USED & REVIEWED

STICKIER THAN AN OCTOPUS

ROCKY CREEK STRAPS
Price $10, $12, $25

Have you been after a strap that is strong, fl exible and designed with your paintwork in mind? Well the latest “Spider Web, Adjust-a-strap and Loop End Cord” straps from Rocky Creek Designs are just your ticket to strapping, tying and carrying just about anything on your motorcycle – they even stretch up to two times their length!

I took the Spider Web (retailing for just $25) and gave it a run, while The Bear strapped himself, um, equipped himself with the other two. Basically the Spider Web is four strong bungee cords with standard nylon type hooks at one end and gated clips at the other, attached to a central ring. Each cord is about 45cm in length and I have tied all sorts of bags, parcels and boxes to a number of bikes now and love how versatile the Spider Web is, even being able to use two of the cords, or three, depending on what my needs are.

The bungee cord is made from a special polyurethane formula that has no rubber or latex, yet feels like it does.

They are claimed not to spilt, crack, break or become brittle and are backed up with a lifetime warranty.

The Adjust-a-strap retails for just $12 and is so useful with its many uses.

92cm in length, it can be adjusted easily by hooking through one of the six holes in the strap, so you can be sure, no matter what it is you want to strap to the bike, it will be strapped securely.

Again, made from the special formula and backed up with a lifetime warranty, you can get this strap in yellow or blue.

The Loop End Cord is another very versatile strap to have in your arsenal.

Retailing for only $10, it is 77cm in length and can be tied to almost anything on your bike. Again, this strap is made from the special formula and comes with a lifetime warranty.

For all of these straps and many more wondrous products, contact Rocky Creek Designs on Ph: 02 6689 5703 and/or visit the website www.rockycreekdesigns.com.au SW

READY FOR BATTLE AEROSTICH COMBAT LITE BOOTS
Price US$347

One of the things I love about Andy Goldfine’s Duluth-based motorcycle clothing and accessory supplier Aerostich is that they make the stuff they sell, and they make it in America. It might seem odd that I should mention this here because I am about to review a product that’s marketed by Aerostich but not made by them. The Combat boots are made by well-known boot manufacturer Sidi, in Italy, for Aerostich. Presumably because this is a job that’s just too specialised for what is essentially a clothing manufacturer like Aerostich to handle.

Good for them. There is no harm in knowing your limits. And it’s good to know that the boots are not made in some low-cost country just to save money.

Another thing I love about Aerostich is the way Andy describes things. “Difficult break in?” he writes, about these boots.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ok, ok ok. This is a simple consequence of having a stitched welt and thick water resistant PU (polyurethane) impregnated leather… and so few separate pieces of leather.

There are no fl ex gussets of thin pleated leather or fau-leather [sic] anywhere. So uh, respectfully, suck it up, cupcake. I hate breaking in a new pair for myself, too.”

You can read a lot more of Andy’s comments, and fine technical details, on the Aerostich website. Meanwhile, how did I like the boots? They are rather old-fashioned, with a combination of laces, hook-and-loop patches and buckles. A kind of combination of dirt and road boots, they are quite heavy with a stiff sole. Is that bad? Well, here’s Andy again: “We wanted an old-fashioned full leather lining, because these are soft, comfortable and durable. This is incompatible with the Gore-Tex (and other) boot and shoe insert waterproofing techniques. All use a thin membrane, separate from the boot, inserted between some kind of fabric inner lining and the outer boot.

Companies producing breathable/ waterproof inserts feel they don’t work well sandwiched between leather linings and outer boots. To us, leather linings feel much better than fabric linings, and they last a lot longer, too.

Our priorities are foot comfort, durability and breathability.”

There is a lot more explanation on the website, but I’d better cut to the chase.

The boots, after a reasonably short period of breaking them in, fit exceptionally well. That’s due at least partly to the laces, which give you the opportunity to tighten the fit. The good folks at Aerostich included a couple of sets of insoles in case I needed to fine-tune the fit, but it was fine as it was. Apparently the soles are sized according to a “European last”, which means they fit feet like mine! Because they are tough, I expect them to last a very long time – so it’s just as well they fit. I’ve done a couple of long-ish rides with them now, one in hot and one in cold, wet conditions.

They were a bit hot when I was riding in 38 degrees, but I’d expect any boots to feel like that except for BMW’s vented ones. In the cold they were just right, and a good coating of Dubbin seems to have sealed any sewing holes so they didn’t leak.

I’ll report more later, but for now the Combat Lite boots get a thumbs up. PT

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