P102
CN
III PRODUCT REVIEW
LIGHTSHOE DIRT TRACK
STEEL SHOE
LIST PRICE:
$275
(Promotional price to
December 31 is $225)
www.lightshoe.com
STANDOUT
FEATURE:
Faster, safer racing
RIDER ANALYSIS:
I've never had a steel shoe
before. Always wanted one
but never raced enough to
warrant one. Then I tried an
ill-fitting one at the Texas
Tornado Boot Camp a while
back and that was it, I had to
have one.
That shoe fit so bad I had
to wedge a crushed Coke
can in the toe to take up the
slack, but this is not the case
with my new shoe. Fitted
to my Sidi Crossfire 2 SRS
boots, the shoe fits like a
glove (sorry, couldn't help
myself). The clink/clank is
there and I look badass. But
that stuff doesn't matter.
What does matter is this
shoe has transformed how
I approach dirt track. As an
amateur knockabout rider,
you don't realize you need
something until you've tried it,
and never has that been more
true than with one of Gary's
shoes.
My corner entries are safer
and faster; no longer does
my left foot get ripped back
if the heel digs in too hard—
everything feels as it should
when sliding a dirt bike.
Gary's work is absolutely
superb. Welding is an art
form and the best welders out
there are worth their weight
in gold. Seeing as I don't ride
dirt track as often as I like,
I've no doubt this thing will
last much longer than the
boots they're made for.
Rennie Scaysbrook
Based out of Sturgis, SD, Gary Kinzler of Lightshoe has been crafting the world's finest dirt track shoes for
some of the world's fastest racers since 1998 like Marc Marquez and Brad Baker, to name a few, taking over
the mantle from the late, great Ken Maely as the main man in the steel shoe game.
Each shoe is custom made using lightweight steel, not aluminum. Gary has a selection of boots at his shop, but
if he doesn't already have your model, he will ask for your boot to be sent to him to ensure a perfect custom fit.
He starts with a 4x10 sheet of steel, builds the standard toecaps and pre-forms the sides. Once he gets your
boot, he'll trace the bottom to create the template, tack the toe cap to the base and weld it together, then give
it a polish to look all shiny. It's old school craftsmanship at its finest—no CAD stuff going on here—and when you
get your new steel shoe ready for its first race, you can't help but feel you've joined a super-cool secret club.
