stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
Lewis Leathers = 
as
That is all.
asThat is all.
girls biker boots
- Thread starter Rollem
- Start date
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
For Pogo's benefit I should probably add that I owned a Triumph Bonneville between 1983 and 1989, and a Royal Enfield Bullet till 1992, so I have paid my biker-style boot dues, although in those days I preferred Frank Thomas boots
Fine but at least you got decent biker boots this time - IIRC, all Lewis boots comply with the standard.
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
Remind us all again what you're riding as we speak?
Biddlybee
making knots with sticks
see I'm a biker, of sorts.stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
I meant pogo, tbh. Seeing as he's the one who seems determined that only "real" bikers should be wearing biker boots.
Personally, I think if you like 'em, wear 'em.
Personally, I think if you like 'em, wear 'em.
geminisnake
a complex mass of conflicting ideas
Have you checked Schuh?? They've got a decent sale on just now Biddly.
A bluffer's guide to biker boots, part 1
Biker chic was invented by a smouldering Marlon Brando in The Wild One in 1953.
He modelled his look on American bikers and wore engineer boots.
The following year James Dean copied Brando in Rebel Without a Cause. These are the boots he wore in the film.
In the UK engineer boots are widely found in women's shoe shops but hardly ever in bike dealers. They've never caught on here. They're associated with Harleys which, as any British biker will tell you, are ridden by admen, bald divorcees and nonces. They're also thought to be unsafe, as they never have armour and fall off quite easily in a crash. And the British biker will not dress in shiny black leather adorned with straps and buckles unless he can justify it on safety grounds. Biker chic is best left to the gurls.
Biker chic was invented by a smouldering Marlon Brando in The Wild One in 1953.
He modelled his look on American bikers and wore engineer boots.
The following year James Dean copied Brando in Rebel Without a Cause. These are the boots he wore in the film.
In the UK engineer boots are widely found in women's shoe shops but hardly ever in bike dealers. They've never caught on here. They're associated with Harleys which, as any British biker will tell you, are ridden by admen, bald divorcees and nonces. They're also thought to be unsafe, as they never have armour and fall off quite easily in a crash. And the British biker will not dress in shiny black leather adorned with straps and buckles unless he can justify it on safety grounds. Biker chic is best left to the gurls.
A bluffer's guide to biker boots, part 2
The British contemporaries to the engineer boots were (and are) made by Lewis Leathers.
You can get them direct from www.lewisleathers.com for £350. A slightly shorter version goes for only £325. They're not sold in the shops, but there have been a few cheaper lookalikes produced by the fashion industry. Kate Moss and K.T. Tunstall are alleged to own real ones. These days very few British bikers wear them except for police motorcyclists, rockers' reunion types and hipsters.
Bikers like to argue about who is a 'real' biker. Anyone who owns a new or expensive bike doesn't qualify. So you won't catch a 'real' biker wearing Lewis Leathers boots unless he got a wrecked pair on ebay. 'Real' bikers are working class and do everything on a budget. Their standard uniform is a cheap leather jacket, black jeans and used German paratroopers' boots from an army surplus shop:
This is generally the cheapest way to wear 'real biker' boots. But they say 'dyke' just as much as 'bike'.
An alternative is the motocross boot, sometimes known as the Mad Max boot:
They're intended for riding dirt bikes off road, but motorcycle couriers often wear them. They're also seen in a surprising number of fashion shoots and on catwalks, but I've never seen imitation ones in a shoe shop. I suppose they buy real ones in small sizes.
Note for nerds: the Mad Max label isn't strictly accurate. The boots above were worn by Max's best mate Goose, but Max himself wore a variant of the engineer boot.
Given that the average British biker doesn't wear any of the boots mentioned so far, you might be wondering what on earth they DO wear. Usually it's something like this.
The look is generally completed with an equally stylish jacket:
The British contemporaries to the engineer boots were (and are) made by Lewis Leathers.
You can get them direct from www.lewisleathers.com for £350. A slightly shorter version goes for only £325. They're not sold in the shops, but there have been a few cheaper lookalikes produced by the fashion industry. Kate Moss and K.T. Tunstall are alleged to own real ones. These days very few British bikers wear them except for police motorcyclists, rockers' reunion types and hipsters.
Bikers like to argue about who is a 'real' biker. Anyone who owns a new or expensive bike doesn't qualify. So you won't catch a 'real' biker wearing Lewis Leathers boots unless he got a wrecked pair on ebay. 'Real' bikers are working class and do everything on a budget. Their standard uniform is a cheap leather jacket, black jeans and used German paratroopers' boots from an army surplus shop:
This is generally the cheapest way to wear 'real biker' boots. But they say 'dyke' just as much as 'bike'.
An alternative is the motocross boot, sometimes known as the Mad Max boot:
They're intended for riding dirt bikes off road, but motorcycle couriers often wear them. They're also seen in a surprising number of fashion shoots and on catwalks, but I've never seen imitation ones in a shoe shop. I suppose they buy real ones in small sizes.
Note for nerds: the Mad Max label isn't strictly accurate. The boots above were worn by Max's best mate Goose, but Max himself wore a variant of the engineer boot.
Given that the average British biker doesn't wear any of the boots mentioned so far, you might be wondering what on earth they DO wear. Usually it's something like this.
The look is generally completed with an equally stylish jacket:
A bluffer's guide to biker boots, part 3
Biker chic has failed to make an impression even on the few British female motorcylists. Despite the example of such style icons as
or
they persist in looking mostly like this:
So the market for women's biker boots is tiny. Even the people who dream up new biker chic stuff don't bother with proper boots. Here is Keira in Chanel's latest biker's jumpsuit:
If you don't want engineer boots and can't afford Lewis Leathers ones you could always get what the cool kids wore in the '70s when nobody knew or cared about safety. I'm not kidding, in the days when a 17 year old with cash could buy a 100mph Yamaha without having any lessons, the footwear to be seen in was Dunlop Green Flash.
