Designed and developed in Italy and in the USA, the Techstar line is the very same gear worn by the likes of FIM MX2 World Champion Jeffrey Herlings and 2016 Monster Energy Cup Champion Eli Tomac. Since rejoining the motocross apparel, making it cool in more ways than one. Manufactured in Vietnam, Alpinestars Techstar and Aviator products are designed for optimum ventilation, light weight, flexibility and fit to deliver the best possible rider comfort during long, hot motos or off-road riding sessions.
Alpinestars says that its Techstar Venom jersey is constructed of a lightweight, vented “polyfabric.” That’s just a fancy name for polyester. The Techstar Venom is constructed of 87 percent polyester and 13 percent polyamide, both materials pretty much standard choices among motocross apparel manufacturers due to their ability to wick moisture. But Alpinestars goes even further to improve the Techstar Venom jersey’s heat-relieving capabilities by incorporating perforated mesh inserts in several key areas, including them around the collar on the side torso and in the forearms. The Techstar Venom jersey’s sleeves are pre-curved to enhance rider comfort as well.
The Techstar Venom jersey boasts strategically placed ventilation panels to keep the rider cool during long motos.[/caption]Speaking of the collar, the Techstar Venom jersey features a Raglan-style neck construction that is seamless to eliminate the chance of the rider’s neck being irritated by a prickly seam. The same goes for the jersey’s wrist cuffs, which also feature stretch inserts for a better fit and easier entry and exit of the rider’s hands.
Like most premium jerseys on the market, the Alpinestars Techstar Venom features sublimated graphics, which are heat-transferred to the material. Since the color you see is effectively an iron-on, it is far more resistant to fading, cracking and peeling than a jersey that has been dye’d.
Alpinestars’ Techstar Venom pant is even more technical, featuring Alpinestars’ Adaptive Stretch Technology, which consists of a multi-panel stretch fabric placed in strategic areas of the pants. Stretch panels are incorporated in the thighs, crotch, above the knees and below the yoke on the rear.
The pant is constructed of 75 percent polyester, 15 percent polyamide and 10 percent genuine leather, like the jersey, it features perforation zones to improve airflow for increased comfort. The Techstar Venom incorporates Alpinestars’ patented Babel knee design and Vector back panel. The Babel knee design features a pre-bent, reinforced and padded 3D knee design with hidden stretch spandex expansion gussets to provide a close fit without binding when in the riding position. The Vector panel is effectively one big stretch panel above the thigh all the way down to the ankle. The design goal, says Alpinestars, was to provide improved mobility and comfort and to make the Techstar Venom pant 30 percent lighter than Alpinestars’ previous top-of-the-line pant.
To secure the waist area and keep the pant in the right position, the Techstar Venom pant utilizes silicon webbing along with stout waist adjustment pull-tabs with Velcro, which allow the wearer to adjust the waist for the best possible fit. As a possible benefit to off-road riders, the Techstar Venom also features an inner hip pocket for key storage
Complementing the Techstar Venom pant and jersey, Alpinstars Aviator gloves include stretch fabric on the top of the hand with a single-piece Clarino palm for consistent grip and flexibility. The palm features perforations to ventilate the glove, and a stretch insert in the palm and thumb area are is used to give the rider freer hand movement for better lever control. The thumb area is also reinforced for durability and seam stability. The wrist features a TPR Velcro closure plus Neoprene to secure the Aviator glove to the rider’s hand.
For increased comfort, the Aviator glove also boasts pre-curved finger shaping and finger gussets, and the finger fourchettes feature seamless one-piece spandex to help prevent finger irritation. Internal silicone gel padding on the fingers has been used for better fit, and there is also a silicon grip patterning the bottom portion of the first two fingers to enhance lever grip.
Our evaluation of the Alpinestars Techstar Venom riding gear and Aviator gloves took place in conjunction with our recent 2017 Honda CRF450R First Ride at Monster Mountain MX Park near Montgomery, Alabama. DirtBikes.com test rider Nic Garvin put in over 75 laps on the new gear as confirmed by our loaner LITPro data acquisition device as well as numerous partial passes for our photo gathering.
Garvin noted that despite their form-hugging, contoured fit, the Techstar Venom pant and jersey were extremely flexible and delivered no hint of binding or other irritation. He added that the gear also moves a lot of air, perhaps not the best thing to have during the cooler early morning riding sessions at Monster Mountain but a welcome feature when the weather got warmer. Perhaps the most impressive area of the pant was its knee area, which appears to fit tight but delivers complete freedom of movement and range of motion.
Likewise, the Aviator gloves provided excellent comfort and ventilation as well. Garvin was particularly pleased that after what amounted to several hard hours of riding, his hands emerged from the gloves with no blisters.
One thing was certain: It wasn’t hard to spot him anywhere on the track, thanks to the brilliant Dark Blue/Cyan/Fluorescent Yellow graphic scheme splashed on the Alpinestars gear. Naturally, the gear is available in other colors as well, including Black/Dark Gray/Teal, Fluorescent Yellow/Cyan/Dark Blue, Blue/Yellow/Fluorescent Red, Blue/Cyan/Red and Limited Edition options.
Alpinestars clearly puts as much technical forethought into its flagship riding gear, no differently than it does with its flagship Tech-10 boots. At $179.95 for the Techstar Venom pant, $49.95 for the Techstar Venom jersey and another $39.95 for the Aviator gloves, it is premium gear at a premium price, but its comfort and flexibility-enhancing technical features make it well worth the dough.
Alpinestars Techstar Venom Riding Gear
Techstar Venom Jersey, $49.95; available in sizes S-XXL
Techstar Venom Pant, $179.95; available in sizes 28-40
Aviator Glove, $39.95; available in sizes S-XXL
Alpinestars USA
2780 West 237th Street
Torrance, California 90505
Phone: 800-409-0903
Website: www.alpinestars.com
Your Privacy Choices