Alpinestars Carver Race Suit
4.2
5
5
5
Great Suit, fits true, worth the money
First off, this is my first suit so I don't really have much to compare it to so take this with a grain of salt.
The suit looks great, you can tell that from the pictures and I often get asked about it or complimented on how nice it looks. The leather and stitching are of high quality.
I'm a 5'10" Italian guy and the Euro size 50 fits me like a glove; Alpinestars sizing chart is dead on. It's important to remember that if you're using this on the track often you'll want it to be a tight fit, you don't want the suit rolling on your body parts in a crash so it should be a tight fit. If you're more of a road warrior it may be a good idea to go a size up so you're more comfortable in less aggressive racing positions.
This is AStars entry level suit so it does have a done of bells and whistles but what it does have is effective and works. There are plenty of pads and protections points on the suit as well as lots of ventilation (watch the video for more details). You can fit the chest protectors as well as a back protector in the suit. Replaceable knee pucks and the liner is washable.
The suit is quite comfortable considering how tight it fits although I do have a complaint, the suit is a bit uncomfortable in the knee area especially after you've started sweating. If you are going to be wearing this in hot conditions I highly recommend getting the warm weather undersuit AStars offers. It will make the suit much more comfortable and easy to remove once you've sweat in it a lot. If you have ever tried taking off a leather suit once you've been to the track, you'll know what I'm talking about.
The suit does offer decent airflow but I wouldn't say it's anything to get excited about; it was built for protection not airflow. Suit fits perfect with my SMX Plus boots and SP2 Gloves.
May 14, 2013
way too overpriced
The bottom line is, for half the price, may be its worth it.
My previous suite I bought was Alpinestars SP-1, for 649USD. That suit has better protection (knees, shoulders, heaps) albeit more heavy. The insides (the thin material) is stitched better in SP-1, shoulder inserts sit better and don't shift around.
The only better thing is breath-ability, may be. (because of thinner leather?)
Do yourself a favor, don't rush buying this suit for this price. May be look at Teknic for the same price too.
March 31, 2013
Perfect suit
fits like a gloves, not stiff, very reliable. basically I feel like a badass haha.
January 12, 2013
Surprisingly good quality, fit is a little small, buy one size larger.
I bought this for riding my bike on the track and it's everything I hoped for. I ride a lot in the desert areas so I wanted something breathable that would help keep me cool, which it does great.
The quality was surprisingly good to me. I expected it to be good, but it far exceeded my expectations. Everything in RevZilla's online review is spot on.
The only recommendation I would make is to purchase a size larger than Alpinestars suggests. I bought two pairs of Alpinestars gloves at the same time and they were both too tight as well.
May 7, 2012
good all rounder
The only gripe i have with this suit is the shouldern protection is in the liner not the suit. I have just crashed at the track (180kmph) in it and it did the job very well and barely marked the suit. Everything else is good. Its comfy, looks good, venting is good compromise between none and full.
January 9, 2012