Biker chic has failed to make an impression even on the few British female motorcylists. Despite the example of such style icons as
or
they persist in looking mostly like this:
So the market for women's biker boots is tiny. Even the people who dream up new biker chic stuff don't bother with proper boots. Here is Keira in Chanel's latest biker's jumpsuit:
If you don't want engineer boots and can't afford Lewis Leathers ones you could always get what the cool kids wore in the '70s when nobody knew or cared about safety. I'm not kidding, in the days when a 17 year old with cash could buy a 100mph Yamaha without having any lessons, the footwear to be seen in was Dunlop Green Flash.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
Course, if you do ride a bike in Green Flash, you're a bit of a twat...
geminisnake
a complex mass of conflicting ideas
Nick h, you do realise that the first 3 pairs in part 2 are just pure porn??
Real bikers don't tend to wear Alpine whatevers, they're for the power ranger mob!! Mostly I see para boots or that kinda thing at bike rallies, when you do see apline type things they sure as shite aren't shiny!! I have perfectly good moto x boots, got them in the kids section And I only just bought textiles last year, while hubby doesn't have any yet and probably never will have(they're all made for fat blokes he says)
Up north/Scotland the cool kids wore baseball boots not green flash!! A lot of them still do, but not on the bike now!
Real bikers don't tend to wear Alpine whatevers, they're for the power ranger mob!! Mostly I see para boots or that kinda thing at bike rallies, when you do see apline type things they sure as shite aren't shiny!! I have perfectly good moto x boots, got them in the kids section
And I only just bought textiles last year, while hubby doesn't have any yet and probably never will have(they're all made for fat blokes he says)Up north/Scotland the cool kids wore baseball boots not green flash!! A lot of them still do, but not on the bike now!
Nick h, you do realise that the first 3 pairs in part 2 are just pure porn??
That's the dilemma of the straight biker in a nutshell. When I was a courier in my yoof I was parked on the Kings Road on a slack summer afternoon, so I thought I'd have a nap. I stretched out on the bike, head on the clocks and feet dangling off the back and unzipped my one piece leathers to the waist. I was also wearing the regulation Sidi motocross boots and was festooned with pagers and radios in leather holsters. I woke up to find Jimmy Somerville just standing there staring at me.
geminisnake
a complex mass of conflicting ideas
I'm not in the least surprised!! Goodness!! Nuff said!!
I bought hubby some Magnum boots the other week, mmmmmmmmmm.
I bought hubby some Magnum boots the other week, mmmmmmmmmm.
moonsi til
worked it out now!
Nick H....I loved reading your little history of the biker boot... So far I have only liked the boots posted by cribynkle...but they do need to be higher. and the ones posted by Nick H worn by Brando & James Dean....it's that type I'm after.
Those US police ones made me go 'eurgh'...I'm sorry but I do not like them at all.
So far I have only liked the boots posted by cribynkle...but they do need to be higher. and the ones posted by Nick H worn by Brando & James Dean....it's that type I'm after.Those US police ones made me go 'eurgh'...I'm sorry but I do not like them at all.
wayward bob
i ate all your bees
loving your posts nick h.
i may have to buy these
i may have to buy these
wayward bob
i ate all your bees
these are 70 down from 160
(oh and before anyone says i know mine aren't biker boots but it was this thread that made me want them)
(oh and before anyone says i know mine aren't biker boots but it was this thread that made me want them
)Debenhams have lots, including a pukka looking engineer boot for £45 and these for £59.
I'm saving up for these Frye ones. c. £200. Should last for decades though. I tried them on at the Natural Shoe Store in Covent Garden and the quality is amazing. I need to replace my old Harley engineer boots which finally died after being worn nearly every day for 15 years. They were SO comfy. And they're pretty much the only way a bloke can get away with wearing high heels. Which is handy when you're 5'9" and you like tall women.
If you want a real bike boot with discreet ankle armour there's always these from BMW for £120. They go down to size 5.
I'm saving up for these Frye ones. c. £200. Should last for decades though. I tried them on at the Natural Shoe Store in Covent Garden and the quality is amazing. I need to replace my old Harley engineer boots which finally died after being worn nearly every day for 15 years. They were SO comfy. And they're pretty much the only way a bloke can get away with wearing high heels. Which is handy when you're 5'9" and you like tall women.
If you want a real bike boot with discreet ankle armour there's always these from BMW for £120. They go down to size 5.
moonsi til
worked it out now!
loving your posts nick h.
i may have to buy these
LOVE these...where are they from...though I reckon they are silly expensive?
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
wayward bob
i ate all your bees
they're river island £75 iirc. they look like cheap shit that'll not lat 5 minutes irl tho. so i bought some old fryes off ebay for £50 instead. trouble is i think they'll be too big.
moonsi til
worked it out now!
Ah thanks. I must also add that I don't have or ever will have a motorbike. Closest I have been is hiring one in Thailand...now that I'm older I get goosebumps when I think of me doing that. At the time I didn't even have a driving licence!
I think I'm looking for a classic biker boot that will last me a really really longtime and will become my faithful friends... ...you know boots that go with everything...I know they are out there waiting for me.
I think I'm looking for a classic biker boot that will last me a really really longtime and will become my faithful friends...
...you know boots that go with everything...I know they are out there waiting for me.
moonsi til
worked it out now!
hhhm...Frye Veronica Slouch boots....
geminisnake
a complex mass of conflicting ideas
Nice bob
I'd like these in black...
Mmm, Caterpillar did something very like that in black a few years ago coz I bought some in the schuh sale. Ebay maybe?
