• D3O ankle reinforcements
• Reinforced malleolus, toe and heel counter
• Shoes certified to CE – Cat. II – EN 13634 Standard

As for the price, you can find them for around 300 CHF/€. We found ours however on a digital marketplace for 200.- CHF.

TCX Dartwood GTX review

The look

This is a difficult question to answer, as tastes are inherently personal and will potentially differ from one biker to another.

But trying to look at things objectively, the understated all-black style will make them go with everything.

In fact, when worn with riding jeans, they will go relatively unnoticed and can easily be worn to work, for example. That is, for those who don’t wear a suit to work.

The grained leather looks great and gives the trainers a high-quality feel.

There are also some nice little details that add to the style of the trainers: the small Italian flag, the small metal plate indicating the presence of Gore-Tex in the membrane, and the tartan-style inner lining. And above all, the red topstitching gives them a slightly sporty/racing look.

The dark grey laces provide a subtle contrast to the black leather. But you could replace them with coloured laces to accentuate this contrast. Or with black laces for a tone-on-tone effect.

Finally, the sole, which is also black, will prevent the trainers from showing very/too visible grease marks after the first few kilometers.

TCX Dartwood GTX review

Comfort

Comfort is key when it comes to footwear. And even more so when it comes to trainers, which you’ll probably end up wearing even when you’re not on your bike.

So how comfortable are they?

Straight out of the box, the author of this article wore them for an entire afternoon, walking around 12,000 steps (approx. 10km), then took them off and… drum roll… not a single blister, no skin irritation, etc.

So they are clearly comfortable trainers that can be worn for long periods of time!

Now, on that particular day, it was almost 30 degrees outside, and that’s where we might have one small reservation.

Comfortable, yes, but also relatively warm.

The leather is thick, which is a good thing because it contributes to the safety of the trainer in the event of an accident. In addition, the inner lining does not help to improve the breathability of the shoe.

So, yes, on paper, Gore-Tex improves the breathability of the membrane/leather, but in practice, it’s not that obvious.

However, wearing even thin wool socks can improve the feel. Wool is thermo-regulating and anti-odour.

Ultimately, this feeling of heat, accentuated by the proximity of the feet to the engine, is a problem encountered by all bikers, regardless of the type of footwear worn.

When choosing between cool feet and safety, everyone will make their own decision.

But personally, after seeing images on social media of accidents involving different types of clothing, whether approved for motorcycling or not, during falls even at low speeds, we quickly made ours 😉

TCX Dartwood GTX review

In use

When worn, the trainers live up to expectations. They are quick to put on thanks to the zip.

However, you will still have to undo the laces every time.

For the trainers to be safe, they need to be worn tight and not with 2 cm of slack. Otherwise, your foot will move around in the shoe, which, in the worst case scenario, could cause you to lose your footing during a fall. And that’s not good!

So is the zip really necessary? Not sure… It makes them a bit easier to put on, but it also affects the look and style of the shoe.

The sole is still flexible enough, which helps with the feel when changing gears. And especially when walking in them.

It’s also contoured, which should prevent you from falling flat on your face if you find yourself on slightly slippery ground. Of course, it’s clearly not designed for off-roading.

But if you’re camping and the ground is wet, it can still come in handy.

Now, about waterproofing 

The presence of Gore-Tex in the membrane effectively improves the waterproofing of a fabric or leather. But as with everything, the amount of water that a fabric or leather can absorb without getting wet is not infinite.

We haven’t used them in heavy rain. But keep in mind that these trainers are primarily intended for urban/suburban use, or for road trips lasting a few days, when you have visibility on the weather.

So if you get caught in a downpour, they’ll do the job.

But if you’re setting off to cross Iceland on a motorbike and you’ll have to cross rivers or face unpredictable weather conditions, then you’d be well advised to opt for motorbike boots that are better suited to this kind of activity.

Durability

For now, this is more of a feeling than an absolute truth, as we haven’t worn them for thousands of kilometres yet. We will update this field test next year, particularly this part.

But the leather is high quality, at least in appearance, which should contribute to the trainer’s longevity.

In addition, the reinforcements on the instep, particularly where the trainer comes into contact with the gear stick, will prevent the leather from tearing due to repeated gear changes.

Finally, as with everything, how well or poorly a product ages will also depend on how well it is cared for.

So take a look at the end of our review of Red Wing boots, where we give you tips on how to care for leather.