PUMA GP1000 -vs- A* supertech R

[v13jim]

Hey all, I am fairly new to track riding and i am getting together my kit for the spring. I have been trying to make a decision on which boots to buy and have narrowed it down to the puma gp1000 and the alpinestars supertech r. being that i need to be at work on monday morning ready to work and not with a cast and crutches i have decided to spend a bit more on getting top of the line safety gear. anyway if anyone has had any direct experience with either of these boots i would love to hear your opinions. I am currently leaning towards the A* because of the smooth "snag free" inner side of the boot, the puma looks like it has many potential pieces which could snag on the rearsets etc. I have experience with both brands and would tend to feel the level of quality is equal. any comments appreciated. thanks.

-jim

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[Indoheat]

i got the A* supertech r and love them. i highsided in them and and walked away with only a small scuff on them. i think the pumas look good but ive never worn them.

 

[ta2kutz]

get what fits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have wide feet and the a* i found to be super narrow. they hurt like hell and i got rid of them. i went with gearne but the pumas are so sweet. i have puma street boots they are a bit wider then most

 

[headstart]

I tried on the PUMA's at a local dealer and they were a PITA to get on and off due to using a full neoprene like sleeve that you had to slip through. They felt very comfortable once on, but a bit bulkier than the A*

I wouldn't want to wrestle the PUMA's on and off at trackday.

 

[snikwad]

I've tried the pumas at the store. I had a pr of supertechs, the previous generation tho. Not the R.
The pumas feel like they look, uber solid, that fat piece on the side makes your ankles feel unbreakable, but then as soon as I stood up I looked at thenm and thought, they'll surely snag on my rearsets.

I've been rocking Sidi vertigos for some time now, crash tested them, just as I did my supertechs back in the day. At one point, I wanted to get the vertigo corsa, because they have what looks like greater adjustablity and ankle protection than the regular vertigo, also you can replace just about every part on the Sidi boots, plus they're lighter than my supertechs were. But Sidi's fit very narrow, and I'm thinking I miss having that extra room to wiggle my toes in the boots like I did with the supertechs. The pumas to me seem like a solid boot, looks very well engineered. But I've decided to get some supretech Rs just because I miss the pro look and the easy in and out of the outer boot. And the protection it offered without looking super bulky like the pumas.

Them dainese boots like the ones Rossi wears, are super comfortable too, I tried on a pr. But the ankle protection just doesn't seem on par with the puma or supertechs.

 

[jimmeigs]

I've worn the Pumas for two seasons and about 60 trackdays. They are a pain in the ass to get on and off, but are super protective. I never had an issue with anything snagging on my rearsets. Make sure you tuck the inner laces in before closing the rear of the boot. I haven't crashed in them yet so can't really comment on their crash worthiness. I ran A*'s, Sidis and Oxtars and like the Pumas much better. I'd recommend them to anyone.

They are pretty cool looking as well!

 

[snikwad]

Which models Sidi and A-stars did u run?

Thanks for clearing the snagging "non" issue on the Pumas.

 

[v13jim]

Thank you all for you input, this is just what i was looking for. I think i have decided on the supertech R, the Pumas really are sweet looking, but all around the A* seems to be the better choice.(plus $60 in puckbucks from kneedraggers is a nice incentive) I do like the sidi boots as well but they have a bit to much going on for me, and i really want white to help with the heat in the summer. thanks again all, I will update on the quality of the supertech R once i have tried them out.

 

[snikwad]

I'll tell you what, I really want the supertechs Rs with the tracks on em, and I also love the look of the Puma's in all white.
But maaaan, have you seen the vertigo Corsa in all white?

That thing is bananas. Just saying. The replaceable parts on the SIDIs are a huge plus, but their prices aren't.

 

[HondaGalToo]

Good info. I have an old pair of Supertechs, I just bought the new R model, but haven't had a chance to try them yet. Just looking at them and trying them on, they are a great improvement over the old version, and a lot lighter, too. The sizing is different, I needed a size smaller than my old Supertechs, that seems to be the norm. I like the inner boot, I think the only boot that would probably offer better protection is the Daytona Security, the $1000 pricetag is out of my range. Daytona also makes the Evo Basic (or Sport, something like that)...like the Security, but with a plastic machine-molded inner boot instead of the hand-made kevlar one that the Security has. They are still more pricey than the A*s, but are a good option for folks with very large calves, as you can add in an extra piece of velcro if needed.

 

[RollieManollie]

Get the A*'s - I've seen and heard many people complain about the inner boot of the Puma as it gets caught on rearsets and what not.

 

[jimmeigs]

snikwad;28728 wrote: Which models Sidi and A-stars did u run?

Thanks for clearing the snagging "non" issue on the Pumas.

Supertechs and Corsas. Liked the Corsas a lot.

 

[Will]

I had four crashes last season, all wearing Alpinestars. The boots held up well, and I walked away from each crash. I finally killed them by melting the plastic on an unprotected motard exhaust pipe while playing on it for the first time. And crashing during the first motard race I ever ran, too, for what that's worth. After all the action, they are still good and protective, just really beat up.

 

[toptaz1000rr]

A*'s supertechs!!

