Stylmartin Smith Air boots brown

The Stylmartin Smith Air is very much a summer boot, and I suppose it would be fair to suggest that it has urban vistas in mind more than it has the open heartlands.

 

Made from a mix of heavy-duty canvas and leather this is undoubtedly a good-looking boot. The main body of the boot is canvas. The toe and the heel are made from leather. There's also a strip of leather that covers the eyelets for the laces.

 

Something we've never seen on a boot before, let alone a motorcycle one, is a fold-over shaft.

 

This serves two purposes. According to Stylmartin you can turn it up to increase the height of the shaft. Alternatively, you can loop the laces around the shaft and through a loop at the back of the boot. By then folding and buttoning down the shaft over the laces you can conceal them. 

 

It's a neat system, and whilst different, it works well.

 

In terms of protection, you get D30 inserts in the ankles. You also get strong reinforcing counters in the toe and the heel. And as we have said, the toe is also covered in leather; this to resist the pressure of the gearchange.

 

The boot comes with a replaceable, cushioning insole.

 

The outsole is Stylmartin's own one, but basically it's a copy of a Commando sole, so you get plenty of grip.

 

The boot is cleverly designed to make it look as though it is constructed with a Goodyear welt, and although the boot may have a sewn-on welt it's not a Goodyear welt, as the welt isn't sewn through the outsole. This is something that lots of makers do these days because it gives a boot more of a premium feel. Nonetheless, you will still be able to change the outsole. But it will need to be glued on rather than sewn.

 

In summary, we like this boot. It is lightweight, it will be very breathable, it looks great and we figure it will be super comfortable to both walk around in and ride in. You're not going to want to wear them all through the winter, but if you're looking for a boot for nicer days then there are few boots that are going to be easier to live with than the Smith Airs.

 

And at this price we think it offers pretty decent value too.