TCX Mood GTX

Was looking for a motorcycle specific shoes since I started riding. It has been a challenged for me as I have wide feet. I was recommended by a friend to try the Alpinestars Faster 3 as it has wide option but after 5 minutes of wearing I could feel the pain the sides of my feet. Did more research and found out that the TCX has wide options for their shoes and there is one shop on the island which carries the brand.

Went to Hot Bike to take a look at their shoe selection and the salesperson was a very friendly, helpful and chatty lady. She talked about all her trips, experience on the motorcycle and also her motorcycle accident during one of her motorcycle tours. My criteria for the motorcycle shoes is simple. I need it to look formal enough to pass as office wear, able to spend long hours in it comfortably and has all the protection required in an event of a fall.

She had a couple of shoes which met the requirements and after asking me for my size, she proceeded to look for the one with my size in stock. I had my eyes on the TCX Roadster 2 but sadly she does not have it in my size. After trying on the shoes and asking opinions from friends, I ended up with the Mood GTX Black.

It has a nice sleek look when worn and easily passed as an office wear with slacks on. One would not know that it is a motorcycle shoes.

Doesn't it easily pass as a office wear with the slacks?

 

The shoes comes with some additional accessories. I love it that they included the gear shifter protector. It is basically just a elastic band which goes over the front end of the left side to protect the leather from scratch marks due to shifting. So far I have not used it as I tend to lose things easily so it would be safer in the box. As for the stickers, I am currently saving all of them until I get the aluminum side panniers and will go bonkers sticking them there.

 

Gear shiftter protector and a bag with manuals and the TCX sticker

 

The shoes has a the solid feel to it and is hard when I tried to flex it. One minor gripe about the shoes are the soles. They are a flat one piece design which is a bit irritating while riding the Vulcan. I would prefer is it has heels. Sometimes my feet do slip from the brakes and I would constantly be repositioning them and i always use the heels to determine my leg position. The soles are has nice deep grooves to it and it grips nicely to almost any surface. The only time I felt the shoes being slippery was when I accidentally stepped on some algae covered surface.

 

The heel-less sole.

 

I like this little details TCX placed around the shoes. They have the TCX logo at the ankle guards, another logo and the Italian flag color at the tongue which is not too noticeable and a small gore-tex word at the sides of the shoes.

The little details around the shoes

The shoes comes with laces. I was hoping to get one with zippers instead but beggars cannot be choosers. I love the stitching all around the shoes. I am not a seamstress but they do look sturdy  and can are able to protect your leg when sliding on the tarmac (not that I want to try it anytime soon. Touchwood).

  

One feature that I have tested are the waterproof-ness of the shoes. I wore them during heavy downpour and my feet was dry when I got to my destination. The shoes are also very comfortable for long walks and worn the entire day. If there is one thing I would like TCX to improve on it would be at the back of the shoes. I wish they would put a reflective strip as there is perfect place for it.

This would be a perfect place for the reflective strip

 

This is my first motorcycle shoes so I cannot compare it with other brands. Since using it almost everyday for about 2 months, I would say it is very comfortable to be worn for long hours in the saddle and just to walk around towns or go hiking.

Remember to ride safe, be vigilant and keep the rubber side down