Footwear to go with our jackets

jfan said:

I have a pair of these too and they're great.
I read on style forum that makers make moto and moto dyes them

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I could be wrong but I believe the collab is for just one model, the Dress Engineer. I don't think Makers makes any other of the moto lineup.

Tom71 said:

Welcome!

Some super subjective ideas:

For Chelsea boots, I am most impressed with R.M. Williams Craftsman Boots.
As concerns „Service“ Boots, of course RedWing is always an option (I have the „Beckmann“, Iron Ranger and Blacksmith and am very happy). Solid value for money. If you want to spend a little more, have a look at Dundas (from Norway). They make a very sturdy boot in nice leather options.

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I concer (RM Williams). Been wearing them for 30 yrs. Here are my current RM Williams Craftsman boots. Black yearling leather, Brown Nubuck (Suede), and Burnished Bordauex Chinchilla. My go to boots with my leather jackets.

Goodyear Flex welted, rather this year´s sneakers than boots...

Next up on my ranking of my boot collection is my pair of Viberg x Division Road x Motiv Mfg. Shelby Sharp boots in Shinki veg tan horsehide.


In terms of quality, these are undoubtedly below the Motors that I talked about previously. The finishing is extremely poor on these for the price. There are lots of loose threads, some poor stitching in several places on the midsole/outsole stitch as well as on the upper, and several mistakes with the pinking as well. One of my friends said that the area where the vamp meets the quarter look like a cat chewed it up and he was not wrong. There was also a lot of glue left on the heel of one of the boots. I have now owned two pairs of Vibergs and both have been significantly flawed.

However, I absolutely adore the design and leather of these boots. They are basically the exact boot that I would design if I could design a non-woodsman heel boot. I literally cannot think of a single detail that I would change other than having someone else actually make them. The red-brown Shinki horsehide leather on these is without doubt the most gorgeous leather I have ever seen on a pair of boots and that includes boots that I do not even own. In fact, this leather might be my favorite leather that I have ever seen or handled period, including jackets and wallets. It's so rich, saturated, vibrant, with a lot of interesting grain that you just don't get anywhere else from what I have seen and with a great temper and shine.


This combined with the fantastic 2030 last and beautiful design touches on this boot such as the leather soles, 360 storm welt, broguing, pinking, and piping makes this boot achingly beautiful to me. The reason this pair of boots is not higher is because of the unacceptable construction quality at this price point. Even with that, these boots were actually ranked as high as third on this list at one point while I was making this list. They are in 8th place here, so I still have 7 pairs of boots I like more. I loved the leather and design of these boots so much that I bought these half a size too big because that was all that was left in stock. I simply put some White Kloud insoles in them and they fit great. That was worth it to get boots that look this good. I should also add that they look amazing with my Freewheelers Caboose which is also in Shinki horsehide, but that leather was finished by Freewheelers while this is not.

I wear RMWs a lot. Highly recommend the Lachlan model - which has a thicker Gardener sole on a Craftsman last with a nice kipp leather.

I love RM Williams. Both the comfort craftsman (rubber sole) and classic craftsman (leather sole) are super comfortable. Their rubber soles seem indestructible. I've had my pair for 6+ years with regular wear (weekly during the first few years, once a month since) and there's no indication they need a resole.

Those RM Williams look great! Don't mind having one of the Chelsea myself. The
Bottom right boot in the 2nd photo looks especially good. That's showing lots of character, a well worn pair! Great job!

JustinW said:

I wear RMWs a lot. Highly recommend the Lachlan model - which has a thicker Gardener sole on a Craftsman last with a nice kipp leather.

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I'm sure there are sources online and this might be redundant but I've never had a leather soled shoe/boot before so I have no experience with one so I would like to know what's the biggest difference/pros/cons of having to wear one?

Jin431 said:

Those RM Williams look great! Don't mind having one of the Chelsea myself. The
Bottom right boot in the 2nd photo looks especially good. That's showing lots of character, a well worn pair! Great job!





I'm sure there are sources online and this might be redundant but I've never had a leather soled shoe/boot before so I have no experience with one so I would like to know what's the biggest difference/pros/cons of having to wear one?

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My western boots were leather bottom and pretty slick. Once scuffed up traction was better. I added some sole savers which are just rubber textured sheets basically. Gives more grip, light weight, protects the leather from elements. And when worn just replace the rubber glued on sheet.

The leather bottom boots hold up real well think through history many more decades or centuries of leather bottom shoes compared to rubber.

Jin431 said:

Those RM Williams look great! Don't mind having one of the Chelsea myself. The
Bottom right boot in the 2nd photo looks especially good. That's showing lots of character, a well worn pair! Great job!





