The TCX Baja Gore-Tex adventure touring boots are comfortable and protective.

You can?t fake it when it comes to evaluating adventure boots. Meant for rugged riding day after day, they have to hold up to continuous abuse while remaining comfortable and protective. After two days of breaking in TCX?s Baja Gore-Tex boots around home and the office, I hopped onto my BMW F 800 GS to discover what they have to offer the adventure rider, or the street rider looking for more robust footwear. My first impression was how light these boots are while still being certified to the European motorcycle foot safety standard EN 13634:2015. The Euro size 42 (US men’s 8.5) boots tested here weigh just 4.8 pounds.

Italian company TCX is all about boots, producing everything from MotoGP racing boots to a line of everyday foot protection for motorcyclists. If you recall the Oxtar brand, it became TCX in 2005. It makes 75 percent of its boots, plus thousands of pairs of OEM branded footwear, at a boot facility in Romania, and all TCX boots and shoes are certified to EN 13634.
The Baja Gore-Tex model meets level 2 of the standard for impact abrasion and cut resistance for the upper, as well as transverse rigidity (ability of the sole to resist crosswise pressure), and meets requirements for water resistance, water absorption and slip resistance. A large shin guard dominates the protection package, but there are polyurethane inserts for the ankles, heels and toes beneath the leather...