Michelin, motorcycle boots will now have high-performance soles

Michelin – Tire maker Michelin has formed a partnership with the Chinese textile company Jihua to start producing high performance shoe soles, including some motorcycle boots with tread inspired by his tyres. Michelin will use its expertise in compound and tread development combined with Jihua's international experience in footwear manufacturing to create innovative technical soles. The two companies hope to obtain a share of 5 – 10% in the technical market within the next five years. This may not seem like a significant share until you think about what it represents approximately 500 million pairs.

The first products of the new partnership will be used to develop work shoes, mountain bike shoes and, indeed, motorcycle boots. The latter will be distributed by the Italian company TCX, which will use the sole Urban, inspired by tires Michelin Pilot Road 3 for his X-Cube EVO WP and X-Square Plus, while the sole Adventure, inspired by tire technology Anakee 3, will be applied to your motorcycle boots Infinity EVO Gore-Tex. 

The Urban outsole will use a pattern based on the tread of the Pilot Road 3 tire that uses the patented X-Sipe technology by Michelin to improve wet grip. Instead, the Adventure sole takes up the tire models Anakee 3, suitable for dispersing water, gravel and mud. The sole also features a diamond surface created for better grip and stability on the platforms.