Royal Enfield TCX Stelvio WP Riding Boots Review: Introduction

Introduction The Construction What's Next?

Introduction

The Stelvio waterproof riding boots are the most expensive boots that Royal Enfield currently sells. And for good reason. These are made in association with TCX. For those not in the know, TCX is an Italian motorcycle gear maker. And it excels at designing, engineering, and producing one of the finest motorcycle boots. Then be it for daily commuting, touring long distance, racing on a race track, or even riding competitively on dirt, TCX has a boot for every occasion.

Now, the Royal Enfield Stelvio is based on the TCX Baja WP boot. And that brings with it high quality manufacturing, high safety standards, and what we are hoping for is high levels of waterproofing and oodles of comfort. As far as price goes, these boots are listed at Rs 21,000. There is also a mid-rise version of the boot that costs Rs 18,000, and that’s a good fit for those looking at commuting, touring, and also, some mild off-roading, but nothing too aggressive.

We will tell you how these boots are to ride in, live with, and whether you should buy one or not. But that’s for a later report. This time let’s just tell you what these boots are all about.

The Construction

The Stelvio, like the Baja, are made of full grain leather. These employ double stitching everywhere for a more robust construction. And it comes with a three-buckle closure system for a more secure and tailored fit. Additionally, there’s some reflectivity built into the rear of the boots. There’s elastic around the boot’s mouth for better sealing and comfort. And there’s a suede-like finish on the inside of the Stelvio - around the calf area - to help improve grip between the boot and bike when standing up and riding.

In terms of protection, the TCX Stelvio - much like the Baja - comes with hard protection cups around the toe and heel area. These are essentially there to protect the rider’s feet against the impact of rocks or branches when riding off-road, and in some cases these also offer protection from the bike’s own hard parts. There’s some protection for the ankle as well. And then up top, the shins are protected by a hard TPU surface that also carries the TCX branding.

Plus, like we said at the start, the Royal Enfield TCX Stelvio are waterproof boots. But, unlike the TCX Baja which can be had with either Gore-TEX or TCX’s own T-Dry, the Stelvio only come with T-Dry to keep the water at bay. Gore-TEX is without doubt the better breathable-waterproof solution, given it has smaller but more number of pores to let air in but keep water out. But, the T-Dry isn’t supposed to be bad either. Yes, it’s not as stretched as Gore-TEX to give the same level of effective porosity, but these boots shouldn’t run hot or warm either.

What's Next?

Or at least we hope these won’t.

And that’s exactly what’s on the menu in the coming months. We will use the Stelvio as our go-to boots for all things motorcycling. We will use them on commutes; wear them on our highway rides; and of course, go off-roading in them. And then we will report back to tell you if you should invest in the Royal Enfield Stelvio.

We say ‘invest’, because, well, it’s like insurance; for your feet. And much like helmets, getting the best possible protection in your stipulated budget should be the goal here too.

Product Details:

Make: Royal Enfield TCX

Model: Stelvio WP Riding Boots - Brown

Price: Rs 21,000

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi