Hi all,
Im in the market for a new pair of boots for hillwalking and long distance walking. I dont want to buy 2 seperate pairs, so I expect some trade-offs within reason...
...which led me to a handfull of boots, including these :

Lowa Tectrek GTX.

Anyone had any experience with these ?
Any thoughts on the pros and cons of their BIOMEX system ?
How do you think theyll stand up to my intended uses ?

They weigh about 1800 gramms, which is a little heavier than Id like for long walking, but since most of my multiday hikes are in scotland, Id prefer if they have good ankle support. Hillwalking of course speaks for itself in that regard.

As a snowboarder the BIOMEX design makes perfect sense, thought I cant imagine what its like applied to walking boots. Plus theres the whole "moving parts" issue.

Ideally Id like to get a hold of them in a shop and fiddle with them - ie try and break them in the shop :p

Assuming the things actually fit my feet anyway, they do seem to have been well received over in america along with their earlier incarnations, the Lowa Vertex which used the same support system. Indeed the design has received several awards from reliable sources.

Id be interested to hear what you folks think of these boots.
Specualtion and theories welcome :)

Also, if anyone knows a store nearish Glasgow who sell these, Id love to go and try a pair on for size.

rgds,
Doug.

p.s. YAY - my first post on OM :)

Hi Doug,
I've had a pair of these boots for the last year, and used them all over Scotland.
Essenetially the biomex is just a hinge which means there is no problems with vertical movement of the foot, but it stops lateral movemnt in the ankle. If you don't mind a little squeek on occaison then the system is hard to get wrong.

Pro's:
If you have weak ankles or have suffered ankle injuries in the past then these boots are immense. There is nothing better out there. When laced up properly, your more likely to break a leg than twist your ankle - this was my reason for purchase. Despite this support the boots are extremely comfy.

Cons:
I have used mine probably a little more than expected reasonable use. However i think the soles have worn pretty quickly. Although theres plenty of life yet, for the cost of the boots you'd expect something more hardwearing.
Also mine leaked from day 1. They now have no waterproof capability at all, so i wear gortex socks underneath to keep dry. The supplier offered to take them back, but couldn't source any more, so i decided to stick with them because the support offered out weighed the risk of not getting another pair.

Hope some of this helps