I'm sure there are sources online and this might be redundant but I've never had a leather soled shoe/boot before so I have no experience with one so I would like to know what's the biggest difference/pros/cons of having to wear one?

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Hi Jin, i have both rubber sole and leather sole RM Williams boots. The beauty of the rubber sole is you can wear every day or for going out , like Ayeteael said above , the rubber sole is very hard wearing and super comfortable. The leather sole is also comfortable, more of a dressier option and classier looking, also the leather sole can be very slippery on certain wet pavements. Thats why they are called the "Comfort Crafstman", super comfy. The beauty of RM Williams boots is that when the soles wears out , you can ship back to RM Williams back here in Adelaide ( my hometown) in South Australia and they will resole , and refurbish your boots to look as good as new. Also RM Williams boots are made from one piece of leather, unlike other chelsea boots. Check the videos,

Jin431 said:

Those RM Williams look great! Don't mind having one of the Chelsea myself. The
Bottom right boot in the 2nd photo looks especially good. That's showing lots of character, a well worn pair! Great job!





I'm sure there are sources online and this might be redundant but I've never had a leather soled shoe/boot before so I have no experience with one so I would like to know what's the biggest difference/pros/cons of having to wear one?

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I don’t like all leather soles - better to have some rubber on the bottom, even if you have a leather midsole.

That bottom pair are comfort craftsmen - my go-to for office casual. They are going to need another resolve soon (already on second sole in 10 years).

Psant25 said:

My western boots were leather bottom and pretty slick. Once scuffed up traction was better. I added some sole savers which are just rubber textured sheets basically. Gives more grip, light weight, protects the leather from elements. And when worn just replace the rubber glued on sheet.

The leather bottom boots hold up real well think through history many more decades or centuries of leather bottom shoes compared to rubber.

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Thanks man. Do people intentionally scuff up their leather soles to improve grip? Lol
I've seen those sole savers plus those metal looking attachment to the heels and the tip of the boots. All my boots are pretty much full rubber soles so it might be time to try something else for my next pair.

nickv said:

Hi Jin, i have both rubber sole and leather sole RM Williams boots. The beauty of the rubber sole is you can wear every day or for going out , like Ayeteael said above , the rubber sole is very hard wearing and super comfortable. The leather sole is also comfortable, more of a dressier option and classier looking, also the leather sole can be very slippery on certain wet pavements. Thats why they are called the "Comfort Crafstman", super comfy. The beauty of RM Williams boots is that when the soles wears out , you can ship back to RM Williams back here in Adelaide ( my hometown) in South Australia and they will resole , and refurbish your boots to look as good as new. Check the video,

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Thank you so much for sharing this detailed info about the differences of the rubber and leather soles. That's a pretty cool way of doing business, no wonder people like the brand. I'm sure I will patron RM Williams one of these days, was hoping to buy one directly while in Australia (was supposed to visit last year but covid).

*love the sheene btw!

JustinW said:

I don’t like all leather soles - better to have some rubber on the bottom, even if you have a leather midsole.

That bottom pair are comfort craftsmen - my go-to for office casual. They are going to need another resolve soon (already on second sole in 10 years).

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Got it so you would pick when/where you would wear a leather soled pair of boots. I love leather midsole boots and would only buy them. I won't go back to wearing cork midsole anymore.

That means it gets a lot of wear time right? That's cool, I don't think I'll ever get to that point lol most likely the rubber will rot before I get to abuse it that much

@Jin431 just warning you Jin, once you buy a pair of RM's boots , its like leather jackets ..you'll get addicted to the brand One pair is never enough

Jin431 said:

Thanks man. Do people intentionally scuff up their leather soles to improve grip? Lol
I've seen those sole savers plus those metal looking attachment to the heels and the tip of the boots. All my boots are pretty much full rubber soles so it might be time to try something else for my next pair.




Thank you so much for sharing this detailed info about the differences of the rubber and leather soles. That's a pretty cool way of doing business, no wonder people like the brand. I'm sure I will patron RM Williams one of these days, was hoping to buy one directly while in Australia (was supposed to visit last year but covid).

*love the sheene btw!





Got it so you would pick when/where you would wear a leather soled pair of boots. I love leather midsole boots and would only buy them. I won't go back to wearing cork midsole anymore.

That means it gets a lot of wear time right? That's cool, I don't think I'll ever get to that point lol most likely the rubber will rot before I get to abuse it that much

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Leather soles are typically dressier than rubber soles. I’ve never seen a handwelted or Goodyear welted dress shoe with just a rubber sole. Leather soles are a hallmark of quality footwear. In my opinion their benefit to the rubber soles is purely aesthetic. Metal toe taps are especially helpful if your gait tends to wear down the tips of your soles, but they are noisy. I prefer leather soles on all my dress shoes/boots purely for aesthetics.

