Speed & Strength Black 9 Leather Moto Shoes

As an urban commuter, you can't go without a good pair of motorcycle riding shoes. Ideally they will offer good ankle and abrasion projection while at the same time be adequately comfortable and stylish to wear both on and off the bike.

To my frustration, in just the last three years I have gone through two pairs of TCX X-Street Waterproof leather shoes. In both cases the soles wore through. I loved the look, and they were very pleasant to wear, but at USD $149 (CAD $199) I really felt they should have lasted longer. So when Speed & Strength sent me a pair of their Black 9 Moto shoes, I decided to give them a try.

For USD $99, the Black 9s feature a suede-like leather upper that is actually much more durable than it looks. After over four months of riding in them they actually look less scuffed than my full grain riding boots did after just a few weeks. For protection, these high-tops have plastic inserts on both ankles and have molded toe and heel reinforcements to protect against spills and slides.

The "Under Cover:tm:" lacing system -- the laces are looped through fabric eyelets underneath the actual metal eyelets to give a unlaced look -- is a Speed & Strength signature style, but I found it more trouble than it was worth. The laces had a tendancy to stick as the friction between the cloth laces and the hidden fabric eyelets made it sometimes very time consuming geting the shoes on and off. My other beef with the laces: they are far too long and, if you are not careful, can get tangled up in a peg whilst putting a foot down.

Though they are not officially waterproof, the Black 9s provided a suprising amount of protection from the wet. What I had previously learned the hard way about low-cut waterproof footwear is that, if your rain pants don't ride low enough, they are about as effective at keeping water in as they are keeping water out!

The first couple of weeks I wore the Black 9 shoes, I have to admit I really didn't like them. I found their overall feel to be very stiff and sweaty. Then, for some reason, they seemed to loosen up and breathe. I now can wear them out in 90 degree weather without much discomfort. I have however, recently noticed that the soles are starting to wear down on these shoes as well. I am hoping they will last me to the end of the season.

All in all I would say that, if you like the look, they are about as good a value for money as the TCX X-Street shoes were.