Tour Boots
Cruiserworks
Cruiserboots Men’s Tour #2977, $239.00
www.cruiserworks.com • 800.955.1187
These boots are made for walkin’—and especially for ridin’—even in foul weather. They’re 100-percent waterproof, premium full-grain leather; and the most comfortable, multi-functional boots I’ve come across in my 30-plus years of motorcycle riding. They perform as advertised, and with versatility and style.
I had the opportunity to talk to Cara Crawford, co-owner of Cruiserworks along with husband Jay, when ordering my boots. A pair of 10″- tall Tour Boots was my choice, because for me, the Tour Boot is a clean, unpretentious style. I also like the easy slip-on, slip-off style—no laces, no buckles, no zippers. We discussed the sizes of my current shoes and boots, and the fact that I tend to wear medium- to heavy-weight socks and a custom insole, and decided a 10M would be the best size for me. When the boots arrived and I first put them on, they were a perfect fit. Cara, Jay and other Cruiserworks associates are very good in helping you determine the best Cruiserworks boot size for you. Of course, if they do happen to miss, there is no problem exchanging them for another size.
Cruiserworks boots are incredibly comfortable right out of the box. They weigh in at just over a pound apiece, which is about half of what my regular riding boots weigh. I may tend to be somewhat persnickety or fastidious, but I wore my Tour Boots only in the house the first few days. Before heading outdoors, I applied Cruiserworks Leather Cream to my new footwear. The first couple of hours riding while wearing my new boots brought me light, scattered showers—not really my intention. I really hate having to wash and dry a motorcycle, but my feet were perfectly dry.
My first real test for my Cruiserworks was last fall at Bikes Blues & BBQ in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I packed a pair of New Balance walking shoes, but never used them the entire five days while attending the rally. I walked the rally sites for hours on end in my new Cruiserworks Tour Boots, and my feet were feeling fine.
The next month was the more severe test when I ended up riding for about seven hours from Kansas City toward New Orleans in the rain. The riding sucked, but my feet were comfortable. There was a little dampness in the boots, but that was because the rain ran down my legs into my boots. (Maybe I need new rain pants.) In New Orleans, my Cruiserworks Tour Boots were perfectly at home whether walking through the finest hotel lobbies on Canal Street, or walking on discarded beads and beer containers in the gutters of Bourbon Street.
Lately, I’ve been wearing my Tour Boots while walking with my dog in the minus-13-degree weather through the snowdrifts along the lakeside in our neighborhood. I’ve also worn them on dressier occasions, like attending the dinner theatre with my wife and our friends.
The upper and outsoles are bonded with polyurethane to maintain their waterproof properties. Cruiserworks use a Rhino-Lite oil resistant outsole with a good “V-grip” sole design. The boots have a layer of abrasion- and puncture-resistant ballistic nylon for protection around the ankles. They use a broad fiberboard footbed that has more tensile strength and spreads motorcycle vibration over a greater area than a steel shank footbed, and the military toe box will stand up to repeated shifting. The boot lining provides “climate control” for your feet, wicking away moisture to keep your feet comfortable in both hot and cold weather.
Jay and Cara Crawford are passionate about their Cruiserworks boots and are dedicated to providing their customers with a top-quality product and great customer service. After talking with Cara and wearing the boots, I’m a believer that Cruiserworks boots are of exceptional quality, and will be of lasting value.
