HEAD-TO-HEAD

Sidi Canyon Gore vs W2 Tour Boots

All-purpose boots have the toughest design requirement. They have to keep your feet warm in winter but cool in summer – and they have to ensure your feet remain dry, both from external and internal (ugh) water. They’re often the boots that will be used for longer rides, so have to offer all-day comfort on and off the bike. And, of course, they have to protect, should the worst happen.

To see what you can get for your cash, we’ve been testing two pairs of boots from different ends of the price spectrum - Sidi’s Canyon Gore Boots priced at £219.99, and W2’s Tour Waterproof, which will set you back £59. Two pairs of boots, one pair almost four times the price of the other. But do they both do the job?

The W2 Tour boots have very stiff soles and the weatherproof side panel is also stiff. I had to spend a lot of time breaking them in. The Sidi Canyons took a little breaking in, but I was ready to ride in them in a fraction of the time.

Getting the Sidi Canyons on is a faff. The straps over the foot make it fiddly to get the side panels open, and doing up the straps isn’t a task to try in the dark (try slotting the strap through a thin slot and then adjust with small ratchets). The W2 Tours are a much easier proposition, with zips that undo a long way down, making them easy to slip on. Both boots’s side panels fasten with Velcro, but the W2 Tour have a nice little feature... a Velcro tab, which fastens the zip to the boot so they’re easy to locate.

Both pairs of boots are armoured at the points you need it: shins, heels, ankles and toes all feature armour/stiffer materials. The ankle armour on the W2s caused comfort issues that needed a lot of flexing to resolve. Both boots have additional reinforcement for gear changes. The suede material used on the Sidis gives better feel and seem to be holding up well, whilst the thicker panel (made from the same PU coated leather) on the W2s works well. The Sidi Canyons are a snug fit. I would definitely recommend trying before buying. Once on, however, they stay in place, secured by the boot strap. The W2 Tours offer a more generous cut and the extra rigidity in the sole means the heel moves when riding, but it isn’t uncomfortable and you soon get used to it.

On the bike, The W2 Tour’s stiffness caused a niggle when changing between gears. No such issue with the Sidi Canyons, although the thick sole means I have to raise my foot higher for downchanges (and the spongy tread makes feel less immediate) and to begin with I had no idea how much pressure I was applying to the rear brake. When riding, however, they’re both comfortable.

Both pairs of boots have proven to be 100% waterproof, as not once has a drop of rain got to my feet. They both also wick moisture.

The Canyons feature Gore-Tex, so you would expect this to be the case, although the W2 Tour’s Drytex membrane has proven equal to the task. The Canyons score slightly higher in cold weather, When the mercury drops off the thermometer my toes get a little nippy in the W2s, but I have found them to be always warm in the Canyons.

At some point you will have to get off the bike and walk, and here the Sidi Canyons are the clear winner. I could wear them all day (and I have). They’re very comfortable to walk in, flexing with you, the centre strap keeping them perfectly in place. That said, the soles feel spongy so you tend to lope. The stiffness of the W2 Tour’s soles doesn’t lend itself to walking for long periods. As I mentioned earlier, the heel slips and they don’t flex greatly, making your walking stance suitable for Russian Military parades!

The soles are the big difference between the two. The W2 Tours lack grip. If you wear these boots in dry weather only, you will have no issue. On an admittedly wet day, however, my foot slipped a couple of times when stopping; a scary experience. Thankfully, there is no such problem with the Sidi Canyons. Their grip in the wet is a revelation. One rainy ride home, I deliberately tried to slide my foot on the sodden floor. Not a chance. The Canyons held steadfastly to the ground.

So what do you get for that extra money? The Sidi Canyons use higher quality materials and they’re softer where you want them to be, but still protect in all the places you need. The retaining strap over the foot makes a big difference. At a quarter of the price, though, the W2 Tours do all the things you want a pair of all-season boots to do... just so long as the floor is dry.