This is going to be a product review which breaks all the rules of product reviews (as detailed in Frank's 'Old Hacks' Book of Classic Clichés'), so hold onto your handbags. First off, I'm not writing this based around a press release for an item which I've never even seen, let alone used. I have to admit that not only have I seen Alt-Berg's boots, I have actually (gasp) used them - in fact I've been wearing a set for the past decade. Not all the time, obviously: I do take them off when I'm swimming… But this isn't a quick-spin kind of product review, oh no. This is an in-depth, long-term real life road test, one which sums up ten years of experience with a pair of motorcycle boots. Yes, the long winter evenings really do fly by around here!

Second rule to bite the dust: I'm not writing this with a view to blagging a new set. The much-loved maxim of most journos is that 'all free clothing fits' and some professionals pride themselves on the vast volumes of FOC kit they've snaffled over the years. I'm obviously a complete failure in this respect: I paid for my Alt-Bergs in the first place - and don't even need to blag new ones because there's nothing wrong with this pair. (Apart from scruffiness, which I think adds to their appeal and could be cured with an application of elbow grease). I have broken a lace or two over the years, but even RC's meagre budgets can stretch to a new set of laces…

Nope, I was inspired to write this when I realised that although I've just got a new brand new pair of Kevlar-lined Draggin' Jeans (cos my old ones were too big) and although I've got a brand new Akito jacket (cos my old one was too big and it was letting in more liquid than Thames Water lose each year); so although the rest of my riding kit is brand new and squeaky clean, my motorcycle boots are the same old pair I've been wearing since time began. Faithful service of this nature should be recognised, don't you think?

Alt-Berg is the last remaining British bootmaker who actually make walking,, motorcycling and military boots in the UK. The company is located in Richmond, North Yorkshire, an area which has a strong tradition of boot-making that Alt-Berg have been proud to continue for nigh-on twenty years.

My Alt-Bergs are one of their best-selling designs, the all-weather, lace-up Hogg. It's a dual purpose walking and biking boot, perfectly suited for year-round use in our damp and chilly climate. The Hogg has protective 'Astro shock' panels in the ankle and instep area and a waterproof protective membrane (which remains intact despite my innate cack-handedness although I've ruptured several similar linings in my no-longer-waterproof jackets), and a 2.2mm water-repellent English full grain leather upper. For once in my life I have actually followed the instructions and given my boots a once-over with Alt-Berg's own leather wax twice a year: I can't be bothered to make them shine but they have remained stubbornly watertight.

Belstaff from Grand Prix Legends

Unlike most other bike boots, my Alt-Bergs are also extremely comfortable. They have a bouncy 'Skywalk' dual-density sole which is crush resistant (and so still puts a spring in my step after all these years), plus 'Achilles' flex panels to give extra mobility around the ankle. This means I can spend all day walking around an autojumble in them without my dogs barking one little bit - then hop on the bike and ride home with my trotters carefully protected. And then when the rotten horrid bedratted BSA conks out in the middle of nowhere, I can walk in comfort to the nearest hostelry to await roadside recovery…

Over the years I have also used my Hoggs while taking countryside walks, doing the strimming, chopping wood (not recommended by the manufacturer because they don't have anything like steel toecaps, but they're a darn sight better than trainers), full-on mountain trekking, kick-starting anything, flat-out track day thrashes, mid-winter rides in snow and ice and plenty of sunny Sunday sojourns. They're more than flexible enough to give me precise control over brake and gear levers, and rigid enough to give me confidence to kickstart Frank's grumpy old Commando and even the old Velo or two.

The only downside to my Hoggs is that I occasionally don't tie the laces properly and have been known to trip myself up. Fortunately, Alt-Berg make plenty of other styles in case you are similarly afflicted by outbursts of idiocy and also can't be trusted with complicated laces!

Since I last looked at their range, Alt-Berg have added quite a few styles it seems, most of which would suit the classic motorcyclist. The Hoggs are now also available as a lightweight boot with a slightly different sole, or as a calf-high classic 1930s design with laces; the Hogg High. Alt-Berg's most famous boot may be the Clubman Roadster, an award-winning high boot originally developed for the Police riders to use around the Lake District. There are versions with and without buckles, plus lighter and 'fresher' boots for non-winter use (their 'Three Seasons' range).

Almost all of Alt-Berg's motorcycle boots are made to order, to fit your feet as closely as possible (length sizes start at 3½ and go up to 13½ and there are normally five width fittings in most styles). As you'd expect, this kind of hand-crafted service combined with high quality materials does not come cheap. Depending on the style of boot, you'll be spending between £125 and £200 - so you will inevitably find less expensive boots in your local shop. However, those boots will have been churned off a production line in the far east, not made by an Englishman in Yorkshire. It's also telling that the most comfortable and hard-wearing set of bike boots I have ever owned are my Alt-Bergs - and I think they've actually cost me less than a tenner per year of service which sounds like excellent value to me.

In the interests of unbiased accuracy I have wracked my brain to think of something critical to say about my Alt-Bergs, but the truth is that I wouldn't still be using them regularly if I didn't thoroughly appreciate them. In the time that I've kept my Hoggs, FW has been through four pairs of other shortie bike boots, which probably sums it all up. (Although he has a set of knee-high heavyweight Alt-Bergs too, which he uses on really grim winter rides).

So… measure your feet carefully (they tell you how to do that) and order in plenty of time (boots are made to your order, not yanked off a shelf). You could even stop off at Alt-Berg's factory to see how their boots are made - one side of the firm's shop has a glass wall so you can observe the bootmaking process in action.

And if you have an offspring who rides a BMW GS and fancies himself as a Saharan explorer then you could treat him to a set of Borego High Bandog boots - perfect for desert expeditions (and probably pretty good for wearing to the pub!).

-----------

The Alt-Berg range of motorcycle boots can be seen at altberg.co.uk or call 01748 850615 for more information.

Anyone got their own bike clobber recommendations?