 

[Meat]

HondaGalToo;28767 wrote: Good info. I have an old pair of Supertechs, I just bought the new R model, but haven't had a chance to try them yet. Just looking at them and trying them on, they are a great improvement over the old version, and a lot lighter, too. The sizing is different, I needed a size smaller than my old Supertechs, that seems to be the norm. I like the inner boot, I think the only boot that would probably offer better protection is the Daytona Security, the $1000 pricetag is out of my range. Daytona also makes the Evo Basic (or Sport, something like that)...like the Security, but with a plastic machine-molded inner boot instead of the hand-made kevlar one that the Security has. They are still more pricey than the A*s, but are a good option for folks with very large calves, as you can add in an extra piece of velcro if needed.

Very good to know about the Daytona's being able to fit very thick calves. I bought the Dainese Axial Race (Same model as Rossi) a couple of years ago because that was the only boot I could get around my calves. Everyone told me to try the A-Stars SMX boots but they weren't even close. Biggest problem with the axial race is they don't have replacement parts and I can't find plastic toe sliders for them in the US (as Ti sparks very brightly).

 

[JASON748]

As the owner of Sidi Vertigo Corsa's, Puma GP-1000's & A* Supertech R's, I would rate them the following. I know you didn't ask about the Sidi's, but overall I would recommend them over both the Pumas & A*'s based on my experience with all three.

Comfort :
1) Vertigo Corsa's - All day comfortable and very adjustable.
2) Supertech R's - Very comfortable, but not as comfortable as the Vertigo Corsa's
3) GP-1000's - Not bad once on, but a MAJOR PIA to get on and especially off. Not nearly as comfortable that either the Vertigo Corsa or the Supertech R's

Protection:
1) GP-1000's - I was say these boots offer the best protection of any normal boot, and second only to the Daytona Security boots.
2) Vertigo Corsa's - Very good protection, almost on par with GP-1000's but allows slightly more side to side movement.
3) Supertech R's - Of the three I would rate them last as they allow the most movement side to side. But still offer a ton of protection.
I have ZERO safety issue racing in any of these three boots.

Crashability / Parts replacement:
1) Vertigo Corsa's - I have crashed mine at least 8 times in the last 4 years. The only part replaced to date is the toe slider as the ceramic cracked and a small chunk fell out. Parts are really easy to get and you can replace pretty much every single "bolt-on" part easily.
2) TIE - GP-1000's/Supertech R's - I have not crashed in either yet (knock on wood) so I can't say one way or another. - But for part replaceabilty there's not much you can really replace on either short of the toe sliders...

Rear Set - Snag
1) Supertech R's - I have yet to have them snag on a rearset or heelplate.
2) Tie - GP-1000's - I've had two small catches on my right side heelplate - after modifying the top corner of the heelplate it hasn't happen again.
2) Tie - Vertigo Corsa's - Same as the GP-1000's, after modifying the heelplate, I've had no issue with the boot catching.

Overall opinions, personal preference:
1) Vertigio Corsa - If I could only have 1 set of boots, this would be it. Once I solved the snag issue, I had no other usage problems. The one down side to the Vertigo Corsa's is the sole does wear out - as discussed here: http://tracktalk.nesba.com/showthread.php?t=2770&highlight=sidi
The one thing I don't like (other than the sole wearing out) is the looks - it has that "go-go gaget" look about it...

2) Supertech R's - This is the first set of A* boots I've owned that didn't feel like I was wearing moon boots. I don't have a lot of time in them yet, but they feel just a little bulkier than the both the Vertigo Corsa's & GP-1000's. The inner boot is nice, but the lace tightening/locking method doesn't hold well.
These probably offer the best "Bang for the Buck" of these three boots.

3) GP-1000's - My major complaint is getting them on and off... It shouldn't take me 5 min of grunting, tugging, pushing and pulling to get my boots off... These have been relegated to "back-up" boots. If I have other choices I'll wear something else first before these.

Hopefully I'll be picking up a set of the new Sidi Vortice boots this year which look to have fixed the issues with the Vertigo Corsa by adding a replaceable sole and gotten rid of the ceramic toe sliders!

 

[snikwad]

^ very nice and helpful write up

 

[RCR_531]

I agree with Jason 748 on his write up. I also bought all three of the boots last year. After breaking both of my tibla and fibla in each leg boots are very high on my gear list. (This happenned in street shoes and a guard rail.) I had a chance to be sponsored by Oxtar but after I got the boots I sent them back. I wouldn't mind them if I was using them on the street but did not like the support they gave my ankles or lower leg. I have notice that my Pumas are getting earier to put on and take off. The Pumas are very narrow too. The new Supertech feel so comfortable that you could wear them all day. I have crashed tested them all with no troubles so far.

 

[snikwad]

puma shoes have always been narrow, i rock their regular shoes, and id only assume their race boots would keep the narrow feel too.


i love pumas, i got my mind set on a pr, tho them new sidids with the sole replacement piece is just what the corsas needed, but pumas are what i want.

 

[TN10R]

Can anyone comment on the calf sizes of the supertech r vs the smx plus or the sidi vertigo corsa. I have been wearing smx plus for the past few years and they barely fit my calf. Got a pair of the corsas and the calf is too small. I can get them on no problem with just a sock, but no way leathers are going to tuck.

Thinking about trying the supertech r, but wanted some confidence they would fit. Cost almost $25 in shipping just to try on the corsas.