Alpinestars seems to deal in all things fast—from F1,
NASCAR and Rally to Supercross, GP racing and everything
in between. So, it’s only logical that this knowledge would
trickle down to the realm of downhill mountain bike racing.
We kitted up and hit the lifts.
Tech features:
As the name implies, the Gravity 3/4 jersey
features three-quarter sleeves. The front and back panels are
constructed of lightweight microfiber, and the side panels are
constructed of “air mesh,” ventilated material. The jersey will
work with Alpinestars’ bionic protection jacket underneath,
but is designed to fit close to the body.
The Gravity shorts follow in the lightweight, breathable
footsteps of the jersey, featuring air mesh and stretch panels
that are built into the crotch area. The waistline is low profile
and has slim Velcro adjustments to fine-tune the fit. The seat
area is reinforced with ballistic nylon.
The A-Line gloves, named after possibly the most famous
downhill trail on the planet, are constructed of lightweight
mesh on the top of the hand with a raised rubber guard to deflect blows from the occasional boxing match with a
pine tree.
The slim-fitting Alps kneepads feature soft-shell patella
cups and a lightweight, flexible construction. Breathable mesh
material surrounds the back of the knee and features silicone
gripper material to keep the knee pads in place.
Gravity 3/4 Jersey, Shorts and Alps Kevlar Kneepads
A-Line Gloves
Field test results:
The timing for our test of this lightweight gear was perfect, as we faced the middle of a very
warm summer. When the top of a 10,000-foot mountain feels
comfortably warm, you’re in for a hot day of riding.
The wild colors of the Gravity 3/4 jersey and shorts were
the first thing to catch our attention, but, thankfully, were not
the only noteworthy attributes. The cut of the jersey is slim-
mer than some offerings on the market; we were glad not to
feel like we were riding in our big brother’s old hockey jersey.
The material is very lightweight, but places the thinner mesh
material in the right areas; you won’t be mistaken for
somebody on his way to a 1990’s rave.
The Gravity shorts are very low profile, yet retain the
tough feel we are accustomed to in downhill shorts—albeit
with a bit less thickness. The waistline and Velcro cinch
straps don’t protrude against the jersey as we have experienced with many other models. We never had any hang-
ups with the shorts, either, on the kneepads or saddle. We were glad to see a product that truly feels built
from the ground up for mountain biking as opposed to
cutting the lower half off of a set of motocross pants and
calling it good.
The A-Line gloves are flexible and fit slightly longer in
the fingers. We often find the thumb-to-first-finger area to
be a bit restrictive on some models, so we welcomed the
extra room.
The Alps kneepads strike a nice balance between the
low-profile design that is the cat’s pajamas on the World
Cup circuit and providing enough protection for the
everyday rider who isn’t making a paycheck from hucking
himself down the mountain. We could have been on the
border between the S/M and L/XL sizes. We went with the
S/M and were glad we did. We were still able to tighten the
straps down, and never experienced any dreaded pad
droop.
The complete kit makes sense together. Each product is
designed for warm weather, is form-fitting and is easy to
move around in.
