Held Brickland GTX boots in brown

The Held Brickland is what we'd call a 'cross-over' boot. It's not a full-on, off-road boot like an Alpinestars Tech 7, for example, and it's not a trials boot. What it is is a boot that is going to be up to pretty much any kind of off-road riding that could be undertaken on a road bike. Yet it is comfortable enough to be worn on the road. You could commute daily in the Brickland. You would happily go on tour in a pair. And it would probably be the perfect boot if you wanted to combine some road riding with sections of something like the TET.

 

The outer chassis is a full-grain cowhide. Inside, the upper part of the shaft is lined for comfort. To the same end you get padding fore and aft. And that's important if you're stood on the pegs, and moving around a lot. There's stretchy, concertina panelling in the heel, and in the forefoot, to make this a boot that you'd also be happy to walk around in. Okay, so not up a mountain, perhaps, but they are going to be easier to live with off the bike than most adventure boots.

 

For protection, you get a large plastic shin plate at the front of the boot. There's another similar plate on the outer ankle. You also get a plastic gearchange pad on the toe. Now, like many of the boots that look like these, you get ski-boot buckles attached to adjustable, plastic straps. But on the Held boots these buckles are sturdy aluminium affairs; on most of the 'me-too' versions, the buckles are much less rugged. In fact, on most of them the buckles are plastic.

 

What you really want if you're going off road is a really strong toe box, and a similarly protective counter in the heel. Well the ones in the Brickland are as strong as any we have come across. The toe box is up there with the monster one on the Klim boot, but whereas it can be difficult to get you foot under the gearchange pedal with the Klim, you'll have no such problem with the Held boot. (If it were a problem for you, we'd be happy to throw in a Soleshiftr, but honestly we don't think it will be necessary).

 

The sole of the boot is by Vibram, which once again suggests to us that Held has brooked no compromises on the boot. A Vibram sole is as good as it gets, and the one here has an aggressive tread of the sort you need off road.

 

The other factor that reinforces this quality perception is that the boot comes with a Gore-Tex membrane. Now you always pay a premium for a product with a membrane from Gore, but there are reasons for this. First, a Gore membrane will nearly always have the highest waterproofing and breathability scores. But for many the clincher will be that, with Gore, the waterproofing is guaranteed for life. And it's a guarantee that stacks up. Gore does not shy away from replacing products where the waterproofing fails.

 

In conclusion, the Held Brickland boots are not cheap. Now we don't always go along with 'you get what you pay for', but with this boot you really do get all the best components. And the end product is put together like a brick outhouse.