Stylmartin Impact RS boots in brown

The brand offers a retro, trials boot. But the Stylmartin Impact is a much more modern take on the style. For those who don’t know the difference between an off-road boot and a trials boot, a trials boot will have a flat sole like the Impact’s for easier movement up and down the pegs.

 

The outer chassis of the boot is a water-repellent, greased, full-grain leather, although the real waterproofing comes from a breathable, waterproof membrane.

 

For protection you get a super-hard counter across the toe box. There’s another in the heel. There are large, foam-backed counters in the heels. There’s a rigid protector that runs up the back of the boot. Below this there’s another rigid, plastic protector in the heel. You also get a large protector for the shin, as you might expect.

 

You can always get more protection; on those big, plastic Alpinestars, for example. But for a blend of off-road protection and wearability off the bike, the Impact would take some beating.

 

A large area of padded leather below the shin guard and a baffled pad in the heel both contribute to the boot’s comfort. You wouldn’t want to go shopping in a pair, but these aren’t like those off-road boots that, when you get off the bike, you’re desperate to remove. You could comfortably wear them all day.

 

For foot you get three, adjustable ski-buckle straps. At the top of the shaft there’s a large, Velcro flap to adjust the fit around the calf.

 

All Stylmartin tells us about the sole is that the rubber is made from a specific, anti-slip compound. Which is good to know, I suppose!

 

Once again, this is a Stylmartin boot that looks as though it has a proper, welted construction, but it doesn’t. There may well be a genuine welt that’s sewn to the boot’s upper, but the welt isn’t sewn through the midsole and outsole as it would be in a Goodyear welted boot. So even though the stitching through the welt looks very purposeful, it’s just decorative. 

 

Now one of the good things about a boot like this with a prominent welts is that you don’t have to get the full toebox under the gear lever to change gears. You can just use the edge of the welt. It’s what trials riders do.

 

Inside the boot, as with other Stylmartin boots, you get a replaceable, anatomic insole for comfort.