Field Test: Alpinestars urban dirt range

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Continuing our series of Field Test features pitting real riders against the latest gear, we outfitted Brooklyn industrial designer and vintage dirt bike lover Clark Sopper with a full kit from Alpinestars for a little bit of late night rainy crashing and a whole bunch of brutally cold winter commuting. Click below for the feature.

Field Test: Alpinestars urban dirt range

  • http://www.brammofan.com Brammofan

    I hereby volunteer to test the new generation of gear manufactured specifically for riders of electric motorcycles. Why? Because someone has to be the guinea pig and I’m willing to make this sacrifice for the greater good. It’s just the kind of guy I am.

    • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Wes Siler

      once you’ve invented it, give us a call.

      • http://www.brammofan.com Brammofan

        Challenge accepted.

        • http://www.thisblueheaven.com Mark D

          Maybe you could strap a gas generator to the pillion seat, so it can be heated, too.

          • http://www.brammofan.com Brammofan

            Pillion seat? What’s that? (Sorry, Brammo, but a 2-seater is desperately needed).

  • Charlie

    Cool Husky

  • noone1569

    No real shot of the jacket kinda kills it for me. Good write up though, awesome bike, awesome for riding that thing in Brooklyn lol

    • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Grant Ray

      I added another shot of the jacket.

      • noone1569

        Ew. I understand why you didn’t before. . . No thanks.

  • moby grape

    At first I thought, “He commutes to work on a vintage Husky? Where does he work, and are they hiring?

  • gt1

    Why someone who never owned “proper riding pants and boots” get picked to write a review? What makes him qualified?

    • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Wes Siler

      The idea with Field Test is that it’s normal people doing the reviews.

      • HammSammich

        Just so you’re aware, I’m incredibly normal…eh, who am I kidding… ;)

        • noone1569

          Yeah, I’m pretty normal too, just saying.

          • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Wes Siler

            Ha, well we do it with people we know and that live in the same place as us. That way we can sort of control it and make sure we get good photos and whatnot.

      • Steve

        We don’t want reviews by “normal people.” We want reviews by intelligent, educated people who have a basis for comparison.

        Say you considering purchasing a new liter bike. How much weight would you give to a review written by someone who had never ridden a liter bike before, or anything larger than a scooter? That is about how this review rates.

        Sounds harsh, but it is true.

        • Ben

          I don’t know, I can’t say I would buy anything based solely on this review but it’s a different perspective I didn’t mind reading.

        • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Wes Siler

          I don’t think that’s correct and you get both here. Not only does having normal riders review gear give us the ability to review more than Grant or I alone ever could (Clark wore his for like 4 months of daily riding for instance), but there’s a huge credibility gap between readers and traditional journalism. This is your peers speaking to you about their real life experiences.

          • HammSammich

            To me the biggest benefit of these Field Test features is that they are long-term. Most professional reviews will tell you how great things are for the first 200 miles, but you’re not going to hear about the real life durability (for most of us who ride rain or shine 3 seasons out of the year, a few canyon carving press rides in SoCal do not represent real life). It’s the same reason that I look to forums like TriumphRat.net, when I want credible opinions on modifications and parts – I can read from people who have lived with them to get their opinions.

        • Myles

          I like reviews by normal people, because most people who work in journalism (whether we’re talking sports, bikes, computers, vidjah games, anything) have a completely bastardized frame of reference.

          Number one, they write for a living. Can you imagine that? Not having a real job? Just hobbying around all the time and getting free stuff? What spoiled pricks! There are a ton of those guys already, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend $2/month to support some whiny brat who types words for a living. Zero. Respect.

          Number two, I don’t give a shit about having the best stuff. I don’t care if my neighbor’s bike can brake from 100-0mph fourteen inches before mine. I don’t care if my co-workers phone can convert a tiff image to a jpeg .3 seconds faster. I don’t care that my mom’s surround-sound system has a better s/n ratio. I care about me. I don’t need the best shit. I just want good shit. It really doesn’t matter how well gloves compare to other gloves, at least not nearly as much as how well they hold up against weather. Everyone can recognize cold hands or broken pull tabs – it doesn’t require being flown into a crazy mountainous region in Europe where you try on fifty other pair. Journalists only care about the best, because for the most part they have zero creativity and it’s easy to just do comparo after comparo. Comparo doesn’t mean shit when you’re just out riding (seven extra bhp and 10 less pounds don’t really make an empty road THAT much more fun, do they?). Or just sitting on the couch watching tv (contrast ratio of the newest set doesn’t matter when the games on). Or just drunk texting your ex-girlfriend (she doesn’t even KNOW you’re still on the last-gen iPhone!).

          Maybe you don’t want reviews by normal people, Steve, but don’t throw around that “we” business before taking a goddamned survey.

          • http://www.thisblueheaven.com Mark D

            Epic. Rant. Well done.

        • http://www.facebook.com/beastincarnate BeastIncarnate

          Who are you to to throw around “we”? You’re sure not speaking for me.

          I prefer reviews from regular riders with long term use. Most magazine reviews come off as either advertisements or splitting hairs over trivial differences. With personal reviews, you run a risk of bias in the form of people justifying their purchase, but providing the gear eliminates that.

          If you have more experience than this guy with gear, you can use his opinion as a point of reference and nothing more.