Alpinestars Frontier Goretex jacket and TechRoad GTX gloves

I picked up the Alpinestar's Frontier Goretex jacket and the Alpinestar's TechRoad GTX Goretex gloves from Riders Discount recently, so thought of sharing my experience if any of you are looking to get new gear soon.

Lets start off with the jacket first. I was tossing between the Frontier Goretex and the Alpinestar's Durban Goretex initially. But the large intake and exhausts in the jacket sold me towards the Frontier more. The Durban has the new Sas Tec armour, which are supposedly better than the CE approved bionic.

I wanted the jacket to be comfortable so that I can wear it every time am on the bike. I know I hate wearing the jacket during the summer mornings when its hot and humid outside. So breathability ranked 1 for me.

The Frontier Goretex is brilliant in terms of breathability. I wore it on a 30+ morning with 80% humidity for a two hour ride (45mins through city traffic) and didn't even sweat once.

I have only gone through some light to medium rain and it has kept me completely dry. Need to test it out in some seriously wet conditions

The armour looks good. These are the new soft bionic armour. I even picked up the chest and back armour upgrades.

The only thing I hate about this jacket are the zippers. Seriously!! WTF was the product designer thinking? Yes you get used to the zips eventually, but the outer shell's two way zipper is a pain in the ass to attach, especially when you are running late

The gloves look solid. It has a very comfy inner lining which feels like rabbit fur. They are a bit tight initially, and you will feel that your thumb movement is restricted; but like any leather, it opens up eventually.

They are supposedly Gore Tex, so should have a breathable membrane, but on that 2hour long ride, I did feel my palms getting a bit sweaty. Will give it another test on a long trip. The gloves have a long gauntlet- inside cuff fittings.

Again, have used them in Light-Medium rain, and they have kept me all dry. Need to try it out in heavy rain.

If you can overlook the zippers, the Frontier Goretex jacket is brilliant. Gives you good protection while being breathable; a very good and much needed combination for most of us here in Australia.

The gloves are very comfy and feel solid in terms of protection, but I can only judge them after a long trip. Because all the good features fade out if the gloves get all sweaty on a long ride and you spend 15mins trying to figure out which finger goes where inside the sticky sweaty gloves at every stop.

Last but not the least, Riders Discount service was brilliant. Got the products free shipped within two weeks of placing the order.

Let me know if you guys have any questions about these two products and I'd be happy to answer.

Last edited by shadowarrior on Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

any pics of the above said products???

Revzilla video review of the jacket:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g4a0UxQ5-s

Revzilla video review of the gloves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NffXiligby4

Thanks for your report. I am looking for an all seasons jacket and have been investigating this particular jacket. One thing I have been unable to find out is what material is used for the outer shell. Naturally I am looking for very high abrasion resistance. Do you know what the outer shell is made from and what material is used over the large air intakes on the front and rear ie when the flaps are opened to let the air in. Thanks, Garry

Hey Garry,

A*'s website says this:
'denier fabric with PU coating for strength and water resistance, non water-absorbing micro twill fabric, drainage rivets on sleeves, upper back panel and lower jacket edge'

I know that it has a Gore-tex outer shell to resist water (also it doesn't soak in the rain, hence doesn't get heavy). I can take some pics of the material used around the air intakes if you want.

Thanks for the additional info. I started ordering one from Riders Discount but stopped because I couldn't find anything about their exchange policy in case I have to send it back for a different size. I have sent them a couple of emails but still have no reply. Did you find out about their exchange policy when you bought your Frontier?

BTW They now want $25 for postage but I guess that's OK. Bayside Performance has free postage to Australia but won't even consider an exchange for a different size, so that rules them out.

Hey Garry, I'd say call up or email John in riders discount and place your order directly with him. That's what I did as well.

Tell him that Sidds from Australia referred you to him, and ask if he can get you a free shipping. Ask him for some advice regarding sizes as well.
Rule of thumb, measure your chest and your belly, and make sure both fits in the size you are after. I had a link to a site which had brilliant size charts for the jackets and gloves which I used while ordering mine. Will check if I can find it in my home pc.

I had asked them 101 questions before ordering

If you have to return the product for sizing, you have to contact them within 14 days of receiving your product, but at our own cost of shipping. (Think they charge us for a shipping back cost)

Same for warranties as well, we have to ship the products back to US at our own cost (Think they charge us for a shipping back cost). But am getting them to see if we can send the faulty products to an Australian retail distributor/supplier of Alpinestar for the warranty.

I'll email John and let him know that you will contact him. Pm ing you his email and phone number.

Frontier jacket has now been purchased from Riders Dicount. Thanks for the advice and help.

No Probs Happy hunting on those boots now... I might wait couple of months before I pick mine up...have to get a new set of tyres first

The only thing I hate about this jacket are the zippers. Seriously!! WTF was the product designer thinking? Yes you get used to the zips eventually, but the outer shell's two way zipper is a pain in the ass to attach, especially when you are running late

Hi Sidds, I was wondering how the zipper on your Frontier jacket was standing up to wear and tear. You are right .. it is a bloody pain to do up. There is not enough room to engage the two sides and I have no idea why they used a 2-way zip. I have found that mine is starting to rip at the bottom where you zip it in and I am currently looking for someone to replace it with a larger and more durable zip. Let me know what you have done with yours.

Thanks.