New Furygan Ted D3O Sympatex riding boots tried and tested.

When it comes to riding boots for the daily rider, there are several aspects that must be fulfilled. At the very top of this list are safety and weather resistance, followed by functionality and lastly, style.

We’ll agree that finding the perfect pair is a tall order for anyone. However, we recently got around to testing these, the new Furygan Ted D3O Sympatex riding shoes, and we reckon these are worth a look, especially for those searching for casual, sneakers-looking types for daily use.

Having tested them for about a month now whilst cycling through several test bikes, the performance of the Ted D3O Sympatex is commendable. Clearly, this French brand knows what riders want in casual-looking riding boots as such.

Here’s what you ought to know about this simple yet versatile pair of riding boots.

D3O – flexible protection

As you can probably guess, Furygan has incorporated the renowned D3O impact protection technology into the Ted riding shoes – the first in the market to do so in fact. The beauty of D3O, which is CE-approved, lies in the material’s ability at absorbing high amounts of pressure and forces whilst remaining in a very flexible and lightweight state.

When applied into riding footwear, the bonus here is that the high protection capability doesn’t impede the shoe’s overall flexibility. Having run these pair in so far, I personally found them to be much less rigid against some of its rivals. They actually felt just as soft as regular sneakers after a while, making them a cinch to live with as well when not riding.

Despite such ease, the Furygan Ted D3O Sympatex didn’t compromise itself for actual riding situations either, especially when operating your bike’s foot-controls. What deserve praises here too are the Ted’s soles that offered tremendous grip levels on both asphalt and concrete surfaces.

Sympatex – water- and weather-proof

Being exposed to the elements most of the time, protection from this is also an ideal requirement. Fortunately, Furygan’s remedy to this lies in a revolutionary fabric material called Sympatex that’s used to cover most parts of the Ted.

This suede-like fabric is not only 100% waterproof, it also a highly flexible material. More importantly, Sympatex is also a highly breathable fabric, making it ideal for use under our temperamental tropical weather conditions.

Having tested them through some minor wet spells recently, the Sympatex material’s promises at being both waterproof and breathable holds up brilliantly. As long as you lace up in a right and secure manner, water will not seep in through the shoe’s tongue or toe area at all.

Essentially, Furygan’s use of both D3O and Sympatex have granted the Ted with great levels of protection and safety that most riders would expect from such. The added flexibility and breathability only adds to the shoe’s overall desirability.

Design – chic and minimalist

This being a French brand, we cannot go on without talking about the shoe’s design. At a glance, it is easy to note that the Furygan Ted D3O Sympatex boasts a simple basic design finished in black whilst the white soles offer added contrast.

This monochromatic scheme actually makes the Furygan Ted D3O Sympatex look more akin to regular sneakers than functional riding boots. With these on, you wouldn’t look out of place at either work or leisure as they don’t look bulky or off-coloured as most purpose-built boots do.

The same can be said with the Furygan Ted D3O Sympatex’ use for all kinds of bike genres too. It still doesn’t look out of place should you be riding a scooter, a naked street bike, or even a low-seat cruiser.

The only inconvenience is perhaps the boot’s use of traditional shoelaces to fasten it. The absence of supplementary Velcro locking is a bit of a let down, but it isn’t a deal-breaker at all given the protection, flexibility and style offered.

Verdict

Whilst the brand may be somewhat new still in our part of the world, this distinctively French marque’s technical know how is pretty much unrivalled, especially at the affordable retail price it commands for its products.

The Furygan Ted D3O Sympatex retails at a reasonable price of RM535. With that, it is easy to see that Ted holds tremendous value for money indeed.