Altberg Bahn Rider (Failure)

Neil W

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Anyone seen similar with Altberg Boots , my Bahn Rider boots are not that old (in comparison with my 30 plus year old Clubmans ) been out today and done maybe 250 miles and on returning home found this :-

Failure of soles on both left and right boots , the left one the side of the sole has gone but on the right boot the complete heel has disintegrated and parted company with the boot .

Anyone seen similar ,before I contact Altberg ?


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Crikey! Could have been contaminated with something?
I'm sure Altberg will sort you out. I did have a sole part company (after 15 years or so!)...as it happens we were in the shop buying new hiking boots for the Mrs, they offered me a discount off anything in stock (so I could ride home in new boots), or a free repair if I posted them in at a future date.
Fabulous company!
 
I've had the same thing happen with Haix military boots... I put it down to time... the material that they use for the soles, seems to just degrade over time. With Haix, it seems to happen within about 10 years !
 
I had a few pairs of my old army boots do that - its degradation of the rubber material over time.
One day it just perishes and falls to bits
 
Have had numerous pairs of boots off them, we got boots at work every 18 months and never had a failure (10 plus pairs), never had an issue with them or walking boots or the Clubman and , Hogg bike boots with the older Skywalk Vibram sole, it seems to be an issue with the newer moulded style Vibram sole .

I will contact them and send a couple of pics to see if they are able to fix them , cheaper than a new set of boots
 
My Altberg walking boots have had three resolves in four years. They are only leather on both boots started to splitting after one after one year and Altberg were not interested in the slightest. The offered to fit a taller rand to coverup some of the splits which they then charged me for. When I asked how come they needed resolving for the third time in three years I was told I was walking too far much in my walking boots!!! I won’t be buying my next boots from them.
I’ll probably buy some Meindl walking boots as my chainsaw boots are Meindl and have just about worn out after almost daily wear for over three years. No leather splitting, no resoles, no new rand required and comfortable out of the box.
 
My Altberg walking boots have had three resolves in four years. They are only leather on both boots started to splitting after one after one year and Altberg were not interested in the slightest. The offered to fit a taller rand to coverup some of the splits which they then charged me for. When I asked how come they needed resolving for the third time in three years I was told I was walking too far much in my walking boots!!! I won’t be buying my next boots from them.
I’ll probably buy some Meindl walking boots as my chainsaw boots are Meindl and have just about worn out after almost daily wear for over three years. No leather splitting, no resoles, no new rand required and comfortable out of the box.
I now have Meindl walking boots as they do wide fit and they have proved very good and comfortable so far
 
Never seen that with Alterbergs before. Have three pairs including some newish roadsters, a pair of Defenders and a pair of Tehtra walking boots (now 10 years old and still plenty of life left). They've been good to deal with over the years for me and I'm sure they'll sort those out.
 
I ordered a pair of motorcycle boots from Altberg earlier in the year (March 10th)... they have a very long lead-time on making boots that are 'non-standard' sizing and I was told they'd be delivered w/e May 9th... but say:

"If you require the item(s) sooner or wish to discuss alternatives, please feel free to contact us at [email protected], or simply reply to this message. Alternatively, you can contact us by telephone. We will do our best to help."

As I needed them a week earlier (w/e May 2nd) for a big trip out to Spain... I contacted them... only to be told: "Unfortunately, as all motorcycle boots are made to order, we wouldn’t be able to complete by the date suggested."

So why do they suggest that they might be able to expedite orders ?? And also, does it really take 10 weeks (they were a week late) to make a pair of boots ??

Luckily... they are very very nice boots... I suspect the last pair I'll ever need !
 
Typical Altberg are on a 2 week break until next Tuesday, will pop down with the boots next week and see if they can be resoled, if they can it will be £200 cheaper than a new pair
 
I had a pair of clubman’s that did that at the toe last winter and to be honest at well over 20 years old they went into the bin, I could have had them resoled and after looking at the lead time for a new pair I bought a pair of Daytona Travel Star Pro Gtx and got them a few days later.
 
I had a pair of clubman’s that did that at the toe last winter and to be honest at well over 20 years old they went into the bin, I could have had them resoled and after looking at the lead time for a new pair I bought a pair of Daytona Travel Star Pro Gtx and got them a few days later.
These ones were made in 0713 and I bought them from the factory in early 2014 , the uppers/zips etc are in excellent condition so worth seeing if they can be sorted . I still have an old pair of the original Clubmans which must be at least 30 years old and are totally functional . Also have a pair of Daytona boots which I only wore for one Summer tour as I never really liked them but they are there so no issue if there is a long wait for repairs
 
People seem to forget that Altberg are a small business with (as I understand) just seven employees making these boots. It's not a huge factory, they're relatively modest premises. Due to a hard earned reputation for making one of the best quality boots on the planet, demand is always high. Many boots are custom made, so it's no surprise that there are lead in times if wanting some. They are also available from a few outlets in standard sizes.

I waited 4 months for mine and it was worthwhile. I've seen a lot of bikers who fail to regularly apply Ledergris to their Altberg boots or maintain them, then moan that they wont last or develop issues. (One gy I know never cleaned them from purchase, nor treated them, yet did big mileages....needless to say a few years later they looked a little careworn!). The leather will deteriorate over time if not properly maintained. Have never ever had an issue with my three pairs as I look after them but I fully expect that with enough miles on them, they'll wear out like any footwear. I consider boots, just like riding gear, to be replaceable items and whilst I don't expect them to last forever, two of my three pairs are now over ten years old and still going strong. That for me is a good reason to buy Altbergs as no other bike boot has lasted me as long.

My only gripe with the Roadsters which I am now using, is that the calf fit is a little too generous plus the side zips are all too easy to catch on the lining if you're not careful. Other than that, they're brilliant boots. Never yet let water in, are warm in winter and breathe well in summer. Mine are now fully broken in and feel as comfy as a pair of slippers.
 
Well decent result today , we popped down to Alt-berg today to get them to assess the boots.
Diagnosed as degrading of the rubber which is apparently an issue with the type of sole and they have done to last 11 years, they reckon it will all be fine with a resole ( the new soles are different from the original and longer lasting).
Should be less than £100 including the return postage so a saving of over £200 on a new set .
Lead time is 8 weeks which I can live with as I still have my Clubmans and a set of Daytonas to wear
 
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Good result. I've had the existing Vibram soles and now have the new Altberg soles. They appear to me to be better anyway as their grip is phenomenal, even on diesel puddled forecourts.
 
We used to get a new pair of Field and Fell issued every 18 months to 2 years , I never had a pair with cracked leather uppers although the soles were worn out but others would wreck their boots in less than 12 months .

They were always the ones who after a job they would jump in the van and the heater would be on full tilt to try and dry out their wet boots or the ones who went home and stuck their wet boots on a radiator thus cracking the leather uppers .

It was commented when I went down today and showed them the boots for examination that the uppers and leather were in very good condition for 11 year old boots that had been obviously been well used
 
Alt-Berg quoted 10 to 12 weeks for the refurb , just got a call today that they are done and ready for collection so 4 weeks which is a good result. We will have a run down on Saturday and it also makes my wife happy by taking her to Barnard Castle Farmers Market on the way home (much money will no doubt be spent on Venison , Dexter Beef and artisan Sourdough Bread )
 
Mine are now fully broken in and feel as comfy as a pair of slippers.
Loving my Clubman Roadster boots... it's been a few months, but mine are now broken in too... super comfortable, dry and look great after a good polish !
 


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