Alpinestars Touring Winter Balaclava
4.2
5
5
5
Really good performance and great price. Tested in 23 degrees fahrenheit @ 70mph
Bought this item so i could ride in the winter and it really is worth the price. I ride my bike 15 miles @ 70mph to work in the morning, this blocks the bone chilling wind. First time i put it to use the ambient temperature was 23 degrees. If you need protection against the cold wind, this is the item you need to buy. Very satisfied.
May 6, 2013
What wind?
I just replaced a turtle neck thing with this and wow!
I'm in San Diego, so my opinion on warmth won't carry much weight, this morning it was all the way down to 45º :)
What I can talk about with a lot of authority though is the windproofness. My 25 minute commute is mostly riding down the 163 freeway at 85mph and because I'm only new to motorcycling I don't have any winter gear, so I'm riding in fully vented gear and no chin thing on my helmet.
This thing is very windproof - as in, I didn't feel any wind at all anywhere that's covered by this. I could easily feel the line on my chest where the bib came down to inside my jacket, above that line was warm, below that line was getting blasted.
I would highly recommend this product for windproofness.
January 10, 2013
Works great in cold conditions
I'll ride my bike year round so long as it's not too wet out, or chance of ice on the roads. The biggest chink in the armor, in terms of warmth, I've found is the neck area.
I have a neck gaiter (not motorcycle specific), and this. My neck gaiter is poly-pro fleece, and while warm and windproof, it's a bit bulky under the collar of my jacket and bunches around the chin strap of my helmet. This sometimes results in dreaded "air leaks" where you can feel cold air blowing in at specific points. Not too bad in mild weather, but if it's cold, it can be distracting to miserable.
When I got the A* balaclava, I was concerned because it is made of thin lycra material, and I wasn't sure how well it'd insulate. My first ride put my fears to rest. Even though it's thin, the balaclava blocks the wind so well that it kept me more than comfortably warm. Since it is so thin, and has the bib, there are no air leaks and makes a winter ride pleasant. I have ridden in the mid-30's, and did not feel the need for more insulation on my neck.
The one con I have for it is that you have anything more than a buzz cut, you will have ridiculous looking hair when you take the balaclava off. I've tried to put it on carefully to keep my hair in place, but to no avail. It ups the helmet hair by at least a factor of 2. I carry a comb in my tank bag because of it now. Besides that though, I'm extremely happy with this product.
September 7, 2012
Doesn't block wind
Cons:
1. Has very minimal wind blocking material in the front so my neck became very cold on a short 20 min ride to work (speed = less than 40mph)
2. The neck opening to squeeze your head through is TINY. If you're even a little on the larger size you probably couldn't get it over your head.
Pros:
The design has some merit if AS would put wind blocking material across the entire front instead of just a small strip down the middle. Stop being CHEAP - raise the price $10 and do it right.
December 12, 2011
Great Product from Alpinestars for Cold Weather Riding
This balaclava works great for those days that are cold enough to need full coverage of your neck. Works just as it should.
November 22, 2011