Spada ST1 Boots - Review
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Spada's ST1 boot stands out for a number of key points, with claims to be both waterproof and breathable and still priced at well over £100 this could be another of those should have products, usually at this price point you get a bland, utilitarian looking touring boot so kudos to Spada for bringing a little bit of style which realistically is not dissimilar to other well known and high end brands.
Initial Thoughts
Personally I think the styling of the ST1 boot is no accident in that it mimics a well known Italian manufacturers touring/waterproof model, with the boot in question being one of the best sellers worldwide it clearly holds appeal for a large number of riders and with good reason too, it is sporty without being over the top, tourers and cruisers alike can get away with wearing the ST1 as well as the usual sports and sport touring bikes. With minimal but functional features such as ThermoPlastic protectors and removable toe sliders you get the protection level you would expect without looking like a spare part from Star Trek.
Construction
In use the Spada ST1 Boot is as comfortable as you would ever need for a full day in the saddle, size wise I found the length to be pretty spot on and an average width overall which was a touch narrow for my feet when wearing a thermal boot sock but fine with regular socks. The downside of this in really cold weather is that your feet can sometimes get a touch chilly so if you suffer from the curse of a wider foot I would suggest trying a size larger than normal (or half sizes if they are available), having tried the ST1 boots in both warmer weather and the freezing cold I can say that the breathability was ok but not as good as I would have liked and I did tend to feel a bit of humidity in the very warm temperatures, this is not so apparent in the cold and of course all feet are different so your mileage may vary.
The waterproofing works very well and in decent rainfall I felt no ingress, generally speaking the more waterproofing used in a product the more breathability needs to be increased here which tends to lead to much higher production costs and the ST1 finds a decent balance between the two - especially at this price-point. Protection wise the ST1 comes with TPU pads on the calf and ankle as well as the shin which in my opinion is touch thicker than I would have liked, however the pads are kept to a minimum and blend subtly with the overall boot style, add in gear change pads with a texture (nice touch) and removable and replaceable toe sliders you are not going to go far wrong with this boot.
Tech Specs
- Leather outer construction
- Waterproof and breathable membrane
- TPU shin, ankle & calf mouldings
- Replaceable toe sliders
Editor reviews
Conclusion
Put simply what you have here is a much more expensive boot that its price tag would have you believe - it is not the worlds most breathable touring boot but it does a good enough job to keep you comfortable even on hot days.
The waterproofing worked well even at high motorway speeds and I got the feeling it was seeping in which ticks the right box for touring, comfort was good overall when taking foot width into consideration but for me was a touch narrow.
Taking a look at the big picture this is comparable with a lot of higher end touring boots but for a budget price and with that in mind it gets Bikechatter Recommended
User reviews
Average user rating from: 1 user(s)
spada st1 boots
I got a set of these boots as my first pair of motorcycle boots, very nicely priced for what you get fit is nice and they are nice and lightweight, since ive had them ive had one of the screws fall out on the toe slider but thats all.
my feet have never felt cold in these boots even down to the 3 degree temperatures we had recently ive still been warm. I had the priverlace of getting caught in some heavy rain on my 30 mile motorway trip home from work. the waterproofing in this boot works well but by the time i got home i did have just wet feet.
