CWells

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May 21, 2012
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May 21, 2012
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CWells's Reviews

TCX X-Cube Boots

TCX X-Cube Boots Italian styling, proprietary WaterProof membrane, and great over the ankle protection make this boot perfect for a quick afternoon session or an all-day ride. Dual compound sole makes peg grip a non-issue, while offering great traction off the bike. Upper composed of suede leather and Air Tech material Water resistant lining Malleolous protection and polyurethane ankle support Double closure system with laces and Velcro for a better fit Anatomic and replaceable footbed Wear-resistant all uses sole

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Overall rating

4 / 5

Pleasantly Surprised by the Fit and Finish

PostedMay 21, 2012

CWells

State:FL

Rider Type:Commuter

Age:25-34

Gender:female

Bang for the Buck

5 / 5

Style

4 / 5

Comfort

4 / 5

Protection & Durability

4 / 5

Air Flow

3 / 5

Features

5 / 5

These boots are great for street riding and I would definitely recommend them.

I needed a boot that would offer decent protection on my commute and then enable me to make the ten minute walk across campus and sit in classes with relative comfort. I have a pair of the women's Sidi Vertigo Lei track boots which are great on the track and in the paddock, but don't comfortably work for me in any other situations. The TCX boots provided a perfect solution for my needs. After having worn Sidi boots for the past ten years, I usually felt naked when trying on boots with less protection. However, while my shins are partially exposed with the TCX, the rest of my foot feels decently protected. I actually have a harder time getting these boots on and off than the Sidi boots, which could be a con for some, but makes me feel better, since it appears that the TCX boots are not going to be tugged off in a crash situation. The rubber strap at the back of the shoe definitely helps me to get these boots on. While I do feel protected in the TCX boots while commuting, I would not trade my Sidi boots for the TCX on track days. In my opinion, these particular TCX boots are not adequate for the track or purposely aggressive riding.

After wearing the boots in a few different circumstances, here are my observations:

I’ve been riding for longer than the manufacturers have been making female specific sport bike gear, so I know how uncomfortable it can be to try to make men’s gear fit on a woman’s frame. Even though these are sold as men’s boots, the flexibility of the material allows you to really pull them tight with the laces, which allows them to easily conform to a woman’s more narrow foot. They will also conform with a multitude of different sock types from thin materials to thick wool, since you have greater control with the lace up style as opposed to a solid zip up style boot. There is not much arch support for a woman’s foot, but that can easily be solved by incorporating a woman’s style shoe insert since the inner sole is easily removed. This will make the boots more comfortable for walking long distances or standing for long periods of time. When I called in to customer service, I asked about these boots and was told that they would suit a wide foot since they have the largest toe box when compared to other brands in this market. While I may have a bit of room in the toes, it was not enough to really compromise the fit of the boots to my feet when walking. I traditionally wear a woman’s size EU 42/USA 8.5 and decided to purchase the men’s size EU 40/USA 7 and it worked out perfectly for me. All of the protection features aligned where they were supposed to, which is often the largest fitment issue when trying to purchase men's gear for women.

The larger toe box did present a bit of a challenge for me when actually riding on the bike. Since I usually wear a woman’s boot, the toe box is a lot more tapered, thus the toe box of my normal riding boots are not as wide. As a result, I ended up scraping the toes of both boots on my first ride out in them. When riding on the street, I don’t ride with the balls of my feet up on the pegs, so I will need to make a conscious effort to really keep my toes in or just let them kiss the pavement now and then. Having my toes really tucked in presents a new problem for me though. I find that I need to actually slide my foot over and lift the boot up in order to apply the rear brake or downshift rather than just pivoting my foot slightly over and up. I run ceramic pads and GP steel braided lines and as such, I frequently only need to use my front brakes in most riding situations. If I end up using my rear brake, that usually means I need some serious braking power. Having to physically move my foot out in order to apply the brake will cut into the time before actual brake application occurs. This could definitely present an issue in Florida traffic during season when the tourists usually see through motorcyclists and generally have no clue where they are going that results in their making erratic decisions while driving. So I will probably ride with my toes out a bit to be extra safe, since I examined the boots after the brief contact with the pavement and they do not seem much worse for the wear; that actually gave me some confidence in the construction of the boots, even though they lack toe sliders.

