AlpinestarsBionic Freeride Shorts

It must have been fate. I got these and on my very next ride a small tree fell in front of me and landed on the guardrail. It was sticking out across the road. I didn’t even have enough time to hit the breaks and it clotheslined me. It hit right on my chest. My bike kept going. I broke through the thing with my body. I first landed on my left knee directly, then kept sliding, contacting my hip, shoulder, elbow, and my head bounced a few times. I was wearing these shorts along with their shin/knee guards, the jacket, a helmet, as well as some gloves. I ended up with a few small bruises where the edges of the pads dug in from the pressure, and also a small cut on my ankle bone (I’m pissed about that because I didn’t put on my ankle guards). It’s a small cut though and you can see it in my picture. The bike went ahead and just flopped onto the rail up ahead. After I was done checking myself I just got on and rode home. Without this stuff I’m positive I would have been in the ER or dead from the head impact. The crazy thing is that aside from some scratches in the plastic, the pads are all still totally intact.

My waist is about 30". I weight about 135lb, 5ft7in.I ordered the large and it fits nicely. I can wear it under sweatpants or over jeans pretty comfortably. I've normally worn it on my 10 mile work commute many times a week - so far only in fall/winter weather. I haven't tested it through hotter weather yet. The parts I want protected do feel like they'd be protected (thighs, hips, tailbone, nothing for butt cheeks though).It IS bulky. I'm also considering additionally getting a different pair of protector shorts like the Hip VPD 2.0 Shorts for more discreetness. If worn outside of jeans/pants, they don't look nice.

I took up MTB and have been riding rocky tracks so i been looking for some hip & tailbone protection.I have ordered a bunch of different shorts that offer an embarassing amount of protection for about the same price. These things are the real deal.My test was to put on all my shorts and bang my hip against the corner edge on a wall. You cant feel anything with these things. I am between a 32 and 34 waist and these fit under my Large size RockBros MTB shorts comfortably. For reference, i had to order XXL in these Alpine pads because as others mentioned, the waist is crazy small and tightI havent riden in them yet but i do have a concern over heat because the red underlayer. Unfortunately, the pads cant be removed either so theres no throwing these in the washer.You could opt for other shorts that have more airflow and are more low profile, but you sacrifice protection. In my case, as much as i prefered the fit and airflow of other shorts, i opted for the protection of these.Give them a shot. You wont be sorry if you crash. I promise you. No one offers tailbone protection like this

Bought the biggest size available at the time (large). I was wearing 34 pants at the time and I'm not exactly a huge guy. These shorts were a massive squeeze to put on and I ended up pulling the waist and leg openings apart a little just to try and help hurt less from being squeezed so tight while riding.Shame because I really like the armor on these.I've been hitting the squat rack all winter and there's no chance I'm putting these on this summer. Guess I'll hand them off to the skinniest friend I can find.

I regularly do black diamond/ expert /pro trails and needed the extra protection. I decided to cough up the money when I fell and landed on my right hip - I was limping for over a week. After i got the Alpinestars shorts, I fell three times and landed on my hip (various surfaces from roots, dirt and wooden planks) and didn't feel a thing. I was able to go back on my bike and continue the trail. This is especially good if you ride clipped and don't have time to unclip before landing on your side.There is no chamois but there is tailbone protection. I usually wear either my padded underwear or shorts underneath which provides the chamois.P.S. This review is only for mountain biking, I don't know how these would hold up for motor sports which are more dangerous.

I was looking for hard hip protection for motorcycle BDR riding and tried these and some others, gave up, when I sat down the thy protector jammed into the hip protector and was very uncomfortable. It may be just my body. Had to settle for soft pads.

First, they were super small and (just about) too tight to get on. Ordered a large for 36" waist. At 6'3" and 210lbs, I'd need at least an XL, maybe XXL. Next, the upper pad doesn't cover the top of the pelvis, which is why i got them. I wriggled my way into them just to see if they did what I wanted, but I don't think they'll reach over the top. None of the photos anywhere show an actual body wearing them, unfortunately.

These are very very well made and very protective. They do run very small tho. Im tall and lean and I typically wear size 31 or 32 pants and I ordered the medium which typically fits great but these were VERY tight...like could barely pull them up and cutting circulation off from legs tight lol. I returned them and ordered the large which I'm assuming will fit. I'm still giving them 5 stars despite the size issue just because I was so impressed with the protection level these will provide. Just make sure you order at least one size larger than normal