Leatt 5.5 FlexLock Motocross Boots

I have 2 pairs of Alpinestars Tech 7 boots used for several years now and am pitting the Leatt 5.5 Flexlock against the Tech 7 with a detailed walkthrough provided below.

Am pleasantly surprised that the 5.5 beats the Tech 7 in some areas but also loses out in some other areas. I deemed both as a tie for now till I have sufficient ride time in the Leatt to assess its durability against the Tech 7.

In terms of protection, the Leatt has much more TPUs built in, thus may be offering a higher level of protection against impacts but this may explain the 2 downsides that come with this. Firstly, there are more squeaky noises when walking in them, and secondly, it is harder to put my feet into the boots when fully opened as the entry felt tighter. So depending on which feature you value more (protection vs comfort), this can both be an advantage or a disadvantage. Don't get me wrong, Tech 7 offers a very high level of protection already hence to me the Leatt is a little overkill for my application. The Leatt is also very comfortable, just that putting it on requires more effort for me as compared to my Tech 7, and it was an effort trying to buckle the Leatt even when the straps are maxed out when I had a Pod K8 carbon knee brace on.

Although the sole of the Leatt appeared to be visibly thicker than the Tech 7, which is a good thing for me since I'm only 1.71m tall (5 ft 7) and needed that little more reach for the ground, I can feel my footpegs and rear brake lever much more readfily than in the Tech 7. This allows me to have much better rear brake modulation and ease of upward gear changing even when the boots are new. The Leatt also has a slimmer toe box area as compared to the Tech 7, making it easier to perform gear changes on bikes biased towards street setups on the footpegs. The Tech 7 was a problem for me when brand new as it required a fair bit of seat time to break in and I can't feel the rear brake lever and gear lever, hence brake modulation and gear changing was a pain till it gets well seasoned.

The other advantage the Leatt has is the heel portion of the sole where it angled upwards. Why I bought the Leatt to try out was because I was destroying soles on my Tech 7s faster whenever I dangled my feet out supermoto style where it comes into contact with the tarmac. The Leatt offers more ground clearance for the boots in the corners.

Now, other features that the Tech 7 has the upperhand include buckles that are fully metallic whereas the Leatt had stainless steel frame with polymer catch which may result in more wear and tear hence may require more replacements. There are only a few small screws on the Tech 7 to secure the buckles onto the boot, whereas the Leatt had small screws everywhere, from buckles to many of the TPU pieces on the boots. Not sure if these could potentially poke my feet inside the boots in the event of a serious impact. I suppose the TPU pieces are replaceable, so this may not be a disadvantage as you can change the colours on the boots or help save you some money by just replacing worn parts without having to replace the whole set of boots if it is still in fairly good condition. That's all folks, hope you find the above review useful in helping you make an informed decision.