Reddit reviews Icon El Bajo Boots , Distinct Name: Black, Gender: Mens/Unisex, Primary Color: Black, Size: 10.5 3403-0342

> Work boots are not designed to hold together

Since when? Work boots are built to be durable. That's their entire selling point. I've had mine for fourteen years and they're holding up perfectly fine. If it's about the sole, I'd put money that the sole of a work boot is as good or better than the sole of a motorcycle boot designed to look like a work boot. Some brands of work boots are even CE certified, apparently.
> or stay on your feet during a crash

Basically, CE certification states that you can't have laces on the outside of your boot. So essentially, make sure your laces are tied and you're within CE safety limits.
> don't have much ankle protection if any, don't provide as much ankle support,

I admitted to motorcycle boots having better ankle protection earlier. Many motorcycle boots provide impact protection with steel, plastic, and/or rubber.

In regards to ankle support, not all boots provide support to help prevent against sprains. The ones that do essentially offer this . A piece of plastic that prevents your ankle from bending too far. So 16 bucks or so solves that problem.

BUT, if CE can certify these horse shit boots, then a simple ankle brace meets their standards for impact protection. Those boots have nothing more than a circle of plastic that sits on top of your ankle.
> laces which can be a liability.

Yes, laces can be a problem. But it isn't a complicated issue. I don't have trouble with my laces. If I did have trouble with them, or if I was taking a long trip on highways, I'd tie them on the inside of my tongue. Or I could get something to hold my laces down. Companies sell straps to hold laces down. They even come with protection for your shoe from your shifter. If I didn't want to spend any money, an old sock does the trick.
> it's pretty easy to find good boots for under $120.

I'll admit, I've never tried the site in the fall, so I don't know what their deals look like. But right now, footlocker is selling timberland work boots for as little as 70 bucks. I've seen them on sale at malls for less. I don't expect the motorcycle boots on sale for $120 to provide any better protection than a pair of boots with slip on ankle support. The $150 pair on that link doesn't provide any better protection than that.


TL;DR: So, right now, if I pay $86(Based off of a quick google serach), I can buy timberland boots with a pair of ankle supports and properly tied laces, and not only would I meet the CE protection requirements, but also match the level of protection provided by boots that are currently selling for $200 and under.

EDIT: OP was wearing essentially the same boots as timberland boots when he suffered his injury. He has since bought these boots, which sell for $190 on multiple sites.

The only thing those boots provide over his other boots is ankle support. 2 of those ankle braces that I linked to above would have saved him a total of $174 and provided the same exact amount of protection.


EDIT2: I'm gonna do a bit of research and make a post on /r/motorcycles about boots. I see more and more posts of people being okay with buying ~$200 "motorcycle boots" when they aren't really getting any extra protection.

Lower extremity injuries account for a majority of injuries sustained when riders go down. It also accounts for a VERY large majority of medical costs that riders incur when sustaining injuries. We have minimum standards for helmets. Some basic standards for jackets and pants based off of customer review and satisfaction. Knee protection is very straightforward. But there's nothing in regards to boots despite the huge need for it and the serious physical and monetary risks involved (Sometimes longterm rehab is required). After a helmet, boots are the next most important protection one can wear, and we're seeing some very low standards being accepted in the riding community.

I don't want to come off here saying that timberland boots with an ankle brace is acceptable for a boot. I'm just saying that it's equally as safe as boots that are hovering around the $200 price range. Really, we should all be wearing riding boots with serious levels of protection. The boots we're seeing that are getting praise on reddit for their style really don't provide nearly enough protection, but nobody seems to bat an eye.