Used: TCX Jupiter 2 boots review

I'VE BEEN riding (and falling off) motorbikes since I was seven. Forty chuffin' years...

You never stop learning, do you?

I’ve broken my left ankle three times, broken five separate bones in the same foot and been left with virtually no ankle-joint cartilage – or instep. Ankle and foot protection is a subject close to my heart. They say you should always spend as much as you can afford on your bed and your footwear because if you’re not in one you’re in another.

‘They’ are right.

But off-roading excepted - in forty years of falling off stuff I’ve never smashed my shins. Never. Not once (touching wood).

It’s why I’m a new convert to shortie boots. And these lace-up Gore-Tex TCX Jupiter 2s replace my trusty old TCX X-Force which have now been retired after several years of abuse.

Ankle-length boots make sense if you’re going to wear them all day. Quick and easy to put on and take off, comfy to wear and – most importantly – comfy to walk around in when you get to wherever you’re going. And there's none of that squeaking nonsense that you always get with articulated race boots.

There’s not as much outright protection in these boots as my old MX-derived X-Forces's – the sole’s not as stiff and the uppers aren’t the same rhinoceros hide thickness. But the upside is that they’re way, way more comfortable to trudge around in. Almost like a high-top trainer but with more ankle protection.

Because they’ve got a Gore-Tex liner they’re 100% waterproof and as long as your waterproof trousers are long enough to cover the tops, they’ll keep any weather at bay. Thanks to the summer we’ve been having, this has been tested pretty thoroughly. 

The suede leather and AIR TECH fabric uppers, being black, have stayed looking pretty smart. Gear shift pads are fitted to the tops of the boot on both feet just in case you get the chance to ride and old British bike with a right hand shift. Owners of old British bikes will also be pleased to know that the Jupiters are very comfortable to walk great distances in. Handy when you’re not a member of a recovery service network and your zener diode has just shat itself again.

The TCX Jupiter 2 costs £139.99.