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Alpinestars Storm Rider Gloves
Alpinestars Storm Rider GTX Gore-Tex Winter Motorcycle
Gloves
by "Burn" for webBikeWorld.com.
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Summary: Race glove looks and Alpinestars quality.
Comfortable interior. Adequately sized gauntlet with zipper.
Waterproof.
Background
The Alpinestars Storm Rider gloves were recommended by
several webBikeWorld visitors and other local riders as
a popular favorite, so we added them to the list for
this comparison.
Alpinestars doesn't actually
claim that the Storm Rider Gore-Tex gloves are for
winter; in fact, they state that the Storm Rider "is a
lightweight riding glove, ideal for touring and sport
riding, even in cold weather".
I'm not sure I'd call them
"lightweight", and they're not the warmest glove in this
comparison, but I have to admit a growing admiration for
them and I can see why they're so popular.
The warmest weather of
summer may be a bit much for them; likewise the coldest
depths of winter, but otherwise I think they would be an
excellent choice for nearly all-year-round use,
especially here in the Mid-Atlantic, where winter
shouldn't be as cold as it has been recently.
Alpinestars makes a wide
variety of high-quality motorcycle clothing and they
have a strong reputation with motorcyclists around the
world, and it looks like a lot of their experience went
into the design of the Storm Rider gloves.
But you'll pay for 'em; the
Storm Riders are tied with the Rev'it Tempest H2O gloves
as the most expensive in this comparison.
Glove Fit, Comfort and
the Warm Factor
The Storm Rider gloves are very comfortable, with a
fit that is reminiscent of the
British Motorcycle Gear Thermosport Gloves
also reviewed in this comparison.
They feel like someone
popped a medium-thickness liner in a race
glove, which makes them slightly different than a
typical winter riding or touring glove,
but this is by design.
I can see where some might
argue that they shouldn't even be in this comparison,
but this isn't meant as a comprehensive survey of all
winter gloves, just a selection of various types for
different riders in different climates. Don't
forget -- to some riders, 40 degrees F is as cold as it
gets.
This pair in size large fits
more snugly than probably any other glove in this batch;
the fingers are good for my size large hands, but only
just so. If the fingers were even 2 mm
shorter they would probably be too short and I'd have
to bump up a size. This is unlike most of the
other gloves here, with fingers and especially thumbs
that seem longer than normal.
To put it another way, the
Storm Rider gloves
fit me perfectly, but my feeling is that they run about 1/2
size small compared to the other size large gloves in
this comparison. They also feel slightly tight
across the back of the hand and main knuckle area, not
enough to be bothersome though, and they'll probably
stretch a bit in use.
The liner material isn't the
plushest in this batch because it lacks that
fleecy/flannel feeling; it's more like a simple type of
cotton or similar fabric inside the medium weight
thermal lining.
I can also hear the "crinkly"
sound of the Gore-Tex lining inside, which
gives the gloves a feeling sort of like there's a plastic
bag-like liner inside. This feeling seems to be
common with Gore-Tex and some other
types of membrane-lined gloves. It's not an issue,
just a different feel than you'd get when sticking your
hand into an all-leather race glove without a waterproof
or thermal liner.
I'm not sure which
generation or type of Gore-Tex is used in the Storm
Rider gloves, but they definitely proved waterproof in our
"bucket test", at least up to the back of the hand/end
of the wrist. This is as it should be as long as
the membrane isn't compromised by the stitching.
I might note that care should be
taken when removing sweaty or moist hands from a
pair of membrane-lined gloves like these. The liner
is not usually
attached to the membrane, which, in turn, is not
attached to the inside of the glove body because any stitches through
any of these layers could compromise the waterproof
integrity of the glove.
So when you remove the
glove, make sure the liner doesn't
turn inside-out. According to Murphy and his Law, this will happen just when you're in
a rush and can least afford the time to mess with it.
Believe me, it can be a real bear to try and get all the
guts put back in correctly...
I've been wearing the
Alpinestars Storm Rider gloves whenever the temperature
gets above 40 F or so (4 C), although I'd say they're
probably better suited for something close to 45 F and above (7 C+).
And, of course, they're especially well suited for rain
wear or in cold, damp fall conditions.
