Wow, did I really get that title to rhyme? Sometimes I impress myself!
Anyway…
I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. Ours involved traveling from Corvallis to Santa Cruz, CA for some family visitations. And before you ask, no, we did not ride. Yes, we’re wimps, but any Oregonian can attest to the difficulties of planning a trip over the Sexton and Siskiyou Summits in late November. ODOT doesn’t say “chains required” for no reason.
Most of the trip involved the typical Thanksgiving obligations, but we did manage to sneak a visit to Helimot in San Jose. I scored a great deal on a closeout pair of Daytona Bandit XCR Gore-tex boots.
One stylin boot.
I hate to bag on Rev’it, but Daytona boots kick Rev’it’s boots in the ass something fierce. My new pair of Daytona boots is heavier, the leather is better quality, butter soft, and feels awesomely thick and sturdy, and the sewing is outstanding. These are the kind of boots that will last 10 years. My $250 Rev’its barely lasted two years, and only after a little help from some Shoe Goo to hold the blown-out seams together.
The waterproof gusset is part of the Gore-tex lining, and the velcro closure offers a wide range of adjustment around the calf.
100% made in Germany. Check out that sewing!
While I was trying on boots, Stacey took a bunch of pictures around the shop. It’s one of those places that has accumulated quite a few interesting mementos over the years.
Boot heaven.
Quite the collection of old race boots.
Some had clearly met the racetrack at speed.
More battle wounds.
The shop kitty worked very hard while I tried on boots.
Most of the store is dedicated to their custom leathers shop.
The workmanship on these suits was incredible.
Racks of used and consignment leathers.
Part of the workshop where leathers are born. They can also repair and resole Daytona boots.
They even had some child size leathers on display.
Apparently, this suit was made just for fuzzygalore.com!
Even more pictures can be found in the gallery. We had a good time visiting the shop and chatting with Helmut, who’s quite an interesting guy. If you’re ever near San Jose, Helimot is worth a visit.
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You’re such a chick, Stacy. It’s all about the shoes, huh? Next thing you know you’ll be purse shopping!
Daytona boots look so much more substantial than so many other sporting/touring brands. Much less about plastic and doo-dads than the Sidi/Alpinestars of the world. They really look like beautiful quality. The sole looks like it might give a bit of lift as well. Will you be giving a waterproof-ness review?
FWIW – Those leathers are 1 step closer to my dream of a Wonder Woman racing suit
If only more places could support a consignment storefront – i think that would be such a nice alternative to ebay. Helimot looks like a great place to poke around. Thanks for sharing the pics
Any shop that has a shop animal is worth going to IMO. I’d love to rock Helimot, too bad it’s so damn expensive!
@Fuzzygalore: Oh snap, my love of boots has been found out! And yes, I plan to give these ones a thorough Oregon dousing.
@soth: Shop kitty was very friendly. I hear ya on the prices. We can console ourselves knowing that we’re buying quality and that our money won’t be going to waste.