Red Wing Engineer Boots

[Chainsaw]

The lack of a heel on riggers boot's is so they don't get hooked if you have to jump from beam to beam. The souls wear out real fast though if your not walking the steel, so most riggers or iron workers wouldn't spend more than 50 bucks on a pair.

Red wings are good if your union will pay for them.

 

[Aaronlowe]

A motorcycle boot really needs to have the heel. If the rider has pegs, and we all ride with pegs at one time or another, a heel is a necessity. If we don't have pegs, a motorcycle boot just doesn't look right with crepe soles. Except maybe in California.

I have had several pair of motorcycle boots--currently have three pair--but the Red Wings are my favorite. Didn't take long to break in, have a steel toe for safety and they are comfortable for walking. Plus they are waterproof. Hard to beat that combination.

Except maybe in California? Is that a dig? If so, I suggest you learn a bit more about the state.

Both Icon and Sidi offer motorcycle boots without heels, so perhaps it's not really considered a necessity these days.

Also, the original question was about the boot in general, not about the actual motorcycle-worthiness of a crepe sole.

 

[Fedora Jay]

Nice boots for a nice price there!

It's been a while, but I worked for Red Wing for over ten years. Crepe soles are one of the softest RW uses, they give great shock absorbsion and comfort, but wear out the fastest. As far as better arch and stability, as long as a heeled boot has a full size steel shank under the arch, there's no real difference. Its also very absorbent, so dyes or shoe cream over time should color it decently. A magic marker will work too. I've seen all these methods used, and they look fine from 5-6' away (someone looking down at your shoes from a normal height), but if you inspect the boot up close, its pretty obvious.

Don't forget that you can always get it resoled too, they used to make a black crepe sole, but it's been over six years since I was with the company, so it could have been discontinued at some time. Have your local RW shop send the boot off for resoling. I really suggest asking to see some examples of the resole work first though, stores either send to local repair shops who's quality can vary, or to a RW store with it's own repair shop (their work is usually the best quality). Most shops also oil the leather while the boots are in, so if you prefer mink oil, creme, polish, or nothing at all, specify that and make sure its written on the repair tag.

Wow, I went on longer than I intended there! If you have any other RW questions, I'd be glad to answer them if I can!

 

[too much coffee]

Thank you for that useful info Fedora Jay..........speaking of the resole, would it be possible to resole and heel that RW model 2971 with a conventional heel/sole once the crepe wears down?
too much coffee out

 

[Fedora Jay]

Thank you for that useful info Fedora Jay..........speaking of the resole, would it be possible to resole and heel that RW model 2971 with a conventional heel/sole once the crepe wears down?
too much coffee out

Easily, pretty much any sole you could want can be put on it. I would suggest a the Supersole or a Vibram Pioneer, both wear well and have lots of shock absorbsion. Just stay away from the Vibram soles with huge lugs, they're hard and have no shock absorbsion to them, or the original dual density Comfort Force sole as they tend to crack and peel apart. Just don't get anything described as rubber, as rubber transmits the impact of your step rather than absorbing it.

 

[too much coffee]

Easily, pretty much any sole you could want can be put on it. I would suggest a the Supersole or a Vibram Pioneer, both wear well and have lots of shock absorbsion. Just stay away from the Vibram soles with huge lugs, they're hard and have no shock absorbsion to them, or the original dual density Comfort Force sole as they tend to crack and peel apart. Just don't get anything described as rubber, as rubber transmits the impact of your step rather than absorbing it.

Again, great informantion; thank you!