I picked up a pair of these for around $80 from Cycle Gear; I believe they are now priced at $60. These gloves are some of the more stylish shorties I have seen. They are all black with double white stitching and a full-grain leather chassis with Kevlar palm protection and a second layer of leather to finish it up. The fingers are layered together with three pieces of leather for extended flexibility and extendability. A two-piece carbon fiber knuckle protector keeps knuckles and the top of the hand safe. A short velcro cuff with a carbon fiber Alpinestars logo secure the gloves snugly. A piece of leather/Kevlar is extended to the bottom side of the cuff for an added area of protection against abrasion. The signature Alpinestars logo is stylishly posted to the outside of the pinky finger.

As stated, these gloves were some of the more stylish that I have seen. They were a little tight at first, but once broke in they feel great. Unfortunately, almost immeditaly as the gloves broke in, the stitching started to come loose. At first one of the fingers began to separate at the seam, and soon enough two or three of the other fingers followed suit. After a few more months, the palm began to separate at the seam as well as the second layer of leather on the thumb began to deteriorate. To be fair, this was after about 14 months of use in relatively hot temperatures. The temperature is important because of the perspiration that would soak into the gloves each ride made them dry out quite a bit each night. They would soften up after a few mintues of riding, but eventually became crusty again overnight. I believe it was this constant condition of wet/dry that ultimately lead to the rapid destruction of these gloves. One other issue that I had was the elastic cuff was a bit abrasive and combined with the perspiration, rubbed my wrist raw to the point of bleeding. The elastic would stiffen with the gloves and is a bit rough on sensitive skin. Once again, to be fair, I have quite sensitive skin.

In the end, I really enjoyed the Alpinestars SP-S glove. I think they are magniciently designed, but are lacking build. That said, I wish they would bring out another comparable model. Unfortunately, due to the issues I had with craftsmanship and the rough cuff, I opted for a different pair of gloves the next time around. However, I have been very impressed with the Alpinestars brand and am happy to say I am the proud owner of a new pair of Alpinestars gloves.