2 years 6 months ago
Location: Molalla,OR
I love it so far
I recently bought these chest protectors, switching from an older thor force protector. I think Alpinestars has found a good balance between mobility, comfort, and protection. The inner lining is very comfortable and easily removable ( it seems like it will give pretty good protection in the event of a crash, my thor had no inner padding). There is good flexibilty in the plastic. There are buckles that connect the back of the protector to the shoulder cups and there are three positions of adjustments. The link from the shoulder cups to the front has four positions of adjustment. There are also metal backings that hold these peices in place which is nice. The buckles engage and disengage easily.
I particularly like the how the shoulder cups are extended and have nice padding inside them. Although Alpinestars made this to fit with their Bionic neck suppor, my Leatt brace fit just fine with the protector. . I put everything on and the protector moved well with my body and was very comfortable.
The rib coverage is good, but there is still that gap on the side between the front and back of the protector (seems the new TLD/Shockdoctor addressed this). The parts on this protector should be easy to replace in the case of any damage.
As it is, I don't think this protector will fit well under a jersy. The protector also appears to have good venting.