SquidBusters Archive - Alpinestars GP Tech Glove Review

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Alpinestars GP Tech Glove Review
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Posted by: natrona848

I was in need of a new set of gloves. I had been using Alpinestars GP Pros and while they fit great and had excellent protection levels, they were starting to wear out. As everyone knows, gear that fails in a crash isn’t a great scenario.

I did the usual research and settled on the Alpinestars GP Tech gloves. Alpinestars gear fits me well so I knew that wouldn’t be an issue. The price on these gloves is definitely not for everyone but they are some of the best you can buy so to me it’s worth it.

A huge thanks to Joel at CityMotorSports in Pittsburgh again for hooking me up with a good deal and awesome service. If you have yet to deal with them, don’t hesitate.

Anyway, back to the gloves. I’ve been meaning to post this review for a while now but I just haven’t had the time or motivation to do so. Where to begin...

As I mentioned, fit for me is great, there are absolutely no pressure points and the all the armor sits where it was designed to. These gloves like the GP Pros use a kangaroo palm and under side of the fingers. If you have yet to own a pair of gloves with this feature, make sure your next pair has it. It is unbelievable how much you can feel and do with kangaroo palms/fingers.

The main impact armor is the same PU plastic material that is used on my SuperTech boots. Like the boots, this stuff feels like it could take multiple serious hits and beg for more. The impact protector on the gauntlet of the glove is huge and covers a lot of vulnerable area. This material can also be found on all four knuckles and on the pointer and middle finger of each hand.

Another feature these gloves share with the GP Pro gloves in the finger bridge that connects the ring and pinky finger on each hand. The purpose of this is to prevent “finger roll” in a crash. Finger roll happens a lot and effects the pinky fingers the most. Basically, an impact can separate the knuckle joint and roll the finger into the palm and towards the thumb doing major damage. By attaching the pinky to the ring finger, it helps greatly to prevent this since the ring finger is supported by the middle and the middle by the pointer. Great stuff! The bridge has padding underneath it for impact protection.

These gloves are hard to get on and off. Even with both velcro retention straps un-done, it takes some wiggling to slide your hand in or out. Once on though, they fit like a glove. Secure the straps in place and you shouldn’t have to worry about them coming off in a crash.

The leather on the inside is the most comfortable that I have ever felt. It has a soft almost fleece like feel to it which makes wearing them even easier.

There are additional areas of protection on the sides of the gloves on and on the area that lays on top of the wrist. This is where my favorite feature can be found. This area is broken into three sections. Two of those sections have padding for impact protection but the center is free of any so that when your wrist is bent, there is nothing to put pressure against it. You could say that this sacrifices some protection but the gains in comfort out weight it in my opinion. In the pictures below, I added some arrows to point out this area. I named the material kevlar because I think that’s what it is but I could be wrong.

There are a couple minor downfalls to these gloves. The main one is that you cannot wear these in the winter. The knuckle armor also serves as a ram-air vent, there are perforations in the leather on the sides of all the fingers and there are also some perforations on the gauntlet. So, not a cold weather glove but damn is it nice in the summer time!

Another downfall is that the kangaroo on the plams/fingers is white. While it really makes the gloves look good and stand out during hand signals, it also gets dirty really quickly. I would be happier if they would have used the natural color but I'm okay with the eventual dirt build up, they won't last forever.

The only other downfall is not one that I consider it to be but some might think the styling is to race oriented. That’s fine, style plays a part in gear, I happen to like the look.

So, if you’re in the market for an awesome pair of race designed gloves with top level protection, comfort and credibility, be sure to try a pair of these on. You might just bring a pair home with you.

Currently they come in black, red, and blue color versions.

Some pictures:

links:

http://www.alpinestars.com/moto/gloves_gptechglove.html

http://www.alpinestars.com/_lp/2006...gptechglove.pdf

www.webbikeworld.com review:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/alpinestars-gloves/

Posted by: RookWV

I looked really hard at these gloves and wanted a pair but I never had a chance to try any on so I wasn't sure on the sizing....and in the meantime I ran across a great deal on Held Kryptons.

Nice write up!!

