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Seven years with TCX Baja Mid boots

IN A LINE
Quality, heavy duty off-roading Mids with Gore-tex. Tall on the shin but narrow across the foot.

WHERE TESTED
For the moment, just local lanes.

COST & WEIGHT
£280 rrp (from £210). Mine used for £86. Weight: 1100g per boot.

• Used bargain!
• Very solid build
• Stiff instep for standing on pegs
• Grippy, Vibram-like sole
• Mil green version looks best
• Gore-tex membrane
• Comes with detailed manual in 13 languages

• Mine in boring black but price was right
• Right now heavy, stiff and clumpy, but may ease up
• On the narrow side
• Like all Mids, the top edge can chaff on the shin

What They Say
A shorter, more practical version of Adventure 2 Gore. While the non-slip rubber outsole provides optimum grip and total control in all situations and terrain, the micro-adjustable buckle system ensures total comfort. Versatile and untiring, the special Gore fabric is a bonus for the best possible exploration, even in rain and muddy conditions.
• Full grain microfibre and suede construction
• Waterproof Gore-Tex breathable membrane
• Non-slip rubber sole
• Hook and loop strap and buckle closure system
• Inner gaiter
• Plastic support on ankle area
• Back reflective inserts for night-time riding
• Nylon inner sole with removable arch support

REVIEW
After seven years my TCX Baja Mids were as comfy as old slippers but wearing out. One buckle clamp was bodged from something else, then recently in Morocco an unnoticed flying stone poked a hole in the toe like it was cardboard. No longer listed by TCX, remnants crop up from £190.

For my next pair of Mids I definitely wanted a less mushy instep for standing up foot-ache free. And a treaded sole would be better too; I’m forever slipping around when clambering on the roadside to shoot a quick pic.
Similarly good looking Forma Adventure Lows (left; rrp £214) caught my eye until I clocked the unusual warning on SBS about the soft instep. The current trend for wider pegs helps spread the load of course, but if they’re advising this upfront, the Formas were no longer contenders.
There’s an ‘Adventure look’ with boots that doesn’t correspond with actual all-terrain adventuring – a parallel to the entire ‘style before function’ Adventure Motorcycling Phenomenon some might say! My old Bajas may have been in this category, and so might similar, two-clamp Gaerne G-Dunes, cheaper LS2 Adventures and the even cheaper RST Adventure-X (below; left to right).

They all have the appearance of MX boots – rugged clamps and ankle protection – but underneath aren’t really up for it. This shop product video review seems to confirm this lamentable trend while claiming these Sidis are a cut above.

I thought I’d treat myself to some Sidis who, like Alpinestars, have had a solid rep in off-road moto footwear as long as I’ve been riding. Or should I say, some turned up in my size dead cheap ;-).
They certainly look like they could give and take a good kicking, have a Vibram-style sole and, in ‘military green’ (left) looked way more interesting than ‘tobacco’ or boring black.

I’d have sized up a green pair from SBS, then waited for a sale or used, but as said, my size in black and used once was ending soon on eBay for just £86. Boring black it would have to be, but at least they’re better than the ‘messy coral’ Crossair X for just £630 (right).

Sidi Mid Adventure 2s
Out of the box the 11s (46) looked solid but unnervingly narrow. Once on my feet they felt the same, initially pressing on my small toe, even with thin socks.
I didn’t get the chance to read before buying but many reviews and customer reviews on SBS (left) testify to this. But had I gone up a size to 47s they’d be way too long. I’ve had width issues forever with hiking boots, but with the Sidis the pressure goes away after a while, and it’s not like I’m heading up the Pennine Way with a full pack for a fortnight. If they’d been that bad I’d have put them straight back on eBay and might even have made a few quid.

Note that the video above compares the Mids with the full-height version with an ankle hinge for full articulation. The Mids don’t have this but being tall for Mids, lose out on that ankle movement when walking or sliding into a corner, extended inside skimming over the dirt. The simpler, one piece body will probably do me, plus there are bellows above the heel for a bit of give.

Green laning locally on the Serow, the Sidis proved they had what the Formas, my Bajas and maybe the other softies all lacked: a rock-hard MX instep offering pain-free standing support on the narrowest, spiked footpeg.
And the lugged ‘Vibram’ sole (left) will add grip when paddling or scrambling about off the bike. My smooth-soled Bajas were a pain in this regard, though a real dirt racer’s boot would have a smooth sole for crossed-up broadsides, like I was practising below (1970s Alpinestars Super Vics).

The Sidi’s straps clamp down securely with a bumper protecting the lower one, and ought not fall off like the Bajas. With the unusually tall height (300mm in my 46s), they could be run ITB (tucked in), and ought to keep the feet dry in downpours and through fords. The Bajas were too short for reliable ITB; these taller Sidis ought to hold the tucked in trousers. Plus you get an actual Gore-tex membrane for as long as it lasts, not some no-name ‘SplashBack™’ version, though the vid review above notes the membrane ends about halfway between the top edge and the upper buckle.

Inside you get the usual cheap, thin removable insole (left). I’might put in one of the better ones I’ve lying around, or if you need more volume you could ditch it; it’s not like to need the all-day walking support.
One thing with Mid height boots like this is that the top of the boot can chaff on your shin – my Bajas were like this too. It’s one reason to go ITB or wear knee-height socks.

Weighing 1100g each (only 80g more than my Bajas), they don’t feel anywhere near as comfy right now, but will hopefully respond to breaking in. To speed that process up, I bought some boot spreaders (left). We’ll see how effective they are, but once that’s done the Sidis look like they’ll take whatever terrain and weather’s thrown at them.
More to come.