Is Boot Protector Really Necessary?

Is this item really necessary?

The Canadian website Town Moto describes its “Shifter Boot Protector” as “a simple solution to an age old problem.”

It’s a leather strap with an elasticized band that “stops the toes of your boots from getting scuffed and marked up by your shifter.”

For only $7.95, you can arrive at work secure in the knowledge that you won’t be embarrassed by marred footwear.

Maybe the unrelenting winter cold in New England has freeze-dried my brain, but aren’t scuffs on the left toe of a riding boot (or right toe if you’re riding an old British bike) a badge of honor; a symbol cherished by serious riders; and proof positive that a person isn’t a poser?

The worst part about getting new gear, at least for me, is the break-in period. Not because a new jacket or pair of gloves are stiff and uncomfortable, rather because they’re unblemished and suggest “newbie.”

A tip of the visor to the Cyril Huze Post for the alert on this silly device, which I suppose looks good on paper but which would quickly become a pain to use.

– By Bud Wilkinson