I’m on my second pair of these now, although my original black pair I bought around 2008 is still in perfect working order; I just bought a black & white pair in 2012 when I got the 2pc suit.
They’re really good gloves – I find them comfortable straight away although they do soften after a week or two and become even more comfortable.
They feature:
- Alpinestar’s patented finger-bridge (where the little finger is attached to the next one to brace it and protect against finger separation leading to injury)
- Kangaroo leather palm
- TPU knuckle protection, wrist cuff and finger sliders
- Kevlar-reinforced hand and thumb lining
- Internal Kevlar little finger lining
- TPU-vented protection on the back of the hand
- Perforated leather top panel and ventilation finger sidewalls for airflow.
Even after years of use, getting soaking wet numerous times, thousands of miles, loads of sweaty trackdays, a couple of crashes and being put through the washing machine when they got mouldy over winter, both pairs are still in good order and the velcro is still as strong as ever.
On the older pair, the outer layer of suede-like material on the palm is starting to come away but this doesn’t affect the overall protection of the glove.
I recommend these gloves as a high-end bit of sporty kit. The fit is great for me, feel is good, protection is good and they’re a reasonable price for the quality and durability. I prefer them to the more expensive GP Plus (as do many world-class racers) but they’re clearly a step down from the phenomenal Held Titan Evos in terms of protection and design (which is reflected in the price).
I have heard some negative reviews of these – some people have reported that they have split apart when they came off at very low speeds but mine have been great. That said, I haven’t had much glove/road contact when I’ve been off. The seam on the little finger did open up when I put them through the washing machine but I was able to sew this back up in a few minutes quite easily (well, I have a sewing machine, hence why it was easy!). Fingers crossed I don’t have any massive crashes but if I do, I’ll report back with how they held up.
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