Posted by: natrona848

thanks rook, held makes some nice gloves too. all i know about the sizing is that size L in these fit in general like a size L in the gp pro, overall better no that i've had saddle time with them. when i got the pros, i took a gamble on a web order and it paid off so i knew what to get this time around. makes things a lot easier.

Posted by: RookWV

I think it was Pros I tried on at Iron Pony and could barely get my hand in a Large....wonder if XXL would be too large?

Usually if that happens I make a deal with Jeffro....he has massive paws but I don't think he needs any more gloves and I've found what might be a pretty good deal on a set of GP Tech's.

I wear can wear a Large + (9.5) in the Held Kryptons and XL in Joe Rocket and Tour Master......

Posted by: natrona848

hmmm

Posted by: BBlayde

hi, just a question.. but when choosing gloves.. do u have to pick ones that extend beyond the wrist? for example.. i was looking at these ..

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.co...=106&Division=1

thanks in advance.

Posted by: Falcn

You don't "have" to have gloves with a gauntlet - but they tend to provide extra wrist bone/wrist tendon protection as well as provide better closure security with double wrist closures. By wrist tendon I mean the are right at the break of your wrist and palm - if that is not covered and you are sliding on your hands it can get ugly.

Full gauntlet gloves are my personal preference.

Posted by: RupturedDust

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBlayde

hi, just a question.. but when choosing gloves.. do u have to pick ones that extend beyond the wrist? for example.. i was looking at these ..

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.co...=106&Division=1

thanks in advance.

The gaunlet on many gloves is also to cover the tips of the sleeves of your jacket and prevent/decrease wind/water from going up your sleeve (nice in cold/wet weather).

Posted by: 87hurricane

Yeah that is why I like gauntlets on all my gloves, keeps the wind/rain from shooting up the sleeves of your jacket, which makes a huge difference, even when its not cold out.

Posted by: natrona848

all gauntlet all the time here

Posted by: BBlayde

hm good point... thanks again everyone..

Posted by: natrona848

just a quick update:

still love these gloves and wouldn't trade them for anything as long as the weather is good. below 50, my hands feel the cold, below 40 they are close to freezing but hey, that's great in the summer time. i got a pair of thicker gloves with liners for cold duty but i plan on taking these along with me so that if it gets warmer in the day i can switch. the feel at the controls is still amazing and i don't want to be without it.

the best part is that once you get them on, they dissapear. the even better part, once they are on, undo the two velcro straps and they are still a struggle to get off. these glove pass the pull off test with flying colors. the seams will have to fail seriously for these babies to come off my hand in a crash. i literally have to wiggle my hand and pull from the middle of the gloves to get out of them. they really lock in around the area where you thumb meets the palm. it's a great piece of mind.

these are some serious moto kit.

Posted by: Wingspan

Glad to hear they're still holding up. I really like the finger bridge idea.

Posted by: natrona848

yeah, it's really nice once you get used to it. to the point where gloves without it feel really odd.

Posted by: Wingspan

I like the idea but I brake with my middle and ring fingers, so I'm not sure if these gloves would work well for me.

Posted by: natrona848

no, they wouldn't, as soon as you would start to move your ring finger, your pinky would go with it. i brake with either all 4 or just my pointer and middle so it works good for me. same with the clutch but that's usually all 4.

you would have to take the gp pro's off your list and someone else like spidi or similar has a glove with the bridge too.

Posted by: R1Armadillo

Eric, how are these holding up? Now that it's summer and you should have some serious time on them, are they still worth it.
I am in the market for gloves and these look nice.

Posted by: natrona848

aside from the the white parts that contact the grips being dirty, they are still in 100% perfect condition with a few 1000 miles on them. they are pricey but if they fit you well, there is nothing like them for feel, comfort and most importantly, protection. some might say they look to ricky racer but who cares, the will hold up damn well in a crash. blue ones would match your bike too.

Posted by: natrona848

the gp pro model isn't a waste of money either.

Posted by: R1Armadillo

Quote:

Originally Posted by natronazx6r

the gp pro model isn't a waste of money either.

is that "pro" or "plus" ?

Posted by: natrona848

pro, they have more armor and better leather than the + and they also have the pinky finger bridge like the techs. just double check if they are on sale, the previous generation pros didn't have the bridge.

Posted by: Malevolent Monster

I have the same gloves.