nikki
Moto Junkie
- Apr 21, 2000
- 5,802
- 1
After wearing Thor for years (and a little bit of everything before that - Fox, No Fear, Shift, SoCal), we made the switch to Answer and couldn't be happier! I had my first ride this past weekend in the Alpha line (Alpha pants, Alpha Air Vented jersey, Alpha gloves, and Apex roost protector) and this stuff is awesome!!
The first thing I found was the jersey sizing to be generous compared to other lines of gear. For example, in the past I have worn medium jerseys and Red has worn XXL's and had some complaints about short and/or tight sleeves - even to the point where he's cut off some cuffs. Answer got the jersey fit RIGHT! The Alpha jerseys have a very generous cut, roomy sleeves, and a very comfortable and simple sleeve cuff. Red is so happy to have a jersey that actually fits well in his arms. And I've found my small Alpha jerseys to fit perfect, and similar to some medium's I've worn in the past. The jerseys are also long and stay tucked in better than some jerseys of the past. Both the regular Alpha and Air Vented Alpha jerseys have a great venting and cooling design for those long and hot motos. And did I mention style – the simple color schemes and clean lines and material of the Alpha jerseys are just awesome!
We found the pants to fit true to size. The waist fit is very adjustable, having the cam buckle across the front, velcro straps to suck in the front sides, and these cool elastic expanders on the back sides. All of the adjustments make for a perfect custom fit. In the knees, we've found the Alpha pants to fit fine over both Asterisk braces and regular knee pads, although the leg area in general feels a little slimmer than some other pants we’ve worn. Red's pants fit a little tight across the hips, but most all pants fit him that way. The inside liner is very comfy and I was happy to see colored liners that won't show dirt and wear as much as white liners that most gear companies use. The bottom of the pants (part that goes into your boot) is fully vented and has a nice relaxed cuff that won't cut off your circulation. The inside of the knees have nice leather padding and felt great when gripping the bike.
The gloves are awesome – the Alpha gloves fit very well and are protective and durable and comfy while the Alpha Air Vented gloves fit so well and are light weight that you can barely tell you’re wearing gloves. The Air Vented gloves are slip on with no velcro wrist cuff (which Red prefers) and the regular Alpha gloves have a velcro wrist cuff (which I prefer).
And the Answer Apex roost protector is my favorite chest protector I’ve ever worn. In the past, I’ve had Fox Airframes and Thor Force protectors, but found the Airframe to be a little too big and bulky (like I could never adjust it to be small enough) and the Force to feel a little underprotective (like in the shoulder area and across the sides on the back). But the Answer Apex protector seems to take the best things of the different protectors out there and put them all in one. I have the adult size, and it was very adjustable in terms of shortening in up in the front and back and adjusting the arm protectors. It has a really cool back design with the spine protection and the kidney/side protection, and is very stylish and comfortable. I was a little nervous with my first race in the Apex as some chest protectors can be restrictive, but I found the transition to the Apex to be as smooth as can be as the adjustable fit made it perfect for me. The 1” PCS neck support fit perfect on the protector as well. Red is in the XL Apex, and finally found a protector that he feels fully protected in as a bigger guy, although he was a little sad that his didn’t come with the cool chrome shoulder pads.
Good stuff for sure – I’m glad Will Pattison was involved with DirtWeek and put this stuff on display so we were able to check it out. Also, it’s really cool to see Fonseca and Team Subway Coca-Cola (Gibson, Thomas, Oehlhof) out there in the 250 SX mains wearing the Alpha gear.
The first thing I found was the jersey sizing to be generous compared to other lines of gear. For example, in the past I have worn medium jerseys and Red has worn XXL's and had some complaints about short and/or tight sleeves - even to the point where he's cut off some cuffs. Answer got the jersey fit RIGHT! The Alpha jerseys have a very generous cut, roomy sleeves, and a very comfortable and simple sleeve cuff. Red is so happy to have a jersey that actually fits well in his arms. And I've found my small Alpha jerseys to fit perfect, and similar to some medium's I've worn in the past. The jerseys are also long and stay tucked in better than some jerseys of the past. Both the regular Alpha and Air Vented Alpha jerseys have a great venting and cooling design for those long and hot motos. And did I mention style – the simple color schemes and clean lines and material of the Alpha jerseys are just awesome!
We found the pants to fit true to size. The waist fit is very adjustable, having the cam buckle across the front, velcro straps to suck in the front sides, and these cool elastic expanders on the back sides. All of the adjustments make for a perfect custom fit. In the knees, we've found the Alpha pants to fit fine over both Asterisk braces and regular knee pads, although the leg area in general feels a little slimmer than some other pants we’ve worn. Red's pants fit a little tight across the hips, but most all pants fit him that way. The inside liner is very comfy and I was happy to see colored liners that won't show dirt and wear as much as white liners that most gear companies use. The bottom of the pants (part that goes into your boot) is fully vented and has a nice relaxed cuff that won't cut off your circulation. The inside of the knees have nice leather padding and felt great when gripping the bike.
The gloves are awesome – the Alpha gloves fit very well and are protective and durable and comfy while the Alpha Air Vented gloves fit so well and are light weight that you can barely tell you’re wearing gloves. The Air Vented gloves are slip on with no velcro wrist cuff (which Red prefers) and the regular Alpha gloves have a velcro wrist cuff (which I prefer).
And the Answer Apex roost protector is my favorite chest protector I’ve ever worn. In the past, I’ve had Fox Airframes and Thor Force protectors, but found the Airframe to be a little too big and bulky (like I could never adjust it to be small enough) and the Force to feel a little underprotective (like in the shoulder area and across the sides on the back). But the Answer Apex protector seems to take the best things of the different protectors out there and put them all in one. I have the adult size, and it was very adjustable in terms of shortening in up in the front and back and adjusting the arm protectors. It has a really cool back design with the spine protection and the kidney/side protection, and is very stylish and comfortable. I was a little nervous with my first race in the Apex as some chest protectors can be restrictive, but I found the transition to the Apex to be as smooth as can be as the adjustable fit made it perfect for me. The 1” PCS neck support fit perfect on the protector as well. Red is in the XL Apex, and finally found a protector that he feels fully protected in as a bigger guy, although he was a little sad that his didn’t come with the cool chrome shoulder pads.
Good stuff for sure – I’m glad Will Pattison was involved with DirtWeek and put this stuff on display so we were able to check it out. Also, it’s really cool to see Fonseca and Team Subway Coca-Cola (Gibson, Thomas, Oehlhof) out there in the 250 SX mains wearing the Alpha gear.
