Rennie Scaysbrook | September 20, 2022
The 3/4-length Tech-Air 10 is Alpinestars latest airbag technology and is now available to the daily driver. The Tech-Air 10 can go under any outfit (Alpinestars or not) as long as it’s designed to stretch accordingly.
This is an independent system (hence the compatibility with different suits) that provides back, chest and hip protection, while the Zip-In Tech-Air Race only covers the upper half of the rider’s body. The company has reduced the impact energy transmitted to the body by 95 percent with the Tech-Air 10.
The system has 12 sensors (nine accelerometers and three gyros) to measure impact, and the airbag inflates between 20-40 milliseconds. You can deploy up to three per airbag (though at that point, you can take driver training as an option).
Level 2 CE protection is used in the back and chest protection, the suit itself is constructed using a blend of stretch spandex, stretch mesh spandex 3D mesh and lycra. If you don’t want to, you don’t need to wear it under the suit, and you can control the suit from the Tech-Air app, which monitors the system and battery status, as well as trip data, such as GPS tracking, driving statistics, and distance. Speed, etc.
Alpinestars Tech-Air 10 Airbag System MSRP: $999.95
Distinguishing feature:Full MotoGP-spec protection now for Joe Blow
Excellent security coverage- Compatible with many clothes
It gets a little cramped when folded into a full road racing suit.
Alpinestars Tech-Air 10 Airbag System | Rider analysis
Watching his practice for the 2017 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, Maverick Vinales was a bit down. “Nothing out of the ordinary,” I thought. Then I looked at the suit. Suddenly, I realized that Maverick had childbearing hips and was wearing an intimate ¾-length Alpinestars Tech-Air bag system. Fast forward five years and now it’s you and I who can have children.
I’m a big fan of airbag systems, and it would be a little weird for me to go out on the track without one these days (I’ve had some belt failures with airbag suits and I know how they work).
The Tech-Air 10 is very different from the Tech-Air race suit I’ve been wearing. Cycle news For the past five years or more. I’m well used to Tech-Air racing, especially the one in the white racing suit so often seen on these pages, most of which is a familiar part of the suit.
Tech-Air 10 offers far more protection than the Tech-Air competition. Three-quarter-length protection is a real achievement that the company should be proud of, but I found the airbag to be a bit cramped when worn in the Fusion’s one-piece suit.
Before I go on, let me tell you that the suit is very new and hasn’t had much of a chance to break in, and things can get a little sticky when you put in a full airbag underwear.
I found on the bike I got used to it after a while, but I never felt as comfortable wearing the Tech-Air Race. This is simply because there is a lot more protection around my hips and upper legs – something I’ve never experienced before – so it took some getting used to. I think I can get used to the Tech-Air 10 after a few more wears, as I did the Tech-Air Race after I started wearing airbags.
Competence is a very personal thing and some others on this test with me did not have this issue. However, the benefits of the Tech-Air 10 system cannot be denied. This is the best technology available to the buying public right now to keep track safe, and even if you’re not out on the track, you can use it on the road by changing the algorithms.C.N
Click here to read Alpinestars Tech-Air 10 Airbag System Review in the Cycle news Digital edition of the magazine.
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