot water. Put the boots on and stand in the tub for 15-20 minutes. After the soaking, walk around in them for a couple hours, bending and flexing your ankle whenever you can. Sit them out in the sun to dry. It's a pain in the ***, but it works. The water will help to form the boot to your foot/leg.

Or just spend the dough on hinged boots and don't worry about it.:p

[KXRida]

Never pressure wash them. I ruined a pair of tech 8's in a season doing that. It kills the leather on the sides and it falls off.

Just wear them, that's all you can do. Let them break in. I usually buy my boots around this time of year, so I just wear them around the house every now and then. Walk up and down some steps and stretch them out a bit. I remember buying oneal boots way back when and hated them. They seemed to be abnormally stiff. When to alpinestars since and never had a problem.

Or you can get a hinged ankle boot, which I am a fan of. I really liked my Gaerne sg10's (still have them) but I just seem to wear the Astars more.

[Tommy Warren]

thanx for all the responces.... I'll heat em up and get em wet....thats what I'm known for 'round here :devil: