Up to this point, I liked Alpinestars gloves the best. My AStars SPS gloves are still my benchmark for comfort. Anytime I'm not wearing my leather jacket or it's not freezing outside, I'm wearing my AStars SPS. I needed/wanted a gauntlet for trackdays so I naturally purchased another set of AStars, the GP Plus. Awesome gloves but they were uncomfortable, didn't have very good flex at the wrist & didn't fit very well over my JR jacket. I sent them back & ordered the next rung up on the AStars ladder, the GP Pro. Same deal. I sent those ones back & finally ordered the incredibly expensive GP Tech. These yielded the same results as the previous two. I am somewhat brand loyal so I had to evaluate what it is I needed/waned from my gloves. I needed a glove that will be track adequate. I wanted a glove I could wear for everyday street riding. While I was willing to pay the price for the AStars if they don't work for me, it doesn't matter good they are. I have the Joe Rocket SpeedMaster jacket & pants so I figured JR gloves should work with a JR jacket. I purchased these the same week I purchased my TCX boots. I've had them for just over a month & I am pleasantly surprised with these gloves. I am not very impressed with most of JR products but these gloves suit me just fine. Mine look just like the ones in the photo. They feature high density foam in the wrist, hard plastic knuckle protection under the outer leather, hard plastic finger pads, double layered palm & some venting. JR says there is Kevlar somewhere on the gloves but I have no clue where. The packaging makes no mention of it's location. Highs: Fit (They fit me just fine & fit over my JR jacket perfectly. I wonder while all companies can't size their products the same? One pair of AStars fit me like a glove yet their race gloves put my hands to sleep? When I sized up, they were too big.) Comfort (They needed almost zero break-in & are very comfortable.) Look Good (As always, this is subjective. Just because I like them doesn't mean someone else will. Most of my riding buddies say they like them.) Adjustable Wrist (The wrist closure has a wrist cinch strap & two gaunlet flaps to provide a very large range of adjustment to wear over or under a jacket) Kangaroo Palms (I'm told this stuff wears better & grips better) Vented (I really didn't think this glove would move much air but they have been very comfortable in the 85f weather NJ has had of late.) Streamlined (Most of the protection is under the outer leather for a very smooth apearance. JR says they did this for aerodynamics but I think they did it just to have a glove that looks different than most of the other race gloves on the market.) Lows: Protection (These gloves are not true race gloves like JR says they are. They are an intermediate glove at best so for casual track days, they will be just fine.) Color Options (They are only offered in 3 colors.) Color Durability (Mine are only 1 month old yet the leather appears to be fading in a few areas. If it keeps up, I will send them back to JR as a warranty claim.) Conclusion: For the price I paid & for what I want to do with them, I feel they are a decent product. There are most asuredly better gloves out there but most are significantly more expensive. I will say this about JR. There products are on a steady downhill slide. Look at their gloves as an example. Mine were "packaged" on a piece of cardboard with a plastic clip holding the two gloves together. Most other companies package their gloves in some kind of zippered envelope. I went riding with a coworker today & we stopped at 3 different moto dealers. Naturally, all stocked JR. Most of the jackets are looking lower rent then I remember JR being. Just like Icon, if you spend all your efforts on looks & marketing, your product will suffer. If I need to replace my JR SpeedMaster jacket one day, there isn't a single one JR makes that I would seriously consider. There are plenty of jackets in the $400 - $500 range that are far superior. I would like to see JR start making functional products at a fair price like they did in the past. Sadly, I don't see this happening. I don't really need any more gear at this point since boots & gauntlets were the last thing I needed. Hopefully, by the time I do need some more stuff, JR will have their act together. KC-10 FE out... lane: :usa2:
