Builders boots

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

clid61

Veteran
Location
The North
I have a fleece lined walking boot which I often use in winter. For me, its never a fashion show, its whats practical.
Is it a Left or Right boot?:smile:
 

Lovacott

Über Member
No, you're not imagining it. Most of my rides involve an element of gravel/dirt tracks, which can be wet and muddy much of the year. Therefore unless the sun is cracking the stones I'll usually be wearing workmen's boots - so if I have to put a foot down in a mudbath or I come off I'm not going to mess up any decent gear. Likewise if the weather is chilly or grey and overcast I'll have a hi-vis coat on to go with the boots. So you've got a 6 ft bloke in size 10/11 steels, wearing shabby jeans or combat trousers, with a grubby hi-vis and riding a beaten up looking old steel bike fitted with two odd tyres. For some inexplicable reason I get no hassle whatsoever from drivers in traffic....:laugh:.
Part of my route is very popular with club cyclists and tourists in the summer months.

One of the guys I work with lives in one of the villages I cycle through and he reckons that all of the locals regard cyclists as pests.

The roads are single track and the deluge of cyclists in the summer means it takes twice as long for locals to get from A to B as it would in the winter (apparently?).

Wearing work boots and having a home made rack box on the back of a cheap Apollo MTB helps to draw a distinction between myself and the twenty somethings whizzing along in their tight lycra.

I also make the effort to pull over and let cars pass me which I think is much appreciated.

The second part of my commute is a potholed mud bath so the locals on that stretch never see club cyclists. Mainly horses.
 
...the deluge of cyclists in the summer means it takes twice as long for locals to get from A to B as it would in the winter (apparently?).

It's funny that. an alleged delay caused by cyclist means cyclist are "pests", but traffic jams (and associated pollution, noise, et c) in my village caused by too many cars trying to take a short cut is "a fact of life".
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
Part of my route is very popular with club cyclists and tourists in the summer months.

One of the guys I work with lives in one of the villages I cycle through and he reckons that all of the locals regard cyclists as pests.

The roads are single track and the deluge of cyclists in the summer means it takes twice as long for locals to get from A to B as it would in the winter (apparently?).

Wearing work boots and having a home made rack box on the back of a cheap Apollo MTB helps to draw a distinction between myself and the twenty somethings whizzing along in their tight lycra.

I also make the effort to pull over and let cars pass me which I think is much appreciated.


The second part of my commute is a potholed mud bath so the locals on that stretch never see club cyclists. Mainly horses.
In both cases I could point you to the opposite.

Locally I see plenty of cyclists on MTBs all in black with no or very dim lights - some, judging only by dress, commuting to/from manual work. I see youngsters on MTBs jumping on and off pavements without looking. I see and know club riders, experienced enough to know better, dressed all in black.

I could point you to plenty of club cyclists who do the same, wave cars by at temporary lights, smile at drivers, horse riders etc.

It's not about what anyone wears but about how they behave. Just because one thinks one is giving a good impression doesn't mean we are.
 

Lovacott

Über Member
It's funny that. an alleged delay caused by cyclist means cyclist are "pests", but traffic jams (and associated pollution, noise, et c) in my village caused by too many cars trying to take a short cut is "a fact of life".

The three villages I cycle though are on an old main road between two large towns. The major A route is a couple of miles away.

If the major A road (A39) gets blocked for any reason, sat navs send the traffic through the three villages and they become chaos.

It's happened twice recently where I have picked my way through lines of cars gridlocked in the lanes.

I wonder if the villagers shout "bloody cars".
 

Lovacott

Über Member
In both cases I could point you to the opposite.

Locally I see plenty of cyclists on MTBs all in black with no or very dim lights - some, judging only by dress, commuting to/from manual work.

I am office based yet I cycle to work looking like a navvy. I also have a very well lit bike.

In my experience, cycle commuters are amongst the most safety conscious of all cyclists simply due to the fact that daily repetition of any risky activity makes an accident more likely.

As for kids dressed in black hopping a BMX on and off the kerb in the dark without lights, that's just Darwin doing his thing.
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
I always had cold feet wearing steel toe caps. When i used to lead off road rides if I turned up at the start wearing my wellies the assembled used to worry. Where’s he taking us today?:laugh:
I'm the same, my feet get really cold, particularly in winter, I don't even like driving in them, I have an old pair of trainers to leave home in, I'll drive from job to job (usually short distances}in work boots, then put my trainers on to go home.
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
I am office based yet I cycle to work looking like a navvy. I also have a very well lit bike.

In my experience, cycle commuters are amongst the most safety conscious of all cyclists simply due to the fact that daily repetition of any risky activity makes an accident more likely.

As for kids dressed in black hopping a BMX on and off the kerb in the dark without lights, that's just Darwin doing his thing.
I wasn't making an judgement about your occupation it's irrelevant to the conversation.

Commuter cyclists are very safety conscious, no doubt about it, but this doesn't deny the fact there are also people who ride to and from work who are not safety conscious. I think it very disappointing you feel it in necessary to ride "in disguise" on your commute. It shouldn't need to be like that.

Sadly Darwin's kids contribute to the general perception of cyclists.
 

Shortandcrisp

Über Member
Yes, they are steel toe capped. I do my own car maintenance too.

Another benefit I noticed, is that once the pedals start turning, the weight of the shoes creates momentum and so, subsequent pedal turns become easier. It's almost pedal assist.
During one winter a few years ago, I set up a hybrid with flat pedals on a turbo in the garage. One evening after lifting a few weights, I hopped onto the turbo. I’d forgotten to remove the ankle weights I was wearing; it’s surprising how much extra power you can generate on the downstroke with 10lbs of lead around your ankles!
 
Top Bottom