Alpinestars Stella C1 Windstopper Gloves - Review

Alpinestars Stella range now features a great urban and commuter glove model which is touted as being water-resistant and are made from a wind resistant fabric, whilst not having the bulk of most riding gloves. What is best though is they are lady rider specific and offer a nicer fit for female riders and pillions with increased feedback through their lightweight construction.

Initial Thoughts

The Stella C1 Windstopper gloves by Alpinestars are extremely lightweight gloves, because of this on first impression I was dubious that these would keep my hands warm, however I was pleasantly surprised when heading out on the road after effortlessly slipping the gloves on courtesy of the knitted short cuff which takes away the fuss of velcro or snap closures, I did find though that they were easily snagged and the material pulled loose threads.

For protection, the gloves are equipped with hard knuckle armour which would seem to do the job but with a minimal 3mm Eva padding, I was fairly lacking in confidence in whether the Stella C1 Windstopper gloves would provide ample protection should I fall off whilst wearing them having always been sold much thicker or more substantial gloves in the past, I am sure Alpinestars know what they are doing though but hope I never have to test them out.

Construction

The light weight stretch nylon material provides a snug fit and allows you to easily feel the controls on your bike almost as if you’re wearing no gloves at all which is a massive plus side to having such a well fitted and lightweight glove. A synthetic full-grain leather palm keeps hands protected, although I found issues with this bunching up and causing slight discomfort when clasping the grips over extended periods. With wind chill being one of the main factors for frozen finger tips, the construction of Gore-Tex Windstopper outshell fabric is great for keeping your hands warm but I also had the opportunity to test these during a very rare warm day in March and found the glove to retain a medium airflow, keeping my hands from being sticky.

These gloves are marketed as city gloves, however testing these out on longer trips with motorway speeds they maintained keeping my hands protected from the cold. Overall the glove is great for commuting and short trips providing comfort, flexibility and effective insulation.

Specification

Specifically cut and sized for women.
Lightweight, windproof and water resistant city riding glove.
Upper utilizes two-piece Windstopper® stretch Nylon fabric construction for effective insulation.
One piece, full-grain leather palm construction for extra abrasion resistance and riding comfort.
Hard knuckle protection is seamlessly integrated into the chassis of the glove.
3mm EVA padding on fingers improves the feel of the glove and helps dissipate shock and vibration while riding.
Knitted cuff provides comfort, flexibility and effective insulation.