The Icon Elsinore boot ($245) is part of the Icon 1000 line of apparel. The Icon 1000 branding is marketed as Icon’s upper tier gear with an old school post apocalyptic styling. The Elsinore borrows the name from the legendary desert race where real icons like Malcolm Smith and Steve McQueen raced.
The Elsinore features a five-strap alloy-buckle chassis that looks imposing, but is mostly window dressing. The straps can be used to tailor the shin opening to fit a fairly wide range of leg sizes. Actual entry for your foot is via a full length side zipper on the inside of each calf. The leather is impressive, thick and heavy. The boot was clearly built for durability over light weight. There is a stamped metal heel plate, and internal steel shank and ankle protection. Traditional Goodyear welt construction mates the Icon street specific sole to the upper. Heat stamped leather is located on the shin and shifter area. It offers some nice styling but durability isn’t the best in the shifter area. The leather takes on a "rubbed" look and the shifter pad should be closer to the toe. Icon calls the Elsinore a modern relic from an era when men were iron and tanks were steel. I call it a pretty good boot with some decent features and slightly out there styling.
I rate the features as “Average.” It doesn’t offer a lot of features but is simply a darn good boot.
Comfort Off The Bike:
Icon doesn’t list what the interior material is made out of. I can tell you it’s soft, wears well so far, and wicks moisture better than expected. The outer leather is very stiff when you first get the boots and it takes some time for that to break in. The boots never hurt my feet and have never been uncomfortable, just stiff. You initially feel like a storm trooper walking around, or maybe a Weeble. Eventually the stiffness goes away and you can move normally. When I use them to commute to work I wear them for 8 to 9 hours walking up and down stairs, standing for long periods, and in the office. They may look a little silly to some, but are more comfortable than many regular shoes I have owned, and I rate them as some of the best riding boots off of the bike. The only complaint is the pad that passes as ankle “protection.” The little padded circle held in place by elastic straps is neither protection, or comfortable. The ankle pad is mostly inconvenient and the only part of the boot that isn’t holding up.
Comfort On The Bike:
The Elsinore boots offer excellent lower leg support, they grip the standard street pegs on my Tiger Explorer with no issues in either the wet or dry. When the rubber insert is removed and I use the MX style peg they are glued in place and never move. This is particularly nice if you do any off road riding. The toe of the boot is a little tall so if you ride with multiple pairs of riding boots you may have to make adjustments to the shift lever. I have managed to find a compromise height for mine but you may not be able to depending on your boots.
Overall comfort is “Excellent.” The only feature keeping it from being higher is that ankle pad.
Temperature Range and Waterproofing:
The boots are a little hot above 85 degrees and can get a little sweaty. This is particularly noticeable when walking around after getting to your destination. On the flip side they have kept my feet warm below 25 degrees on and off the bike. That’s the coldest I have ridden in them, and definitely the coldest I plan to ride in them. Ice is not my friend. The boots are not water proof, they aren’t terrible but just not completely waterproof. I read several testimonials about people riding in inclement weather and saying their feet stayed dry. Well not mine. It’s not the leather, or the zipper, it’s the seams on the top of the foot. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet but a liberal dose of Pecard Weatherproof Dressing might make them waterproof.
Temperature range is “Excellent” while waterproofing is “Below Average.” (To be fair Icon does not list them as a water proof boot but life is not always fair.)
Miscellaneous:
I mentioned above that these boots were made with durability in mind versus light weight. The boots weigh . You can see in the pictures that although I have been using these several days a week since October they show very little wear. I don’t spend a lot of time maintaining them. I used an initial treatment of Dr. Martens Wonder Balsam with an occasional touch up on the shifter pad. The Wonder Balsam is great for making the leather softer and suppler, not the best waterproofing agent.
Conclusion:
I have a few thousand miles on these and they are a daily ride boot. I commute in them, have taken 400 and 500 mile weekends in them, and ridden in all kinds of weather in them. I rate them “Excellent” for all around daily use and touring. The styling is not for everyone but if you get past that, they are a comfortable, capable boot.
Overall rating is “Excellent.” For the money these are a good value with high marks for durability.
Note: Item was purchased by the reviewer.
How I rate: It’s a subjective rating system and ranges from Poor, to Below Average, Average, Very Good, Excellent and Outstanding.