Waterproof boots rock . There is very little as unpleasant on a long ride as that horrible feeling of ice cold water around your feet. It's worst when you change gear, because your foot has probably warmed the water up around it and t now feels OK. But that movement send the warm water away and introduces more cold water instead, and you have to start all over again.

Race boots are worse still, because they are so porous that the water actually circulates. Fresh, cold water hits the front at speed and comes in, pushing the slightly warmed water already in the boot out. It's not long before your feet are frozen, and that can lead to all sorts of nastiness as your core temperature can also get affected. It's really just horrible, and a situation you should avoid if you can.

The trouble is, traditional waterproof boots don't always look that good, and sometimes they aren't all that good for safety either, lacking the armour that you really need for the occasions when it all goes a little wrong.

The other problem is cost. Some of us are fortunate and can afford several pairs of boots. But those of us who live in the real world may well only have the budget for one pair. And that pair, especially if we also ride a sportsbike, needs to be a genuine all-rounder.

Happily, that's exactly what we have here.

The Spada Predator WP boot is a proper sports boot, with armour where you'd expect, natty metal replaceable toe sliders, almost everything. But it's got a Hipora membrane inside that makes it waterproof. And it's made of proper leather and has some trick ventilation in the ankle area to stop things getting too rank inside for those occasional warm summer days. Remember we're talking a boot for all seasons here.

At first glance, these look like pretty normal sports boots. They have the hard PU shin guard you'd expect and they have titanium looking (but I haven't been able to check if they're real) removable toe sliders. Whether they're actual titanium or not, they are substantial and aren't going to wear out in a hurry. They also look as cool as anything. There is a hard rubberised cup around the heel and a rubber pad over the toe to handle gearchanging duty. Unlike some other boots, the pad is on both feet so if you've got an older European machine you can still use these. Though the toe sliders may look a bit out of keeping.

The zippered opening is on the inside of the boot as usual, and as you might expect has the benefit of a gusset behind the zip. This gives you lots of space to open the boot up and slip your foot in without actually having a proper opening behind the zip to allow water in. So far, so conventional.

Putting the boot on is as simple as you could ask. The zip goes all the way down to the very bottom, allowing a very generous opening at the top. It'll come as no surprise I hope that to put the boot on you simply put your foot inside it and do the zip up. if this isn't obvious then I guess you oughtn't ride a bike unsupervised. While the boots are quite solid, they're slim enough to fit under most trousers quite comfortably. And that's good, because if you have to tuck your trousers inside your boots then as soon as it rains you get wet feet. Because the rain runs down your trousers into the boot...

The ventilation isn't brilliant, to be honest, but at the moment that's a Good Thing because it's cold outside. Come the summer I suspect it'll be adequate - certainly better than the boots I wore for the last five years until they fell apart. On the basis that some ventilation is better than none, these are still a winner.

The most important feature, of course, is the claim to be waterproof. Because if they leak like Mr Tetley's finest then they are of no use to man nor beast. Happily, they do exactly as it says on the box. I tested them at the same time as I tested a petrol powered jetwash. You can probably guess how. And my feet stayed dry and unbruised, which speaks volumes both for the waterproofing and the protective qualities of these boots.

But the Spada Predator WP has one more trick up its sleeve. And this is one that eclipses even mixing ventilation, sporty looks and waterproofing in one successful boot. It's the price. Because this boot is really very good. I'd wear it without reservation. In fact I am wearing a pair as my day to day boots right now. And when you consider that they are retailing at a recommended price of just £89.99, they are really quite astonishingly good.

SB