Alpinestars Venture XT Trousers | Ideal for hopping between green lanes and road riding

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These Alpinestars Venture XT pants may look like simple textile riding trousers, but could they, in fact, be the answer to a problem I’ve been having for years? Maybe.

Here’s the thing; I love taking on the odd green lane here and there when I’ve got the right test bike under me, but because the Nimbys and ramblers keep getting their own way, doing so in my part of the world involves linking short stretches of dirt together with increasingly lengthy schleps on the tarmac in between.

Road-biased or touring textiles are great for heading off around the world or winter commuting, but I find they get pretty hot when the trail gets tougher than a gravel driveway.

I also prefer to wear serious enduro boots if I’m heading off road and touring trousers are often too fitted to wear over them and too bulky to wear under them.

The obvious solution is to wear some proper motocross or enduro gear, but what about the times in between green lanes where I have to hit a national speed limit for an extended period of time? Proper MX gear is designed for off-road racing and is undoubtedly tough but it’s not normally SE-rated and I’m not sure how I’d feel about sliding down the road in it. So, when I saw the A-rated Venture XT pants online, I was intrigued.

These Alpinestars Venture XTs sit somewhere between motocross pants and a touring trousers – being heavier than the former but lighter than the latter. This is the in-boot version but there is an over boot option in the range, too.

I really like the mix of comfort and practicality, you get four pockets and vents on the front, and leather panels on the inner leg for when you’re gripping the bike off-road, but you also get level 1 Nucleon Flex Plus knee armour (which is so lightweight you forget it’s there) and pockets for hip protectors. As an enduro-style garment aimed at off-road, it’s only got an A rating so I still feel a bit vulnerable on the road between green lanes, but there has to be a compromise somewhere and this is one I’m happy to make.

How comfortable are the Alpinestars Venture XT Pants?

The Venture XTs are immediately comfortable out of the box and I’ve spent two full days in them (once off-roading, once in the office for various reasons) as well as shorter rides here and there over the last two months.

My one complaint and the reason I’ve knocked a star off is that the vents aren’t as effective as I hoped. Their placement on the front of your thighs mean they get almost no air flow at all while you’re sitting down. They do work better when you’re standing up, but that’s not much use on the road.

This in boot option fits easily inside my Alpinestars Tech 7 boots and I don’t end up with indentations in my legs from folded fabric or seams after a day of riding.

I like the MX-style leather patches on the inner leg, too, they’re great for gripping off road, give you protection from hot bike components and protect your paintwork as you shift your weight around to balance off-road.

How practical are the Alpinestars Venture XT pants?

For a niche garment, the Venture XTs are actually quite practical. They’ve got two big hip pockets and two further combat pockets, too, they’re water resistant and have a rugged build quality that suits their intended purpose.

But if you are planning to wear a pair for a long, mixed-surface adventure tour then you may want to choose a proper set of touring textiles with more ventilation and proper waterproofing.

Do they look good?

These are the first pair of trousers that’ve attracted compliments from other staff members at MCN Towers. So, if you want to catch the eye of middle-aged men then look no further.

Joking aside, they really do look the part on an off-road bike. The camel colour option won’t be for everyone (they also come in black) but it suits the Triumph Scrambler 400 X I’m running as a long-termer this year and matched my existing boots well (if that matters).

Are the Alpinestars Venture XT trousers good quality?

I have a feeling these will go straight into my trustworthy kit list for years to come when I’m going off-roading. The quality feels excellent with tough zips and seams and a very strong waist fastening system.

They’re only water resistant, not waterproof, but they did keep a very light shower out when I got caught a few miles from the office. I’m particularly impressed with the level one knee armour, which is practically imperceptible while you’re wearing it but feels tough and protective if you take it out to have a look.

Do the Alpinestars Venture XT trousers offer good protection?

As mentioned above, the keen armour feels more substantial in your hand than it does in position on your knees. If I was planning to go and ride prolonged sections of the TET or an enduro day at a track I’d whip the level one armour out and wear proper MX armour.

Likewise, on the road the XTs feel a little lightweight, but they are primarily designed with off-roading in mind and do at least carry a CE rating – unlike race pants. If you were very worried, you could upgrade the knee armour to level two and add hip armour (the pockets for it are there ready) to bolster the crash performance.

Are the Alpinestars Venture XT good value for money?

It’s tricky to find exact comparisons for the Venture XTs as they cross categories between touring, adventure and off-road. Alpinestars kit tends to be priced at the upper end of the market, too, but if you’re coming from the world of top-end laminated textile touring kit, these will seem like an absolute bargain.

Rev’It have a pair of off-road biased A-rated trousers in their range, too, called the Territory and they cost £229.99. By that measure, the XTs are at the lower end of the going rate.

Proper, top-end adventure-touring textiles can cost over £1000 but a good pair of waterproof ones with a AA rating start from around £250, which puts the cost of the comparatively niche A-Stars in context.

So what’s the verdict?

They may have scored a 4/5 overall due to an average rating of 3.8 in the other sections, but these are a niche product and I wouldn’t buy a pair unless I already had a decent set of waterproof textiles in my wardrobe.

But for the specific purpose of exploring green-lanes with road sections between, staying comfortable when the going is tough but retaining an element of road safety, they are excellent.