Alpinestars Banshee Leggings review | A great alternative to riding jeans for women

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Motorcycle leggings are one of the more recent additions to any lady biker’s wardrobe and have exploded in popularity over the past few years.

As a fashion-forward motorcycle brand, Alpinestars have naturally released their own protective leggings, and the Banshee are one of the products that the Italian brand offer as an alternative to motorcycle jeans.

Are the Alpinestars Banshee leggings comfortable?

If you like a tight set of leggings, then you’ll love these. Once you get them on (which I’ll talk about below) they look amazing and feel fantastic.

The armour in the knees isn’t bulky and the lining is comfortable against the skin. But I should mention that if you’re looking for a pair of leggings to ride around in summer, that these might be better in the spring as they are much thicker than I expected them to be. It’s welcome at the end of a long day when the evening chills begin, but if you were to ride in some proper summer weather you will likely get warm.

But off the bike, they are a pleasure to walk in, and you almost forget you are wearing bike kit! But again, don’t do anything too strenuous as you will get warm.

How practical are they?

I’ve always found Alpinestars kit to be on the smaller side, and even though these are indeed my size, they are still a bit of a wrestle to get on, at least for me and my big calves and thighs! But once they are on, they look great and are as comfortable as can be. However, if it’s hot and you’ve got a bead on, it can make bathroom stops longer than you’d hope.

On the plus side, there are pockets both on the front and back that can hold a mobile phone comfortably and although I didn’t use the belt loops myself, they are durable and can take a belt if you feel like you need to.

Do they look good?

Although the tight-knit nature of these leggings may cause a sweaty glow on a warm day, once you get them on, there is no denying that they look great. Many women’s bike trousers can be baggy or gaping, but you don’t get any of that with this pair of leggings.

As long as you put them on carefully and get the lining in the right place to avoid any yellow aramid lining from splurging out the bottom cuffs, you’ll look awesome.

What about the quality?

The thickness is testament to the quality of the material. Even on slightly colder days I was comfortably warm in these leggings, and the sturdiness of the material gives you a real sense of ease when you’re on the move.

After 1800 miles the outer fabric still looks great even after a couple of washes, and thankfully as the logo has been stitched in rather than ironed on, it looks just as good as it did on mile one.

I caught the back of my leg on my exhaust pipe on more than one occasion, and only once did the heat penetrate the leggings. Sure, there are now a couple of marks, but I’m quite impressed with the resistance it held up compared to other garments which had the same treatment.

How protective are they?

The leggings are CE certified level A but have Level 1 certified knee armour included. This makes them more suitable for urban riding then high-speed miles on the motorway. The included knee armour isn’t bulky or uncomfortable, and once you’re in the leggings you can barely tell it is there. If you wanted to up the protective factor, there are pockets inside the leggings where you could pop in some hip armour.

Are these leggings good value for money?

At £189.99 these are at the upper end of the scale when it comes to riding leggings. Currently, you can get a pair of jeggings from the likes of Bull-it at around the £150 mark (with some offerings either side of that price tag), Richa’s leggings are around the £180 mark but if you were looking for something a touch more affordable, then Oxford do a range of leggings from around £100+.

My overall verdict

Alpinestars Banshee leggings are excellent quality and fit extremely well. They are thick, so are suitable for riding in typically cool British weather, but they might leave you too warm on summer days and when you are walking around off the bike.

They are a tight fit, which makes them look spectacular, but you will have to wrestle to get them on, but once they are on they’re as comfy as can be.

With a CE rating of A they only claim to provide crash protection during low-speed urban riding, so bear this in mind as more protective (AA) leggings are available. That said, Level 1 knee armour is included, and there are pockets if you wanted to add additional hip armour, but the fabric itself is so thick, it manages to withstand exhaust scalding without too much bother, so the leggings feel very reassuring. All in all, a great alternative to jeans for women, and I’ve really become a motorcycle leggings fan since.