stpauls Posted October 22, 2018 Report Share Posted October 22, 2018 (edited) Thinking about a new set of boots. Gaerne Balance Oiled or Gaerne Balance Black? About £60 difference. Any preferences or experience? Thanks Edited October 22, 2018 by stpauls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaser Posted October 22, 2018 Report Share Posted October 22, 2018 I have the black and found them to be water tight and wearing well after 3 years use. Outer skin gets scuffed up easily but I give them a coat of some dubbin type stuff on a regular basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oni nou Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) If you have not had Gaernes before and are used to a boot that is quite supportive then you may like to try wearing some sandals with socks on your next practice session to get a feel for the Gaernes without flashing the cash.......... By the way what nigel nobster says at the end of this thread shows what an absolute cxxt he is. Edited November 4, 2018 by oni nou 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 But they are sooooo comfy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 6 hours ago, oni nou said: If you have not had Gaernes before and are used to a boot that is quite supportive then you may like to try wearing some sandals with socks on your next practice session to get a feel for the Gaernes without flashing the cash. You’re a real trend setter oni nou????♂️??, you know I contacted Trinny and Susanne the style icons (shame one of them can’t dance to the judges high standards) Anyway I digress, Trinny suggested that gold diamanté strapped sandals offer just a smidge more dazzle especially if worn with football socks and bright yellow supportive garters. Susanne said that two pairs of socks would double the protection around the calf...dunno where she was coming from as I hadn’t said anything about animals being involved...just typical for someone to go off topic eh! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faussy Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) Back in the day when purple gaernes were the rage (same as oiled), grimbo used to wear the blue because he thought they gave more protection. Id agree, but its marginal. They are the comfiest/least supportive boot around Edited October 23, 2018 by faussy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oni nou Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 1 hour ago, section swept said: You’re a real trend setter oni nou????♂️??, you know I contacted Trinny and Susanne the style icons (shame one of them can’t dance to the judges high standards) Anyway I digress, Trinny suggested that gold diamanté strapped sandals offer just a smidge more dazzle especially if worn with football socks and bright yellow supportive garters. Susanne said that two pairs of socks would double the protection around the calf...dunno where she was coming from as I hadn’t said anything about animals being involved...just typical for someone to go off topic eh! Dude what I said isn't off topic its actually very pertinent to the topic .....you must never have worn a pair of Gaernes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a slack dab Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 I've always had Alpinestars until last year I went for some new Alpinestars and couldn't get them on so tried the Gaernes on very comfy I would recommend them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhuskys Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 On the original question.... If you are set on Gaernes, I'd go with the black, as the Balance Oiled still needs to be cleaned and treated regularly to stay water resistant. On Gaernes in general..... I wore Gaerne Balance Oiled for a few years and just not supportive enough for my sore old feet. I'm with oni nou on this.... I might as well wear Birkestocks and socks, as Gaernes. I love their SG11 enduro boots though! I switched to Alpinestars and found them much more supportive and better protection. I bought a pair of Forma Boulders for a spare pair, and am very happy with them. They have a good price, are as supportive as the A-Stars, but with a little less padding. Thing I like the most, is that they are taller than the other boots.... Why do trials boots keep getting shorter? I wear the Forma Boulders most of the time and wear the A-Stars for spares now 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 7 hours ago, oni nou said: Dude what I said isn't off topic its actually very pertinent to the topic .....you must never have worn a pair of Gaernes. I did when they first came over to England, that’s why I wore then Alpine Stars they were much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 7 hours ago, oni nou said: Dude what I said isn't off topic its actually very pertinent to the topic .....you must never have worn a pair of Gaernes. Going off topic was meant to be aimed at myself, not at your good self or anyone else...sorry if you eluded to that thought! Gaernes lost a lot of potential customers in the past, not because their boots were unknown but because people...I mean my customers... couldn’t pronounce the blooming name, some were quite educated too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oni nou Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 59 minutes ago, section swept said: Going off topic was meant to be aimed at myself, not at your good self or anyone else...sorry if you eluded to that thought! Gaernes lost a lot of potential customers in the past, not because their boots were unknown but because people...I mean my customers... couldn’t pronounce the blooming name, some were quite educated too! Sorry thought it was in relation to the Michael Jackson incident. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 2 hours ago, oni nou said: Sorry thought it was in relation to the Michael Jackson incident. No probs?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 1 minute ago, section swept said: No probs?? Anyone try Frank Thomas boots? ....thought not. I spent a while using Hein Gericke Enduro boots, these were CE certified nice and supportive if you couldn’t be a***d to stand up yourself. Trouble is a comfy boot that actually allows you to walk normally tends not to be that good at other things like absorbing ruddy great blows from passing rocks. Strange how most riders ignore protecting that part of the leg just above the boot top and up to the knee, that bit to me is just as important. Looking at the latest crop of sections I expect the next item of safety gear will be a lightweight parachute to be deployed when jumping off an errant bike that’s decided it’s not a mountain goat on a suicide mission! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faussy Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 (edited) If youre 100% set on gaernes, the oiled are more comfortable straight from the box, the std take a while to bed in (not long mind you), but once bed in theres not much to choose. Waterproofness is the same, since they end up leaking via the stitching and the liner behind the shin guard, which is irrespective of boot material. The std scuff after a few months and if you are the fussy type can start to look rather scuffy. The black should be easy to touch up with polish. The oiled stay better looking for longer. At the end of the day it all comes down to whether you want a brown pair or a black pair. If you ride a lot of rivers, all boots will lose some rigidity as they absorb the water, but the gaerne oiled seem to do this more so than others as they are already more flexible that other boots straight from the off. If you value your toes while riding rivers id stay away from them. PS theres also new goretex models that are even more expensive than the oiled if you didnt already know. Edited October 24, 2018 by faussy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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