I wear engineer style boots on the bike- no safety toe. I don't really like how safety toe boots feel on my feet, and I don't need them for my job.

Like every other piece of protective gear I use or chose not to use, there are trade offs.

 

Yep- some trades require a safety toe that doesn't conduct electricity. The ANSI standards around workboots are staggering.

 

Correct answer

 

I am sure some safety **** wrote that after the fact... composite toes came into being for companies like Fedex...who have thousands of employees that have to go though a metal detector

 

I have worn Redwing steel toed boots for decades. In 2017 I was rear ended while riding the Dragon by another Harley. I came off the bike and rolled what seemed to be a long distance. Bottom line I walked away without any injury to my feet. I think good riding boots regardless of steel toes or not will work well.
Bill

 

My riding boot of choice is a slip on industrial work boot. I am presently wearing Carhartt's with chemical resistant soles, no slip soles, lined, waterproof, and they have plastic toe reinforcements. I have for the last 20-25 years worn similar from Wolverine with steel toes. I have to wear reinforced toe shoes and boots at work so they became my riding footwear as well.

Beware of salesmen cautioning you about the other guys products in a way to push their own.

If I am in an accident that is of the magnitude that my toes will be sheared off I think my toes may actually be the last thing I will probably be worried about!

The benefit to riding with industrial boots? They last years and cost less than $150. I can walk all day in them, stroll through puddles and mud bogs, and my foot does not slip when I put my foot down on a hot blacktop road. They are just not real fashion conscious I suppose...they are not black, do not have chains or skulls on them, and I can get a new pair in a heartbeat!

 

The fronts of my safety boots are all scarred up. I have other shoes without safety toes, and they aren't.
So I guess I use them when I wear them.
They can leave a hell of a dent too, should that become necessary.

 

Funny thing is back when I started wearing steel toes work or riding wasn't the reason behind it. Glad I survived my youth with all my teeth intact.

 

Ahh youthful playtime.
Trying to remember, but I know we stopped at an Ice house or some little spot for lunch and there was a sign "No Steel toe boots allowed". Well I didn't take mine off and wasn't checked. These days the Glock should be more of a concern than the boots.

Anyway, my employer buys our boots and require Steel or Composite toe. I'm pretty easy on boots so about every 3rd or 4th pair is black and for riding.

 

Bingo! `Same here for me. I wore them my whole working career before I retired. Also wore them when riding the bike, but the steel toes did get pretty cold at times.

`Reminds me of the time another worker friend of mine looked down at the worn toe of my Redwing work boot, and noticed that the steel was showing. He said, "Why is the leather worn off the toe?" I replied, "That`s from kicking so much ***". We both laughed.

Pretty hard to beat Redwing boots. I wore them for 50 years before I retired.