16th March 2020

SLUK Loves #12 TCX ladies Blend boots | REVIEW

TCX Blend – a blend of style and protection

Not all female bike/scooter gear has to be pink and flowery, that’s because not all lady riders feel the need to pronounce their femininity quite so boldly. Practicality and style win over unicorns and rainbows for many of our lady riders – my other half included.

TCX have been my own boot of choice for a number of years now. Not only have they brought French style to the market but their great looking riding boots also perform exceptionally well. Lads can have a look at my review for the men’s version of these boots – the Hero (many of my club mates now wear these), or the X-Cube boots and Andy from ScooterNova’s X-Groove review here.

Ladies can read Linsey’s review of her lovely Blend boots below…

Good grip and they look great with riding jeans

I’d been wearing the baseball style TCX Street Ace boots for a while and loved them, in fact I still do and ride in them occasionally (I’ll be getting a new pair for summer) but they’re well past their best so have started to look a bit scruffy now – they’re five years old. The ‘worn’ look has passed its sell-by date. I replaced them with these lovely full-grain vintage leather TCX Blend waterproof boots at the start of 2019 and have worn them ever since.

Kick it up

These boots have a few advantages, especially if you’re kicking a classic scooter up and need a sole with some grip and support. The rubber sole on these has a vintage tread pattern and a small raised heel. It helps give a little extra height and very good grip – which can give you extra confidence. The laced uppers look classy with detailed stitching on the lovely soft brown leather, which ages well and looks ace, even when it’s a bit mucky after a wet ride. They polish up well too.

The boots are fairly light and very comfortable straight from the off. They can easily be worn to walk around in all day when you’re off the scooter (some bike-specific boots are a bit clumpy to walk in). Or, if you’re on a touring holiday they can be used to go out in when luggage space is tight.

Showing signs of wear but they will polish up nicely

Protection

Aside from being looking good, comfortable and 100% waterproof (these boots kept my feet bone dry and warm whilst riding to Southport for six hours in the worst rain I’ve ever ridden in last October) they also have protection built-in to the toe, heel and malleolus (side of the ankle). All motorcycle clothing now has to come with CE certification and the TCX footwear is classed as PPE – Personal Protective Equipment. They’re certified to EN13634:2017 – you can check the certification inside the boot. If you ride a bike, the boots also have a leather shift pad to give extra protection to the toe when changing gear.

VIDEO | TCX CE certification testing

Verdict

If I’m happy to recommend any riding kit to my friends then it means it will be more than up to my own expectations (ask Iggy – things have to be just right or he’s in big bother). I absolutely love these TCX boots. They’re very comfortable, I love how they look with a pair of jeans, I can trust they’ll keep my feet warm and dry and I also know they’ve got the CE mark of approval so offer some decent protection. Give them a go ladies.

Linsey