I really like the toned down styling of these TCX boots. Manufacturers seem to think that women’s gear needs to have pink or patent leather incorporated into designs or that a woman can somehow get away with less protection features than men, which all made me seriously look at these boots over the female specific styles. I want my gear to meet the needs that my riding ability warrants and I want that ability to make me stand out, not my gaudy overly stereotyped girly gear thank you very much. These TCX boots made me happy on all of these counts.

These TCX boots are great for the vertically challenged. I’m 5’4” and I refuse to lower my bike. As a result, I can only get the balls of my feet flat down on the ground. The flexibility of these boots easily enabled me to get my toes solidly down; whereas, when I ride in my Sidi boots I often have to use just the tips of the boots, since there is barely any flex to those. Additionally, the sole grips very well which is a huge plus for people who can’t get a full foot on the ground and take advantage of the whole sole. While this does take away from some of the protection potential, there are compromises for street shoes and the usability of these shoes in everyday situations outweighs the loss in protection for me that results from a pliable sole.

One of the cons that I came across concerns the material at the top of the inner boot. The material inside the boot that wraps the foot and ankle is very soft. However, the material that wraps the upper @2” of the boot interior feels very abrasive on my skin and started to rub uncomfortably about twenty minutes into one of my rides. As such, I would recommend wearing high socks with these boots.

I rode in about 90 degree weather and found that the boots don’t really breath that well. My guess would be that that is due to the water proof capability. When riding in Florida, I have just as much probability of riding in hot weather as I do in the rain. Wicking socks may help control my foot temperature, so I see that as a possible fix. I highly value the waterproofing though due to the weather conditions where I live and majority ride, so I am not really complaining here, just stating my experience.

The boots are quite a bit higher than usual high top style boots in this market. As a result, they offer protection for the Achilles tendon, which was important to me. They also help to cover the leg when my pant legs start flapping at speed. This is nice when unavoidable rocks or other small road debris pop up. I imagine this will also be nice when the weather gets cooler, because it feels like the boots are high enough to prevent some cold gusts from hitting my lower legs.

My only large complaint with these boots is the Velcro flap. One of the reasons why I was drawn to these boots over some of the others in the same market was because of the Velcro strap. Yet when I wear high socks like I need to and I try to hide some of the miles of lace under the flap, the closure barely meets and does not close as solidly as I would like. It’s a little better if I tuck most of the laces into the boot itself, but that compromises some of the comfort of the boot when riding for extended periods of time. I find that I get the annoyingly itchy lace indentations in my skin. I could fix this by not tying the boots as tightly and allowing some room for the laces, but that compromises some of the protection and basically defeats the purpose of the flap and voids one of the pluses I initially saw in the boots. I could see this being an issue for men, since men traditionally have larger calves than women just due to simple differences in bone density.

Overall, I would definitely recommend these boots for both men and women. The pluses far out way the negatives for me.

Rides: 2006 Honda CBR1000RR

Yes, I recommend this product.

+3points

3of 3voted this as helpful.

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CWells's Answers

TCX X-Cube Boots

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Is the in-sole removable (I believe like the TCX Squared) so I can remove it and install my orthopedic in-soles?

I believe so. I was able to remove the insole and replace it with a Dr. Scholl's insert in order to make the men's shoe work on a woman's foot. I'm not sure what the thickness difference would be between those two insert types though. This is something you could easily test out if you ordered them, since you would not need to ride in them to see if it works. If they don't end up working out, you could return them easy peasy.

1 year ago

CWells

Age: 25-34

Gender: female

S Florida