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Shift Racing Fuel Street Shoe

Posted by Kenn Stamp
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Note: Single click on the above icon to open the video as a pop-up. Words and Pics by Kenn Stamp Most of us know that wearing a jacket, helmet, gloves and long pants while riding is very important but oftentimes riders overlook the importance of proper footwear. I've heard all kinds of excuses ranging from too expensive to not wanting the hassle of having to take shoes to work because the riding boots are too uncomfortable to work in all day (leave a pair of shoes AT work?...guess not). Those of us who have jobs where we can wear boots or sneakers don't want the hassle of dragging our entire shoe collection around so we end up buying some type of hiking boot or work boot to ride in. While a good work boot provides better protection than a pair of sneakers, they aren't ideal because they are usually heavy. Some companies saw the lack of good riding "shoes" and started producing "riding shoes/boots" a number of years ago. Unfortunately, many of the offerings are nothing but warmed over work boots. Enter Shift Racing's new Fuel Street Shoe. Not a boot and not a sneaker but rather a combination of both. The Fuel Street Shoe comes up as high on your ankle as most hiking and mid-height work boots but weighs only as much as a high priced pair of basketball sneakers. While weight might not be a huge deal when on a motorcycle, it becomes a huge deal when it's time to stop riding and start walking. Shift didn't sacrifice protection for weight savings either, designing the Fuel Street Shoe with a stiffer upper than a comparably light sneaker would have. Creating a shoe with a stiff upper is a balancing act; too stiff and the shoe doesn't bend (which makes walking painful if not virtually impossible) while a too soft upper provides little to no protection for your feet. Having worn the Fuel Street Shoe almost every day (I have them on right now) for the past couple of months I can say without hesitation that Shift got the balance right. There are a couple of other areas that are important in a riding shoe, one of which is a good sole. Many "riding shoes" have soles that look like they would be more suited to a soccer field or climbing EL Capitan than riding a motorcycle. You know what I'm talking about; typical work boot cleated soles. Not only does that type of sole make moving your feet around on the pegs more difficult but they also don't provide the best grip when you're putting your foot down at a stop. The Fuel Street Shoe has a flat sole with light reliefs cut into it. This provides maximum grip with maximum move-ability when resting on the pegs. Also flat soles are much easier to walk in than even the lowest heels; just ask any woman. Another important area in a riding shoe is ankle protection. Whenever you wear anything beside a full racing boot you are making a concession of comfort over safety. The Shift Fuel Street Shoe is no exception. There is just no way possible that a mid-height shoe that is made for both riding and walking is going to offer the same protection as a dedicated riding boot. That being said, Shift has done a few things to ensure as much protection as possible without sacrificing the shoe's usability. On the side of the ankle, right where your ankle bone protrudes, you will find a padded area that provides protection in case of a fall or other impact. Shift also put a velcro strap on the shoe to not only ensure the laces staying tied, but also to allow you to cinch the ankle tighter. One possibly unintended side effect of the velcro strap is that is also provides a little extra cushion to the top part of your foot where it joins the ankle. When I first got the Fuel Street Shoe I put them on and started walking.......and squeaking. Now one of my pet peeves is squeaky shoes; either the shoe itself or the sole squeaking on the floor. It's the same as a rattle in a car; it drives me nuts. Anyway, I walked around for about a week until my nerves were frayed and I couldn't take it anymore. I found that the squeak was coming from where the leather on the tongue rubbed against the leather on the area where the laces run through. I placed a call to Shift and my rep told me that his shoes squeaked for the first day and then stopped. That was all well and good for him but my shoes were still squeaking! Not one to sit back and wait for things to fix themselves I quickly figured out that if the leather was a little rougher then it wouldn't squeak when it rubbed together. Armed with the certainty that I can fix anything (forgetting, as usual, that this "certainty" has been proven wrong in the past) I set about roughing-up the sides of the tongue and shoe with a light grit sandpaper and lubricating the area with WD-40. Low and behold after a couple of passes and sprays the shoes stopped their infernal squeaking. Ah ha! Victory is mine! The only time they squeak now is if I really try to flex the shoe and areas I couldn't reach rub together a little bit. There is absolutely no squeaking during normal operation though. To be completely fair, I also asked another magazine's managing editor if his pair squeaked and he said that they did for the first day but then stopped. Two out of three pairs fixed themselves after the first day of use with only my pair needing special attention. It may have been the leather itself, the humidity here in Florida, or any number of other variables that caused my pair to squeak longer so this is probably not indicative of the shoe in general. The Fuel Street Shoe retails for $99.95. While that is not cheap you are getting a shoe that is comfortable walking around your destination, comfortable while riding to your destination, and offering better protection than work boots or sneakers should something happen during that ride. Check out Shift Racing's site for more info. Ask questions and read comments on our Fuel Street Shoe Forum.

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