Alpinestars Ageless with upgraded armor: is it worth it?

I ride in the Alpinestars Ageless in black, and I have replaced almost every piece of armor that came with it.

Out went the factory armor. In came Nucleon Flex Pro in the shoulders and elbows, and a Nucleon KR-Celli back protector that the hoodie does not include at all.

Here is what the garment is, what the upgrade changes, and the two things that bother me about it.

What the Ageless is

This is a hoodie in soft jersey fabric with Kevlar reinforcement on the inside at the shoulders, sleeves and back. It is CE-approved as a protective garment and prepared for Tech-Air.

It looks and feels like a regular hoodie. That is the whole idea, and that is why I bought it.

But I want to be clear about what it is not. It is not a textile jacket. The abrasion protection sits in reinforced zones, not across the entire garment, and a soft jersey fabric does not behave like 600D textile against asphalt. You need to know what you are wearing.

What it does better than a proper jacket is that it works all day. You step off the bike, hang up your helmet and look like anyone else. No jacket to carry around, nothing to stuff into a bag, no change of clothes at the office.

The armor it comes with

The Ageless ships with Nucleon Flex Plus in the shoulders and elbows, certified to CE Level 1.

That is not bad. It is the approved minimum level, and it is more than most people wear when they ride to the shops.

The back, however, comes with nothing. Only the Kevlar reinforcement sits there.

What I switched to

Nucleon Flex Pro in the shoulders and elbows is certified to CE Level 2, one step up from the stock armor. In testing, a Level 2 protector may transmit no more than 20 kN, compared to 35 kN for Level 1.

They are also more comfortable to wear. Thinner, open in structure so air passes through, and they conform to the body instead of sitting like a flat plate. On a thin garment that matters: thick armor shows immediately, and the Flex Pro barely does.

Nucleon KR-Celli in the back is certified to EN 1621-2 Level 1. It is built from a cell structure with flex channels running across it, has airmesh against the body and comes in three lengths so you can get the right coverage from the waist to the shoulders.

The important thing there is not the level, but that it exists at all. The step from nothing to Level 1 in the back is bigger than the step between Level 1 and Level 2.

The sizing is my biggest complaint

Alpinestars clothing tends to run short, and the Ageless is no exception.

I am fairly tall, and in my usual size it ended too high up. I had to go up one size to get the fit I wanted.

That solved the length but created another problem: the armor sits slightly looser than it would have in the correct size. Standing up and moving around, you notice it.

In the riding position it disappears entirely. When you sit leaning forward with your hands on the bars the garment stretches out and the armor lands exactly where it should. That is the position that counts, so I can live with it.

But it is a compromise worth knowing about before you order, especially if you are tall. Expect to try it on, and expect it to be shorter than you think.

It runs warm

This is the other thing.

The Ageless is a warm garment. With armor in the shoulders, elbows and back it also becomes thick, and you feel it.

When moving it is not a problem. The airflow cuts through and that is more than enough. I have ridden longer distances without finding it too hot.

Standing still is a different matter. At traffic lights, in a queue or when you stop to talk with it on, it quickly becomes too much.

But that is essentially what a motorcycle hoodie is. You trade coolness for looking like a civilian. If you want the coolest garment you buy a mesh jacket and look like you are heading somewhere. Here you get something you can walk into a cafe in without thinking about it.

That is the whole deal, and I knew what I was getting into. You get warm. That is the price of not looking like a motorcyclist when you step off the bike.

What I think

First, what you need to know: replacing all the armor is expensive. The back protector, shoulders and elbows together come to a figure close to what the hoodie itself costs. It is not a cheap tweak you make in passing, but a decision you take deliberately.

With that said, it changes the garment more than anything else you can do to it.

Here is what the difference looks like:

• Shoulders and elbows: from Level 1 to Level 2
• Back: from nothing to Level 1
• Thinner and more ventilated armor than the originals
• No visible difference on the outside

What bothers me:

• Short in the sizing. I had to go up one step, which made the armor sit looser when standing
• Warm and thick when standing still, even if airflow sorts it out when riding
• Replacing all the armor costs almost as much as the garment itself

The Ageless does not solve the same problem as a textile jacket and should not be compared to one. It solves the problem of wanting proper protection on the days you do not want to step off the motorcycle in full riding kit.

With the Flex Pro and KR-Celli installed, it is a considerably better answer to that problem than it was out of the box.