Recieved my Vendamini Marathon Steels and have taken 2 short rides.
My opinion and impressions so far are as follows.
Quality: Attention to detail is first rate. Stitching is very consistent, close together, uniform and consistenly close to the cut edges of leather. No missed stitches. This is very difficult to do on leather 2.8mm thick. All stitching is double stitched. They are very nicely finished and attention to details is excellent.
Materials of Construction: The leather is VERY substantial feeling. I wanted REAL leather that could be polished and/or treated with water proofing. I'm not a fan of coated leathers. The toe box feels as substantial as my Safety Shoes at work. TheSTEEL as in Marathon STEEL is the real deal. It's over the ankle bones and in the shin guard. Very Substantial feeling. From what I can tell so far the "OutLast" lining works as advertised. I've worn them around the house with thick socks for hours without feeling overheated in them
FIT:
The fit is spot on and comfortable with light, medium or heavy weight socks. The toe box has plenty a wiggle room for the toes while the arch and mid foot feel nice and supportive. The heel cup wraps around and up and over the heel giving a nice and secure feel. The toe is thicker than what I am used to and so on the second ride, I adjusted the shift lever linkage on my WeeStrom to move the lever up to give a little more space to get my toe in without having to point my toe at the ground. That seems to have solved that issue although I am still relearning how to shift. I suppose this will improve as the boots soften with wear and become more flexible. In retrospect maybe the flex panels are oriented to the inside of the ankle to allow the foot to better turn inward to shift or brake. This now makes sense to me.
The sole has a rounded profile when viewed from the side which is thickest just under the ball of the foot. This automatically creates a very natural rocking motion when walking. The boots don't even have to flex to be comfortable when walking. I suppose they will soften with wear but they are pretty stiff right now but are extremely comfortable and very secure feeling. My first pair of waterproof boots, Prexports WP360s also Italian, had a similarly shaped sole.
The tops allow enough room to tuck in my Hein Gerke First Gear leathers but just. My calf is 16". My MotoGPs fit nice and close on the outside so there is no air blowing up the pants leg. My Tourmaster Overpants are adjustable so that doesn't matter and straight leg jeans just slide over them.
The Marathon Steel's tops are about 2" inches taller than the Tourmaster Solution Waterproof Road Boots that the Vendraminis are replacing. The Tourmasters are very comfortable and waterproof but nowhere near as substantial or protective.
The Vendramini Marathon Steels reek of QUALITY and SUBSTANCE and are VERY COMFORTABLE.
I definitely made the right decision. No regrets.
