MO Tested: Alpinestars Supertech R Boots Review

Yes, that’s right, you get two pairs of boots when you purchase the Alpinestars Supertech R boots. There’s a catch, though. You have to wear both pairs of boots at once. Well, I suppose you could walk around your house in the inner booties so that your family can mock you, like mine did, when I first tried on the Supertechs, but really, the inner booties are a secret best kept between you and the outer Supertech boot. In case you’re wondering why two sets of boots, I’ll tell ya, and once you consider it, the idea makes a lot of sense. The two different boots that combine to make the Supertech R serve different purposes.

We’ll start with the oh-so-cute inner booties, which form an internal biomechanical ankle brace to keep your ankle joint functional during a get-off. The bootie is constructed primarily of moisture-wicking fabric and TPU plastic. The fabric draws sweat away from your feet to where it can evaporate in the airflow provided by the outer boot’s ventilation. The real meat and potatoes of the bootie, though, come around the heel and the ankle bones. TPU wraps around the heel cupping it on the bottom, rear, and two sides to help disperse impacts. Bolted to each side of the heel cup are articulated components that form a brace to prevent side-to-side deflection and hyperextension of the ankle joint. The entire bootie snugs up via speed laces, forming a close-fitting, comfortable inner layer that slips into the outer boot. The only hiccup when donning the outer boot is getting the inner heel cup to slip over the one built into the outer boot. Once the inner bootie slots into place, the fit is just about perfect. (Of course, you can do as Troy does with his Supertech Rs and keep the bootie in the outer boot.) One final feature about the two-boot construction is that the inner and outer boots rub against each other in high-abrasion areas, like your heel or toe, as you move around on the bike instead of having the outer boot rub against your foot and possibly give you a blister during long stints in the saddle.

The outer boot looks exactly like what it is: the current generation of Alpinestars’ track-focused motorcycle boot. The sole is thin, grippy rubber that allows for natural movement on the peg as the rider changes foot positions on the pegs. The outer shell is primarily constructed of microfiber. The inner side of the foot and shin features microfiber suede for good grip and feel on the bike. Microfiber is a synthetic material that is lighter and more abrasion resistant than leather yet provides remarkable flexibility. Over the Achilles tendon, the accordion-stitched microfiber allows for supple flex that doesn’t hinder the rider’s movement.

The areas not covered with microfiber are primarily TPU armored pieces. The heel cup, which can take some pretty hard impacts in a tumble, surrounds the rider’s heel and combines with the inner bootie to spread out the force of thwacking the pavement. The upper shin also has a formidable piece of TPU armor to ward off rock impacts. This top closure also connects to a rear section of TPU to facilitate a ratcheting closure that allows the boot to accommodate differing calf sizes. Around the top of the boot opening, a microfiber gaiter keeps pebbles kicked up by other bikes from finding their way into the boot.

Ventilation consists of clever, soft, flexible TPU vents on the forward edge of the ankle. The honeycomb structure both allows for a large surface area to allow cooling air into the boot and assists in keeping the ankle joint flexible. Two exhaust vents in the back side of the heel cup allow warm air to exit the boot. If you want more ventilation, a version in which the entire outer shell is perforated is available.

Slipping the outer boot over the inner bootie is, as mentioned before, easy up to a point. Once the bootie is in place, the fit is remarkably comfortable. The outer boot zips closed from the outside edge of the foot up to just underneath the TPU shin guard. Since my foot is just on the edge of being too big for this boot (the next size up felt too loose on my foot), getting the zipper to close the last half inch or so is kind of tough. The ratcheting closure allows for the boot to be worn over my leathers (as it was intended) or tight enough to fit under my riding jeans.

My time with the Supertech R boots has shown them to be great track-focused tools – as you might expect from Alpinestars’ top-of-the-line boot. What might surprise you is that it is pretty dang comfortable when walking around, too. I credit this to the two boot design. I can see myself being quite happy with these boots for many, many miles. When I told Troy I was writing these boots up, he enthused that they were his favorite boots and wrote me this mini-review:

Alpinestars Supertech R boots are available in a wide variety of limited-edition styles that are functionally the same as these $500 standard models for a special price. The Supertech R boots are available in Euro sizes 39-48 in a variety of color combinations.

Shop for the Alpinestars Supertech R boots here