Street Examined: The TCX Avenue 3 Air motorbike driving sneaker

I’ve a confession to make. Regardless that I’ve a closet full of bike driving gear, I do generally skimp. And the one merchandise I skimp on most frequently is footwear.

The significance of correct motorbike boots can’t be overstated, but I’m usually responsible of throwing on a pair of Vans high-top sneakers and leaping on my bike, particularly when it’s scorching out. My solely excuse is that I want the type and luxury of sneakers over boots. I blame it on my 90s skate-brat youth.

It’s a lame excuse when you think about how the marketplace for motorbike driving sneakers has exploded over the previous few years. The choices are too countless to disregard—so I just lately snagged a pair of TCX Avenue 3 Air driving footwear, to see if they’ll tempt me away from my trustworthy high-tops.

TCX is an Italian firm that’s owned by Dainese, placing it in the identical group of manufacturers as AGV and Momo Design. However not like their mother or father firm, TCX solely produces footwear. Their vary contains all the things from touring and off-road boots to vintage-style leather-based boots, however their sneakers caught my eye.

The TCX Avenue 3 is a part of the model’s city vary and is available in ‘WP’ and ‘Air’ variations in a number of colorways. WP stands for waterproof—however since I’m based mostly in Cape City, South Africa, and summer season is on the horizon, I picked the breezier Air mannequin in camo inexperienced.

There’s in all probability a joke in there a couple of forty-something reformed skate punk carrying camo sneakers in an try and be cool (and failing), however I can take it. This explicit model of the TCX Avenue 3 has olive inexperienced suede on the entrance, again, and edges, with a breathable mesh camo material on the sides, and all-black soles. There are black and gray choices too, plus a few women-specific designs.

The general vibe is straightforward and timeless. The silhouette mimics traditional high-top skate sneakers, with stitched padding across the ankle that’s harking back to the enduring Vans Sk8-Hello. That padding hides slim D30 inserts, and there’s further reinforcement within the heel and toe areas.

Flip the TCX Avenue 3 Air over, and also you’ll uncover a rubber outsole coated in geometric lugs. The lugs are chunky sufficient to supply grip, however not so chunky that the shoe seems like a piece boot.

Hidden contained in the outsole is a molded polymer reinforcement plate. TCX calls it ‘Zplate’ in reference to its Z-shaped curve, which is designed to observe the pure contour of your foot. The concept is that it’s compliant sufficient to stroll in comfortably, however inflexible sufficient to guard you.

These options added up assist the TCX Avenue 3 Air obtain a CE ranking, placing it streets forward of my Vans (or perhaps a pair of Purple Wings) by way of security. However do they make the Avenue 3 Air as snug as TCX claims it’s? That’s a “sure” from me.

A inflexible sole isn’t simply essential in a crash—it additionally provides important stability whereas driving. (The following time you see somebody driving in tennis footwear, pay attention to how the soles droop over the foot pegs.) TCX has nailed the stability between on-the-bike stiffness and off-the-bike compliance so properly, that I can spend a few hours driving and never really feel the necessity to kick the Avenue 3 Air off the second I get residence.

It helps that TCX has sized the driving shoe generously. I usually put on a US13, however I took a US12.5 this time and it match with a bit of wiggle room to spare. It additionally helps that there’s a comfortable Ortholite insole inside; as driving boots go, this is without doubt one of the most snug pairs I’ve ever worn.

The Avenue 3 Air closure is an easy lace-up affair; no zips or straps. And it’s versatile sufficient to slide into with out having to unlace the highest couple of eyelets, which isn’t one thing that each pair of high-tops can boast. There’s a tidy leather-based pull tab on the again, and a intelligent elastic loop on the entrance that you need to use to stash the ends of the laces.

As soon as it’s on, the Avenue 3 Air has a stealthy look that blends properly with the remainder of my semi-casual driving wardrobe. It sports activities minimal branding, with a tiny TCX tag on the aspect and the Italian colours on a strip of cloth that hides beneath the pull tab. There are not any cumbersome shifter pads both—just a few embossing on every shoe the place a shifter pad can be.

It’s value noting that whereas the material that flanks the sneaker is breathable, it’s not as perforated because it seems in images. It’s extra akin to the mesh knit material you’ll discover on a pair of trainers, albeit a bit of thicker. To be honest, TCX does market this as a ‘delicate’ reasonably than ‘scorching’ climate shoe, and it does run noticeably cooler than different driving footwear I’ve examined.

Is the TCX Avenue 3 Air as snug as a skate sneaker while you’re off the bike? Not fairly. Nevertheless it is rattling snug, extra steady whereas driving, and a heck of quite a bit safer. That makes it a straightforward selection over my Vans after I head out on two wheels—and at a really cheap RRP of €169.99 [or $143.99 at Revzilla], it’s straightforward to advocate to mates too.

TCX Avenue 3 Air | Photos by Devin Paisley

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