When planning kit for a five-week riding adventure in Patagonia, where I would be travelling on unpaved gravel roads, I wanted boots that would provide a degree of lower leg protection as well as being 100% waterproof.
I was particularly glad I’d made this decision and took the Forma Terra Evo boots for review when, riding on a particularly challenging stretch of gravel, a gust of Patagonian wind pushed me across the road.
This took me by surprise and sent me into some deep sand, where I lost control and fell. Thankfully my only injury was bruising from one of my panniers landing on my foot before the bike flipped over in the opposite direction.
I was glad to be wearing boots with such a rigid impact-resistant construction as these Formas, which I believe helped protect me from a worse injury.
The Terra Evos are off-road-styled boots with three replaceable aluminium buckle fasteners and a Velcro closure at the top.
They are not as stiff as full-on motocross boots, which makes them more comfortable when you are walking off the bike, yet the ankle support system is stiff enough to provide support in the event of a fall.
The amount of gravel roads meant I sometimes travelled for well over 100 miles without seeing tarmac. On some parts of the road it was better to stand on the pegs for an improved view of the road ahead. I was glad to find the sole of the boot stiff enough to be comfortable when standing up for long distances.
My other demand was good waterproofing, which was put to the test in the Patagonian Lake District, where I had three full days of torrential rain and temperatures that went down to 2°C.
It’s difficult to describe the continuous torrential rain and most of my riding companions got wet, many of them left to pour water out of their boots at the end of each day.
I experienced just a small amount of dampness on the first day of rain, due to water running down the inside of my riding trousers – an issue that was easy to correct.
The boots passed this very severe waterproofing test with flying colours which was a good thing as warm, dry feet make a journey so much more comfortable.
Overall, these boots fitted the bill for me. They kept the rain and cold out, were comfortable to walk in despite the stiffness and I was pleased with the protection they provided when I had a spill.
Fit & Comfort
I had to take one size larger than I would normally, which is usually the case for me with Italian brands like Forma. The boots are very supportive and comfortable on a long day’s ride.
Waterproofing
The boots were severely tested in three days of torrential rain and I’ve given them full marks because they passed with flying colours.
Protection
I am fairly certain they gave me good protection when I had a spill in sand. I’d prefer the stiffness and protection of my motocross boots, though I made some compromise in this area to get boots that were 100% waterproof.
Build quality
The build quality is very good. The care instructions provided with the boots are not comprehensive enough in my opinion. Good bike gear is expensive and I like to know how to look after it so it can give me good and long service.
Features
They’re covered with all the features I would expect from a pair of good quality adventure boots.