Alpinestars Stratos Techshell Drystar V2 £258.99 ‘Nice – but it’s an expensive luxury’
Tested by Emma Franklin for two years
This is the second evolution of Alpinestars’ urban riding jacket. The V2 arrived in 2019 and features a softshell outer backed by Astars’ own waterproof/breathable membrane, as well as a removable standalone thermal inner jacket.
Thanks to the stretchy softshell outer, the Stratos V2 feels more like leisurewear than a traditional, Cordura textile jacket. The separate inner fleece jacket is super-soft too, and has retained that softness despite two years of wear. The soft theme continues with the unobtrusive armour at the shoulders and elbows, which manages to stay supple even in cold conditions. Other cosseting touches include a zip garage to protect your chin (at the top) and your bike’s tank (at the bottom).
Being two jackets in one, the Stratos has oodles of practicality. The main outer jacket boasts a shower-resistant outer and is also backed up with a Drystar waterproof membrane, meaning it’ll keep you dry and warm during spring showers, if not torrential downpours, during which the softshell becomes saturated. The jacket’s hood is discretely detachable, too, via a row of hidden press studs.
The jacket itself is a nice length too, slightly longer than a sports-style jacket, meaning that it provides decent coverage whether you’re riding a naked bike or a sports machine. The pre-curved arms help boost on-bike fit and comfort.
However, there’s a price to pay for comfort – and that’s abrasion resistance. Softshell outers look and feel great, but their stretchy qualities mean they don’t perform as well as stiffer Cordura-style fabrics in a crash. As a result, the Stratos only meets the lowest of the ratings for abrasion resistance (A), meaning that it is only certified to offer protection at low urban speeds.
In terms of impact protection, the Stratos has Alpinestars’ comfortable and lightweight Level 1 soft armour at the shoulders and elbows.
Owing to this, it seems a bit of an expensive luxury to have as something to wear for short hops into town, because for most of us it’d be an addition to our biking wardrobe rather than our main textile jacket. But for young scooter riders – who may be put off from wearing traditional textile jackets because of how they look and instead opt for non-certified leisure jackets instead – the Stratos may provide a solution. Quality Value www.alpinestars.com