TCX Blend 2 boots in black

For many years, TCX’s most popular boot was the Blend 2's predecessor: the X-Blend. Replacing a best-seller is always fraught with danger, but TCX has stuck with the same concept whilst attempting to upgrade or improve the boot in those areas where the old boot was deemed lacking.

A slightly strange term to use when describing a somewhat ‘grungy’ bike boot like this, but we nevertheless think the old boot was ‘prettier’ and perhaps better proportioned. But that’s a personal observation.

The new TCX Blend 2 employs what appears to be a thicker leather. This is difficult to be confident about because the new boot has a padded lining that makes it difficult to know what is really going on, but the feel is stiffer, and it seems as though the leather might be tougher. TCX make a big deal about the leather having a vintage look, and indeed the boots have a different but similar feel to the outgoing boot in terms of their worn look. This is a shoe you won’t be able to polish. In both colours the leather is known as pull-up leather. It’s a leather that is designed to show marks, and in so doing to create a unique patina.

As with the previous incarnation, the TCX Blend 2 boot has a waterproof membrane and D3O pucks in the ankles. There’s a super-tough, re-inforced toe box and a counter in the heel. The sole is what TCX call a Groundtrax sole; this appears to be a brand name invented by TCX!

The Blend 2 does not have a gearchange pad overlay; it just has a pattern debossed into the leather. So no extra protection for the foot against the gearchange itself, but the good news is that the pad cannot become detached.

We did suggest at the beginning of this description that we do not think the new boot looks quite as good as the old one. It has a more bulbous toe box. That can be a good thing, but it gives the boot a slightly clumpier look. But what threw us a little when we first saw the boot was the wide gusset. It looks as though the ‘quarters’ do not sufficiently cover the gusset. This makes the boot look a little as though it is not properly ‘done up’ when in fact it is. It creates the visual impression that one’s foot is too large for the boot. But what has become clear is that the boot has been designed this way to allow it to be more speedily laced or unlaced. This, for many, will be a positive. It will make the boot easier to get in and out of. We just think it makes the boot look a bit out of kilter!

Comfort-wise, the TCX Blends 2 boot wears similarly to the old X-Blend. We wrote this website description when the boot first came out; we wore it around the office, and it felt similar to the X-Blend, but the proof of the pudding will be in the reception the boot gets from those who buy them. Only then will we really know whether TCX has got it right.