If I'm ever offered the chance to be reincarnated as an object then one of the last things I'd want to come back as would be one of my motorcycle boots.
They endure a rough old life - sitting in the cold, suffering constant spray and rain on the worst journeys and generally being treated very shabbily.
Thankfully, despite having to suffer all conditions, these Eleveit Venom Waterproof boots have coped with everything I could throw at them.
I've had them for around four months and have not been kind to them - yet in return they've been dedicated servants to my feet.
They've been perfectly waterproof, which is the main thing for me, and have been comfortable for some long days in the saddle.
My first proper day of riding in them was an eight-hour hack with a mate through Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. It was a gamble to take new boots on a mission like that, but the Venom WP came through it perfectly.
The upper combines suede and microfibre materials and is flexible enough to be comfortable while robust enough to reassure on the road.
That flexibility made them comfortable from the off, with no need to break them in at all.
A reasonable amount of walking was also needed on that first day out on the bike, and again the boots delivered.
The sole is quite thick and sometimes makes me feel isolated from what's beneath my feet, but the tread offers lots of grip and they work well on both tarmac and loose ground.
RiDE magazine's reviewer, who gave a Recommended triangle to the Venom WP, noted a degree of heel lifting when using feet on the bike's controls, but this isn't something I've noticed in over 1000 miles of wearing a pair.
Photography: Helen Meeds
They're easy to put on and take off, with a zip up the inner side of each boot and then a Velcro flap around the top.
The rough side of the Velcro is on the flap you have to pull away to open the boots, which seems needlessly unpleasant. These are by no means the only boots with their fasteners arranged in this way, and I keep meaning to ask a boot designer why so many show such disregard for our fingertips.
On the ankle of the right boot there's an NFC (Near Field Communication) chip that allows medical teams to access your personal information if you've uploaded it via the app. If that interests you, the website https://www.ice-key.it/ gives more information.
In terms of fit, our product listing recommends going one size larger than you would normally wear. That's based on returns data that shows a high level of returns from customers who needed to swap for a bigger size. However, I bucked that trend and my normal size (43) fits me perfectly. It shows there's no such thing as certainty when it comes to sizing.
One thing that's absent from the Venom WP is what I consider to be reinforcement where my bike's gearchange contacts the upper of the boot.
There's just the suede surface, which soon started showing signs of contact with the gear lever.
It seems harsh to call it wear, as it doesn't appear to have damaged the material, and it hasn't got much worse in the thousand or so miles that have followed since I took them on, but this is something I'll continue to monitor.
Contact with the gear lever also appears to have lifted the microfibre trim that surrounds the toes. It's not worrisome at the moment and again it's something I'll keep an eye on as I carry on putting the boots to the test.
The lack of reinforcement hasn't created any comfort issues during gearshifts, though the bikes I've been riding have both had light gearshifts anyway. That's something else where I'll know more when I've had chance to ride more bikes in them.
I also need to find out what how they perform in warmer weather as so far I've only had chance to wear them in the cold.
So check back in summer for more feedback on those issues.
My other mild concern surrounding the Venom Waterproof only applies to winter riders who take pride in the appearance of their kit.
The boots quickly look filthy after a ride in grubby weather, and they're not as easy to clean as many similar boots.
A pair of boots with an all-microfibre upper would be easier to clean than the suede material on the Venom WP. Even the texture on some of the microfibre panels is very effective at trapping dirt and stubbornly shaking off my attempts at cleaning.
Thankfully for me, I don't mind my boots looking mud-splattered through winter - I'll give them a thorough wash-down come spring, when it's time to spruce my bike up ready for the better weather.
Overall, I've been impressed with the Venom WP boots. They're the first Eleveit boots I've worn - and the quality is good enough to suggest they won't be my last.
