WIN A PAIR OF REDWING BIKE BOOTS
with just one simple answer to one simple question!

Okay, so any question is easy to answer if you know what that answer is ...

... which is why, like everyone else on the planet, we're asking a question that you'll be able to answer just by reading the question properly. Why? Because it gives the nice people who gave us the prize a chance to get a message across, which isn't as cynical as it sounds but is just basic psychology: you've got to pay more attention than you would to normal advertising copy because you stand to gain more from the effort.

It's not cynical because they don't ask the question or even give us any sot of idea about what to ask, we do that out of a sense of fairness, if only to make sure you care enough to want to win them not so you can get something for free that you can then stick on ebay.

Yes, okay, I'll cut to the chase.

The Red Wing Shoe Company is almost as old as The Motor Company, having started trading in 1905 in Red Wing, Minnesota, and while we know Red Wing better for their motorcycle boots, they are in fact just a tiny part of their range which covers regular shoes and workboots in a massive selection of styles, specifications and colours.

Specifications? There's a quick guide to each boot and shoe's safety features on their extensive website (www.redwingshoes.com), notably how they cope with oil/gas, heat, chemicals, abrasion, traction, comfort on concrete and whether they've got non-marking soles, as well as whether their water resistence, electrical insulation and all manner of other stuff.

What we care about here, specifically, is how they cope as motorcycle boots though: grip, water-resistence, comfort and style, and we've picked out a couple of boots that we reckon best deal with what we want of a pair of boots for review. As you'd expect, they are all designed to have excellent abrasion resistence and traction but we're trying out their 1670 pull-on boot (right) - one of a range of three specifically for women - and the 980 lace-up boot (as if you hadn't guessed).

Both boots are 9-inches high, but there nearly all similarity ends.

The 980 lace-up is a fully waterproof full-grain leather boot that uses Red Wing's "Dry waterproof" system, looks a lot like a classic para boot, and comes with a Vibram deep tread patterned sole that is oil, heat and slip resistant.

The 1670 is an altogether more stylised affair, being a square-toed boot that is part cowboy boot with all the trimmings, part engineer boot, but again has a full grain leather, although this time a water resistant version. The tread pattern on its sole is less chunky, which will be better recieved in polite company, but still has excellent traction and oil/heat resistence.

Construction of both is heavy, and quality excellent. The slightly oiled feel to the thick leather is part of its water-resistant treatment, and they feel like a pair of boots that'll last a long time - indeed, they feel like a pair of boots that'll take some bedding-in, and it's touch and go whether we should have asked for the next size up: always an issue when buying from a US manufacturer because American sizes are different to UK ones by either one or two sizes according to who you talk to ... manufacturers tend to reckon one, I reckon two but I'll see how these bed in before being too certain.

So, the question:

Red Wing's 980 motorcycle boot is

a: waterproof

b: water resistant

or . c: showerproof

Answers by email to redwingcomp@american-v.co.uk with Boot Comp in the subject line of your email. We don't need adresses at this point: only for the winners.

Entries to be in by 18th May 2008 , when we will draw two winners - one for each pair of boots - and publish their names here (assuming we remember, and we're not at an event or something, in which case it'll be shortly after).