I have not worn them in a
multi-8-hour downpour, and frankly, anyone expecting a
"waterproof" leather or textile motorcycle garment to survive several
hours while riding in a torrential downpour without
leaking is,
I think, asking for too much. Wear a rainsuit over
the top and get a pair of
Rain-Off waterproof over gloves (review) if you
really want your clothes to remain dry inside.
Gauntlet adequately covers the large cuff of the Rev'it
Cayenne jacket.
Tight stitching used on the fingertips of the Storm
Rider Gore-Tex gloves.
Finger, Thumb and Overall
Construction
Alpinestars is usually synonymous with quality, and it's
apparent in the overall construction and the stitch quality in
the box-section fingers of the Storm Storm Rider gloves.
The seams are tight and even, with hidden stitches on
top and outside stitching on the palm side, which is an
interesting combination.
The race-inspired construction
and attention to detail includes a connected pinky and
ring finger, something rarely seen in winter touring
gloves but an added safety factor here to help prevent
the pinky from rolling under in a slide.
The rest of the stitching
used throughout the glove is also excellent quality,
with very tight and close parallel lines and even some
lightly contrasting blue thread used in the stitches on
the back of the glove, which just barely shows up in the
bright light of the studio photos if you look hard
enough.
Plastic armor is used across
the back of the main main knuckles, with only a kiss of
soft padding here and there, claimed to be EVA, or
ethylene vinyl acetate. The combination of the
armor and padding is probably a good compromise between
race and tour style protection, but it would be nice to
see more hard armor covering the rest of the knuckles.
Some of the leather is
perforated and the knuckle armor includes air scoops at
the back, but I'm not sure where all this air goes,
because the waterproof/windproof Gore-Tex liner prevents
any ventilation from reaching the hand and you'd think
all those holes would compromise the water shedding
ability of the gloves.
But it does help in the
looks department I suppose, and most of the perforations
are on padding that is sewn on top of the main glove
body, so it's possible that the holes don't continue
into the glove itself.
The leather used on the
palms feels soft and pliable, and Alpinestars has sewn
an extra synthetic suede leather wear pad in a gray
color on the palm for added reinforcement. The
heel of the palm is protected by a thicker leather or
suede padded area embossed with the Alpinestars logo,
and the extra padding and material continues up the side
of the pinky.
The thumb seems to have the
same "blade" construction used in the rest of the winter
motorcycle gloves in this comparison, but this one feels
more comfortable, possibly because it has a more snug
fit so there isn't a lot of extra material floating
around. Also, since the padding or liner is
thinner than most dedicated winter gloves, the thumb
doesn't have to be as long to make up for any added
material at the tip.
The back of each knuckle has
inside-out articulations similar to those found in the
Held Freezer
gloves (review), which is a nice touch that adds
flexibility -- and probably expense.
Zipper on gauntlet is nearly hidden. Perforations
seem to be for show, added only on the external padding.
Gauntlet
The 150 mm wide gauntlets on the Storm Rider gloves
widens to 170 mm with the zipper open, making these the
second-largest gauntlets in this batch of gloves.
This provides just enough room to adequately cover the
large cuff of the
Rev'it Cayenne jacket (review) we used as a
worse-case scenario for comparing the winter gloves.
The zipper is well-hidden
and has what looks like a waterproof cover, but as you
can see in the photo above, the zipper teeth can be
seen, so I don't think the cover is truly waterproof.
We did not evaluate the waterproof integrity of the
gloves beyond the wrist and into the gauntlet, so I
can't comment on that and will have to assume the
Gore-Tex liner continues that far.
The zipper helps to make the
Storm Rider gloves easy to put on, but the small zipper
pull on the YKK zipper is difficult to find and grab
with the gloves on.
But overall, the gauntlet is
large enough and long enough and should cover just about
every sleeve cuff around.
The underside of the
gauntlet uses the typical hook-and-loop fastener, in
this case claimed to be actual Velcro brand, which is
placed correctly to allow securing of the gauntlet over
the thick cuff of the Cayenne.
Additional suede wear pad on the palm and
triple-stitched leather on the heel of the hand.
Vented knuckle protector is comfortable.
Security
Overall, the Storm Rider gloves give me that "race
glove" snug feel across my hand when I'm riding, which
feels secure.
