Tourmaster Epic Touring Boots | Gear Review

Tourmaster Epic Touring Boots.
Tourmaster Epic Touring Boots.

Tourmaster’s Epic boots are one of its core products, offered in both a standard version like those tested here and a vented “Air” version. They are the tallest I’ve ever evaluated, running a good 12 inches up the front portion of the shaft, all the better to protect your shins. The basic construction is PU leather, a polyurethane replacement for genuine cowhide. It looks very much like leather and offers good abrasion resistance at reasonable cost.

Inside, a breathable membrane called OutDry allows sweat from your foot to escape to the outside while preventing rain from getting in. Both boots have a Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) shifter guard, in case you like riding old English bikes with right-side shifting as well. While this American boot was designed in Italy and made in Thailand, interestingly the bottom of the red and black sole is labeled “oil and petrol resistant.” 

The boots are up to European safety standards, eligible for approval from the CE (the French initials for European Conformity). That means that they are very tough boots, with stiff ankle guards, but not uncomfortable. Accordion stretch panels front and back allow for good movement when walking.

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Tourmaster Epic Touring Boots.
Rear view of the Tourmaster Epic Touring Boots.

Getting the boots onto my feet is fine, as a 9.5-inch YKK zipper on the side opens them up adequately, allowing my sock-clad feet to slip in. However, it would be even easier if the boots had a little loop at the back, like on my much-abused Tourmaster Solutions, to facilitate pulling them on. Another minor glitch has to do with the little protective flap that folds over the top of the zipper; this hooks and loops into place, but the flap usually becomes unstuck as their seems to be a paucity of hook-and-loop material on the receiving side. Tourmaster says that it is making a running change to fix this, and that if your Epics have the same problem they would be replaced under the one-year warranty.

My pair, size 11, weighs 3.5 pounds. Men’s sizes run from 7 to 14 in any color you want as long as it’s black, and the price is $199. Tourmaster also makes the Epic Air, a similar version that is a warm weather boot, but since I can be at a balmy 80 degrees in the morning and a chilly 40 degrees come evening, I’ll take the all-season variety. A woman’s version, called Trinity, is also available. 

For more information, see your dealer or visit tourmaster.com.

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