The Dainese Dyno C2b shoes are located at the mid-point of the Dainese Dyno family.
They are located below the Dyno C2b Pro and above the Dyno and Dainese Asphalt shoes (review).
The Dyno C2b shoes are street focused.
But they also have many high-end features borrowed from the Dainese motorcycle race boots.
These include features like TPU ankle protectors, a shock absorbing heel, replaceable sliders and race boot inspired soles.
The overall construction is interesting and high-tech, with a speed lacing system hidden underneath the attached flexible outer tongue.
Large sections of elastic on either side of the external tongue help to keep the shoes firmly on your feet while preventing the laces from fouling the pegs.
It can be a bit difficult to stuff your feet into the Dyno C2b shoes but it isn’t quite as bad as it may seem and I’ll give you a couple of tips.
The Dyno C2b shoes are built to meet the CE 89/686/EEC Directive as Category 2 footwear.
They’re comfortable and stylish while offering a good level of protection and the sleek external profile doesn’t get in the way when riding.
Background
The Dainese “Dyno” boot lineup has been popular with street/sport riders.
Starting at the top, there are the Dyno Pro C2b with their replaceable metal sliders.
Next is the Dyno C2b shoes that are the subject of this review. The only difference that we are aware of is that the metal sliders are replaced with nylon inserts in the latter.
The Dainese Dyno shoes are next, but they no longer appear on the official Dainese website, so they may have been discontinued. The Dainese Asphalt shoes (review) are somewhat similar — sort of a cousin to the Dyno family.
But the sweet spot of the lineup is the Dyno C2b shoes.
You can save $70.00 off the list price of the Dyno C2b Pro shoes by choosing the Dyno C2b instead and, as near as we can tell, the only thing you’re giving up is the metal sliders.
Do you really need metal sliders? I didn’t think so…
Dyno C2b Shoe Details
The Dyno C2b shoes are unique…and even a bit of a head-scratcher, with their combination of a sleek front end sans laces but with race boot heritage.
I can’t think of another pair of motorcycle boots — uh, I mean “shoes” — that have this combination of race boot goodies with this type of entry system and stylish overall looks.
When I first pulled them out of the box, I thought “Uh oh, this is going to be trouble”, because it’s not immediately obvious how to put the boots on and get them laced.
In fact, I didn’t even know if they had any laces at all.
And that’s probably the most noticeable design quirk of these boots.
The Dyno C2b shoes have several race boot features, including TPU ankle protectors, nylon replaceable toe sliders and very stiff, race boot style heel cup protection, along with a race boot inspired sole.
But they also have a mesh front end for ventilation; it’s backed by a fairly comfy “3D” mesh lining with minimized seams.
The lining helps to keep the inside of the boots from directly contacting the feet and this promotes air circulation.
In fact, I do indeed feel the ventilation through the front of the boots, especially in cooler air temperatures, which make the effect more noticeable.
But the rear half of the boot is a molding that’s almost entirely made from plastic and nylon with no ventilation, so it can get a little warm back there.
Overall though, there’s probably more ventilation in the Dyno C2b shoes than most of the other short boots I can think of.
And considering how these are basically cut-off race boots with race boot protection for the lower part of the leg, that’s not bad at all.
The one-piece continuous laces and slider for the speed lacing system.Puttin’em On
So how the heck do you get these things on your feet? Good question…
There are no traditional laces used on the Dyno C2b shoes or any of the Dyno shoe lineup. There’s a speed lacing system with a small plastic slider/stopper under that big flexible external “tongue”.
Move the tiny nub on the slider to release the spring, then pull the slider up all the way up to the top of the laces and stretch the front of the boot open it up.
It’s best to place the boot on the floor, then stick your foot in there and push down and forward while holding the big loop at the back of the shoe.
Unless your feet are too wide and/or big for the boots, you should be able to push down and get your foot to slide in.
Push down on the lace slider to secure the laces (hopefully) and you can tuck the remainder under the elastic tongue. Long-time Dyno C2b owners may have more tips on easy methods to get your feet into these boots, so if you have more tips, feel free to send ’em on.