I wouldn’t recommend “pre-distressing” them. Once you wear the once, hey will scuff to create traction. Some people add toppy rubber soles to their leather soles, but I think that ruins the sleek profile of a leather sole. You should grab a pair!

nickv said:

@Jin431 just warning you Jin, once you buy a pair of RM's boots , its like leather jackets ..you'll get addicted to the brand One pair is never enough

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I can attest to that.

I live in Buffalo NY where it’s cold and snowy for like 5 months. Rainy for 3 months, and sunny for maybe 4 months. So I don’t like leather soles. The weather just isn’t good enough for them for most of the year. They look pretty and there’s been a handful of cool boots only made in leather soles; but I just couldn’t justify spending hundreds for boots I would wear 5-6 times a year based
On weather and boot rotation.

nickv said:

@Jin431 just warning you Jin, once you buy a pair of RM's boots , its like leather jackets ..you'll get addicted to the brand One pair is never enough

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Uh oh haha I know how that goes. One pair is technically good enough but we all know how that works out in the end. So you size down from US sizing probably?

Fonzie said:

I can attest to that.

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Looks like our Australian contingent has lots of love for RMW. I'm sure I'll eventually get a pair or two, my Chelsea boot love affair has just started recently.

dannyk said:

I live in Buffalo NY where it’s cold and snowy for like 5 months. Rainy for 3 months, and sunny for maybe 4 months. So I don’t like leather soles. The weather just isn’t good enough for them for most of the year. They look pretty and there’s been a handful of cool boots only made in leather soles; but I just couldn’t justify spending hundreds for boots I would wear 5-6 times a year based
On weather and boot rotation.

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Thats so true, I'm sure leather soles are strong but it's not right for that kind of weather. The vibe I'm getting is leather soles are for indoor/formal setting or would work in a dry climate. I think it's nice to experience wearing one and it will work well where I live.

Ayeteael said:

Leather soles are typically dressier than rubber soles. I’ve never seen a handwelted or Goodyear welted dress shoe with just a rubber sole. Leather soles are a hallmark of quality footwear. In my opinion their benefit to the rubber soles is purely aesthetic. Metal toe taps are especially helpful if your gait tends to wear down the tips of your soles, but they are noisy. I prefer leather soles on all my dress shoes/boots purely for aesthetics.

I wouldn’t recommend “pre-distressing” them. Once you wear the once, hey will scuff to create traction. Some people add toppy rubber soles to their leather soles, but I think that ruins the sleek profile of a leather sole. You should grab a pair!

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That's the thing I don't have a dressy shoe/boot so that's one thing I would like to have. I didn't even consider the metal toe taps to be noisy lol that might be the same with the heel savers? I always thought they looked cool though

The toppy rubber pair? Is that like vibram explosion? I'm getting that for the new Benzein I ordered lol I'm seriously getting one but maybe later in the year. I already told myself no more boots but 3 orders deep already

Jin431 said:

Looks like our Australian contingent has lots of love for RMW. I'm sure I'll eventually get a pair or two, my Chelsea boot love affair has just started recently.



Thats so true, I'm sure leather soles are strong but it's not right for that kind of weather. The vibe I'm getting is leather soles are for indoor/formal setting or would work in a dry climate. I think it's nice to experience wearing one and it will work well where I live.




That's the thing I don't have a dressy shoe/boot so that's one thing I would like to have. I didn't even consider the metal toe taps to be noisy lol that might be the same with the heel savers? I always thought they looked cool though

The toppy rubber pair? Is that like vibram explosion? I'm getting that for the new Benzein I ordered lol I'm seriously getting one but maybe later in the year. I already told myself no more boots but 3 orders deep already

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Topy’s are the rubber half soles glued on top of leather ones. I’m not a fan but some people like them. I hear ya on the boots. I’ve told myself the same and I’ve been good since January!

Ayeteael said:

Topy’s are the rubber half soles glued on top of leather ones. I’m not a fan but some people like them. I hear ya on the boots. I’ve told myself the same and I’ve been good since January!

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Got it so I am getting a topy then lol I think they look good since it's very slim profile. I was going for the TDD in burgundy horse butt but Truman offered the Aubergine horse rump so I just had to get that and then changed the Benzein order to a grey brown horse rump instead

Alright man keep it up! Keep to the straight and narrow path!

Ayeteael said:

Metal toe taps are especially helpful if your gait tends to wear down the tips of your soles, but they are noisy

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You also have to be careful with wooden floors, I have lulu plates (yes, this how they are called, no idea why!) installed on most of my dress shoes and boots and I immediately take them off at my doorstep.

Ayeteael said:

I’ve never seen a handwelted or Goodyear welted dress shoe with just a rubber sole

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There you go!