Alpinestars Tech Road Gore-Tex Gloves - 2012

Like most Alpinestars gloves, these gloves ran a bit smaller than most glove brands we carry. With the Gore-Tex liner and insulation, the gloves run small enough for us to recommend you buy one size larger than you normally by in gloves (non-Alpinestars gloves that is). If you are sometimes between sizes, then choose the larger of the two. Hopefully you’ve had some experience with buying gloves and can choose based upon the fit of a previous pair. If you have no previous experience with glove sizing, go here for help.

Wow… I’ve worked my way through a LOT of new Alpinestars gloves today. They have a dizzying array of new gloves out for 2012. And what I see in this glove is a combination of the best construction and materials they offer for a winter glove along with some race-inspired protective features you will see in their race glove lineup. So if you are a street rider and you need a glove for cold and/or wet weather, but you also want to have the best protection in case of a fall, well, you are in the right place! The Tech Road Gore-Tex glove (obviously) uses genuine Gore-Tex material to keep water out of the glove, but at the same time allows your body moisture to escape so that your hands don’t begin to feel clammy. Most manufacturers offer gloves with their own “house brand” of waterproof/breathable liner which can be a lot less expensive, but Gore-Tex is still regarded as the best material available for this function and continues to command a premium price. Along with the waterproof liner, the gloves also have a moderate amount of insulation. The gloves are of a medium thickness and insulate as well as anything in the Alpinestars lineup. Add to the winter glove capability the race inspired protection: The knuckle armor is the same as used in the top three glove models by Alpinestars. And in the heel of the hand, you’ll see a new feature in their race gloves which is a molded plastic “slider” along with the normal leather/padding combination. The slider will act to allow your hand to slide along the pavement rather than “catch” and twist. The gloves also offer the third/fourth finger bridge. The connection between the two fingers helps protect the pinkie in a fall by connecting it to the larger ring finger sort of like how a splint would work. You won’t notice this while wearing the gloves, but it might save an injury. A couple nice touches for the road… especially in wet weather. There are small patches of “wiper” material on the back side of the pointer finger and there is a rubber shield wiper on the left thumb. Alpinestars is also building in a small rubber “stylus” on the end of your forefinger which helps to manipulate controls or a GPS on your bike (but unfortunately not a touchscreen cell phone). Take the “View Larger Images” link to see some of these features in detail. Overall, you will be happy with these gloves because they include just about every premium feature you could want. :: Paul, 10-24-12