The gloves also include an
adjustable wrist closure, secured with Velcro, on the
underside of the wrist. This is covered by a short
leather flap coming down from the palm. The Storm
Riders passed the security test; i.e., they could not be
pulled off my hand after the gloves were secured.
Added security or safety
comes from the reflective piping used across the back of
the gloves that can be seen in the photos.
Alpinestars does not mention
the use of any abrasion-resistant materials like
Keprotec or others, so apparently the protection depends
on the supple full-grain leather used nearly throughout.
Water Resistance
The Storm Rider Gore-Tex gloves passed the "bucket test"
and although the leather seemed to absorb quite a lot of
moisture, possibly due to the perforations, the inside
of the gloves remained dry.
Miscellaneous Details
Again, the stitching and apparent quality of the
Storm Rider gloves seems excellent. There are some
nice details used here and there, like the embroidered
but subtle Alpinestars logo on the back of the gauntlet
that actually is a very nice example of tight
embroidery. I think these details make a
difference on this glove.
Conclusion
The Alpinestars Storm Rider Gore-Tex winter waterproof
motorcycle gloves have an interesting and useful
combination of race glove features with near-four-season
comfort and waterproof capabilities.
They're not the warmest gloves in this comparison, and
the price is on the high side. Also, it's
sometimes difficult to find discounts on Alpinestars
gear.
But in reality, $179.95 (the going price at the time of
publication) is about what you'd pay for a quality pair
of race gloves, so the added insulation, waterproof and
breathable Gore-Tex liner and other features can be
looked at as a bonus!
► More:
2008 Winter Motorcycle Gloves Home and Comparison Rating
Chart
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►Reader Comments and
Owner Feedback
Please
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comments to
Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.
Not all comments will be posted. Posted comments may be edited.
From "R.T." (12/08): "First of all,
no matter how good the Rain-Off Waterproof Motorcycle
Gloves are, if you can't get them cinched up - well,
just how much are they worth? I could follow your
description very well and I have to say that the
cordlock design leaves a lot to be desired. It was
almost laughable reading how the manufacturer was
telling you to go through contortions with the brake
lever on the bike in order to avoid using your teeth
(chuckle)?!
They need to go back and redesign that feature.
Some of us don't have all out teeth anymore!
I remember my old Alice pack and how you adjust the
harness and cinch up the shoulder straps. A
friction-ratchet type buckle and small nylon strap seems
to me would be an ideal system. You just use the
opposite hand and give a good yank and the thing stays
tight until you get ready to release the buckle.
Releasing the buckle is just as easy as tightening
the strap and is a one-hand operation even with gloves
on! You just take your thumb or finger and flick
up the back side of the buckle (there is even a tab on
the buckle to assist the operation) and it loosens the
strap enough that you can easily pull slack out of the
buckle till you can get the pack off (or the gloves
off). I know I have seen the same system used on
other back packs and don't see why it couldn't be
adapted on a slightly smaller scale for the gloves.
Just my two cents...
Second, you made a statement in your review of the
Alpinestars Storm Rider Gloves that I just have to
disagree with. You stated that:
"They also feel slightly tight across the back of the
hand and main knuckle area, not enough to be bothersome
though, and they'll probably stretch a bit in use."
In my vast experience (54 years), that just isn't
going to happen. I have hoped the same thing with
shoes and most recently a nice pair of summer riding
gloves that are now permanently retired.
Leather just isn't going to stretch appreciably and I
don't believe that anyone should be led to believe that
it will. I have tried using neatsfoot oil and
jamming objects into leather items that I wanted to make
bigger, but it just doesn't work. Unless your hand
is made of wood, the leather is going to win every time.
Living tissue will stretch of course. Else
pregnant women would be in big trouble. But the
properties of tanned hide just aren't the same.
Now, I don't claim to know everything and if you or
anyone else can suggest to me a method for stretching
leather (in particular that pair of gloves I retired)
then I am more than willing to listen and give any
reasonable suggestion a try.
The gloves I am talking about fit the same way you
describe in the article - too tight across the back and
thumb side of my hand. They are tight to the point
of becoming downright painful after a 35 mile commute
from work to home. So please - if you know
something I don't, then don't hold back. I would love to
be able to use those gloves."
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