Review: Alpinestars Archer Gore-Tex gloves

PEOPLE say you get what you pay for and occasionally it’s true. These gloves aren’t cheap, but you get an impression of where the money went.

They’re beautifully styled and constructed. The stitching looks flawless. The leather is supple. They’re comfortable and feel highly protective, with hard armour on the knuckle and palm, and soft armour on all the finger joints. A leather bridge joins the little finger to the one next to it, to offer the former extra protection in a spill.

Alpinestars call it 'track tested' protection. The best part is that, while the gloves are full-leather, and so can be worn on track days, they’re also Gore-Tex, and consequently fully waterproof.

The gauntlet is long enough to offer wrist protection and but short enough to easily tuck under your cuff, so water won’t run down your arm into the glove.

They’re marketed as ‘all weather’ gloves in Alpinestars’ ‘road sport' range. They’re warm enough for autumn, spring and summer but you’d be pushing it in winter. 

The Gore-Tex lining means there’s slightly more of a barrier between your fingers and the throttle than afforded by full-on race gloves. And they may not offer quite the level of protection of Alpinestars dedicated race range, which tend to have more armour at the wrist.

But if you want a glove you can use most of the year on the road, and for tracks days, they’re pretty impressive. 

Price: £132.99

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