XPD X Village H2OUT boots in black

We really like this XPD X-Village boot. It very much reminds us of a boot that was produced by Roland Sands some years ago; that boot was called the Mojave, and it was very popular.

 

I wrote the same thing recently when reviewing another boot from XPD called the Nashville, but one of the things we are seeing a with a lot of the short boots we are being offered is a reduction in the quality of leather they are made from. On some of them, the leather is so stiff and unforgiving it feels like plastic; on others, it is so dry it feels like straw. Well, leather is something XPD does well. With the other main italian brands chasing ever lower price points, the quality of their leather is not what it once was. But XPD still produces beautiful leather products and garments. And that applies very much to the X-Village. The boot's oiled leather is super-soft and supple. This is a bike boot that is going to be incredibly comfortable. It will be lovely to wear. And will disappoint nobody.

 

As far as the spec. is concerned, you get an extra layer of leather for the gearchange, and another one for added strength in the heel. In the toe and the heel you get toughened counters. And moulded TPU protectors in the ankles.

 

There's a padded collar at the top of the shaft for comfort. On the inner side of the boot you get a zip for easier ingress and egress, but the waterproof gusset, because of course this is a waterproof boot, means that you will still probably need to use the laces. In the heel, there's some concertina banding for easier articulation both on and off the bike. You also get a handy, leather, pull-loop.

 

Along the lower edge of the boot's upper, there's what looks to be a sewn welt. It looks pukka, but unfortunately it's not the real deal. The welt is glued to the upper, and the stitching goes nowhere. But that's no surprise. You would never get a genuine Goodyear welt on a boot at this price point.

 

The sole is a flat sole,  just like the one that you got on the Roland Sands boot. It's a look, I suppose, but the benefit of a flat sole is that it can be moved easily up and down the pegs without a heel getting in the way. It makes the boot very easy to ride in.

 

The X-Village is a very smart-looking boot. You could wear it into the office, and it would more than pass muster at the Bike Shed. There's a lot to like about the X-village, and unusual for us, we cannot think of anything negative to say about it!

 

Okay, so it's not cheap, but we sell other boots that are nowhere near as well made that are in the same price bracket. As we said, we really like this boot!

 

Lastly, the box this boot will come to you in will be branded XPD. Say that fast, and it sounds not unlike XPD. And that's not a coincidence. Italian bootmaker Sidi was unhappy about its neighbour XPD selling boots under a brand name that sounded so similar to theirs, and so the two companies came to an agreement. Boots made by XPD would be labelled as XPDs. But I'm afraid that's just too confusing for us here in the UK, so in the way we have always labelled 'Lindstrands' products 'Halvarssons', we'll be doing the same thing with XPD and XPD. We just thought you should know!