Something else I discovered: thicker cotton or wool socks can make it more difficult to enter the Dyno boots.
With the thick and somewhat “grippy” lining of the Dyno C2b shoes and that single entry point without the ability to spread the front of the shoe wide open, it can difficult to get your foot inside if you’re wearing cotton socks.
Thin “performance” socks work better because they have less friction, allowing the feet to slide more easily into the shoes.
Once the shoes are on, they seem to stay on — although I have to admit that I’m a little wary of not having a set of traditional laces I can pull tight.
I would hope that the Dyno C2b shoes would stay on my feet in a crash and I think they would, because I can’t really pull them off without loosening the speed lacer.
But the speed lacer slider is pretty tiny and the diameter of the lace string seems very thin. Let’s hope they last; I’m not sure and this is another point I hope long-time Dyno owners can comment on.
Sizing and Fit
These Dyno C2b shoes are labeled as size 44 Euro and 11 US (10 UK). They feel slightly narrow at maybe a C or D and I think E or wider feet might have some difficulty with fit.
I usually take a U.S. size 10.5 work boot in a D width and the Dyno C2b shoes in size 44 feel about right.
The narrowness is something we noted in the Dainese Asphalt shoe review also, and it seems to be something generic, in fact, to all of the Dainese boots and shoes we’ve reviewed, so wider “E” and above feet might have problems fitting these shoes.
Safety and Protection
The Dyno C2b shoes have race boot style protection, with a stiff toe with replaceable nylon slider, attached with stainless steel hex screws.
It looks like you can buy the metal sliders from the Pro version if you’d like, but let’s face it — if you’re wearing out the sliders on these shoes, it’s time for a full-on race boot.
A large shift pad protector is located on the top of each shoe. I suppose the right side is for symmetry, because how many right-side shifting bikes are still on the road? Owners would probably be dressing retro anyway.
But what the heck — it doesn’t hurt to have matching shift protectors.
The sole has some flex under the ball of the foot and actually the Dyno C2b shoes are more comfortable than you might think for walking — certainly better than a tall race boot.
In the rear, there are TPU protectors over the inside and outside ankles, along with the very stiff single piece molded heel counter.
This has a large and thick slider/protector in the rear and outside with a slightly thinner and lower-profile protector on the inside.
It’s a nice feature because it helps you feel the sides of the bike if you’re gripping hard enough with your feet.
The sole is fairly grippy and it looks like it’s glued or molded on to the upper and the molded heel counter, so basically when or if it wears out, it will be time for another pair. No shoe cobbling here I think…
Altogether, the Dyno C2b shoes certainly appear and feel like they have more substantial protection than most short motorcycle boots.
They are very much like a cut-down version of a motorcycle race boot or sport/track day boot, so you get most of the protection without the Frankenstein clomping and problems fitting a pair of big boots under jeans.
The look is high-tech but somewhat subtle, so it’s not like everyone at the restaurant is going to immediately look down at your boots when you walk in.
And, there’s no squeaking (yet) from the Dyno C2b shoes, thanks to the flexi-tongue and one-piece molded soles I guess.
Conclusion
The Dainese Dyno C2b shoes are a very interesting mix of race or sport boot protection but without the added bulk.
The protective features at the toe and especially around the rear of the boots is comforting, although I’m still a bit iffy with the “slip ’em on” entry system.
I wish the laces and the speed lacer were thicker or heftier; that might give me more confidence.
But overall, the Dyno C2b shoes are comfortable and not at all bad for walking around. There has to be more protection in these than in any pair of street work boots and they probably flow more air also.
The price isn’t bad either, all things considered. Dainese is definitely on to something here, because the Dyno series of boots — I mean shoes — has been selling like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Owner Comments and Feedback
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From “W.Q.” (April 2015): “In response to the editorial on the Dyno C2B. It mentions the only difference between the Pro and the step down version is that the Pro has metal sliders.
I’d like to note that the Pro also has leather finish instead of the textile mesh on the step down versions.
Aesthetically I prefer the mesh look, however opted for the Pro version as smooth leather is always easier to clean than the rough textured mesh design. Thanks for all the hours of reading while I’m bored at work!”