There can be no doubt that motorcyclists are turning their backs on full-height touring and commuting, motorcycle boots in favour of shorter, easier-to-wear, ankle boots. And it's not difficult to understand why.

Now back in the old days, motorcycle boots were all tall. Whatever kind of bike you rode, whatever kind of riding you did, you bought a pair of calf-length boots. But that was when we all wore leather or textile suits. The bike might have been the only form of transport many people had, and not everybody was flush enough to have different riding outfits to match the conditions, or a stable of different bikes.

It was, more than anything else, the move to riding jeans that pushed people towards shorter boots. You wear a jean for comfort, and to adopt a more casual look. And it didn't, and for some still doesn't, look right to match a pair of jeans with a full-height boot.

In fact, with modern single-layer jeans being so protective, we're seeing a lot of people commute and tour in jeans, and these people will often prefer a taller boot, so not everybody prefers a shorter one, but nonetheless the ankle boot is the direction of travel, and it is undoubtedly the case, these days, that shorter boots outsell taller boots.

The truth is that ankle boots are more comfortable, nicer to walk around in, easier to ride in, and more stylish. These days we want to be able to get off the bike, then go for a hike, or a walk around town. Sitting down for lunch in a restaurant wearing a pair of Daytona Road Stars, by contrast, always looks a bit odd. And, let's face it, a pair of touring boots is never going to the best option if you want to ride to, say, a bike show, and then spend the afternoon walking around it.

But when you buy a pair of short boots, you need to be aware that you are making sacrifices. There are trade offs that need to be confronted.

A short boot will not be as protective. The main footbed may well be every bit as strong on a short boot as it is on a taller one, but the lower shaft of the boot will mean that your shins and your calves are more exposed. If, in an accident, the lower half of your leg comes into contact with something sharp, something very solid, or something abrasive, a short boot will be found wanting. It doesn't matter how strong or protective a short boot is, a taller boot will, in certain areas, be more protective.

The other truth that has to be confronted when you wear a short boot is the compromise on waterproofing. Now I am obviously aware that most short boots come with waterproof membranes. Indeed, many of the boots we sell come with the best Gore-Tex membranes. But a short boot will never be as waterproof as a similarly equipped tall one.

And that's because, as you're riding down the road in heavy rain, the rain will bounce off the road and can find its way over the shaft of a short, ankle boot. Sometimes, it does this by first wetting the lower part of your jeans or textile pants. The water that has soaked into the material will then run into your boots to your feet.

This just won't happen if you're wearing a taller boot. The rain won't bounce that high, and if the bottom of your pants get soaking wet it won't matter.

There's another slight issue with short boots. If you are wearing waterproof over-trousers, they often won't seal around the shaft of a short boot. At any kind of speed, the elasticated bottoms of a waterproof pant can pop off the boot, allowing the rain to reach the foot.

The way we see it, we are not really telling anybody anything they didn't know, or could not have worked out for themselves, but bikers have a tendency, having spent too many hours on the internet, to believe what they want to believe. Every day here in the shop, we end up bursting people's balloons. People who want us to assure them that a short boot will be as waterproof or, as protective, as a tall one. Sorry but, by and large, it won't be. And that's fine. If you want to ride in a short boot, go ahead. I do a lot of my riding in short boots. But you need to understand what the trade offs are.

A short boot is nicer to ride in, and walk around in. And a short boot will often be more stylish; important perhaps if you're wearing jeans. But you will sacrifice a degree of protection, and a degree of waterproofness. Accept this, and you'll never be disappointed!

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