Here we have the Alpinestars GP Pro Gloves review by regular BikeandRider guest blogger Paul McClenaghan.
Dainese, Oxford, Furygan, RST, Rev’it. Just some of the myriad of companies who supply us with our safety gear for our favourite toys.
Everyone has a favourite or favourites from the gear companies. It’s like anything in life really. For me, most of my gear is Oxford and Alpinestars. Most recently I managed to pick up a pair of Alpinestars’ awesome GP Pro gloves from http://www.pidcock.com/ EBay site for the awesome price of £105.99 with £3 postage. A damn great price considering these normally go for £169.99 plus depending on where you look. I decided to go for the Red/Black/White version from the range. Once I opened them the design was even better than they looked online, definitely gloves Darth Vader himself would be happy to wear!
First thing I had to be careful about is sizing. A lot of my friends and my sister use A’Stars gear and warned me to go a size up on anything I bought. With this in mind I went for the large. In comparison my Oxford RP4 gloves are a medium. Bit of a leap if anything but hey, glad I did. As soon as I put the gloves on the hugged my hangs very tightly but not uncomfortably. The gloves themselves have a Kangaroo leather palm. Whilst the rest is made from full grain leather.
Every aspect of the glove is designed for maximum protection, comfort, Functionality. Starting with the wrist, the gloves have A TPU wrist cuff which encloses a majority or your outer, upper and lower wrist.
As you can also see in the photos there is a Velcro strap to securely fasten the glove once on. This also sits flush under the wrist panel with the “One Goal” motto. A nice touch so it doesn’t keep getting caught on your jacket if you wear the glove under the sleeve. Moving forward to the Knuckles and fingers the Knuckles, as the wrist are covered with a TPU layer.
The knuckle area is well thought out with extra thought given to the fact you will probably need a bit more room for movement as you raise and lower the hand during acceleration/deceleration. A feature also on my Oxford gloves, though a better approach here by Alpinestars.
One point of note is the vent on the back of the hand. A very well placed vent for keeping air circulating through the glove.
The fingers of the gloves were the biggest surprise for me. The thumb has an accordion style stretch panel which I found particularly comfortable. The ring finger and the Digitus Mi’nimus Ma’nus, (the pinky to you and I), has a panel stitched between the two to connect them and stop finger roll. A feature I’d had in my Oxford gloves and one I’m glad to have retained. Just in front of the Knuckle TPU cover the tops of your fingers are covered by TPU sliders, a feature also present on the palm. Inside the pinky finger there is also a layer of Kevlar for extra protection should the unthinkable happen.
The Verdict
These are my first, and can now honestly say, not the last pair of Alpinestars gloves I shall own. Absolutely fantastic gloves and extremely comfortable too. A huge 5 stars For Alpinestars and a definite 5 stars for http://www.pidcock.com/ who shipped them the day I paid for them. Had them inside 48 and for shipping to Northern Ireland, that’s pretty damn good.
So there you have it, the Alpinestars GP Pro Gloves Review from regular BikeandRider Guest Blogger Paul McClenaghan! He certainly rates them, plus he seems to have a discovered another decent kit supplier!
Note : This is now a discontinued Model, however many shops still have stock. If you want to purchase these gloves, you can probably get an excellent price in most stores, but time is of the essence!