Tech Air 10 Feedback

I'll be receiving a Tech Air 10 and Racing Absolute suit this weekend, will let you know thoughts.

 

The absolute suit is awesome.

 

can confirm

 

I have a GP Tech V3 on the way what makes the Absolute that much better?

 

the amount of stretch and shaping for aggressive riding position.

It’s terrible for me in the pits and awesome on the bike.

 

GP Tech V3 and Absolute are the same cut and same stretch panels,

Absolute is Kangaroo so its alot lighter and roo naturally has more stretch to it, also the absolute places the vest behind the liner so its much much more comfortable to wear and flows more air than the GP tech V3

I've still got my absolute I wore last year but I ended up ordering a custom fit RS Taichi 107 suit and I think its another step up, however the cost is a bit more than the absolute is still. since I ordered custom fit I can't argue with how much more comfortable it is for me.

 

My absolute is the best suit I've ever worn. Also they seem to fit everybody and I don't even know how that's possible.

 

+1 for the Absolute. I like RsTaichi too but the Absolute fits great like my old Race Replica

 

If anyone is looking for a tech air 10 let me know....
I have a brand new XL that is a little bit to small for me. I am looking to just get what I paid for it plus shipping to you. They are out of stock and will not be back in stock until July.

 

IDK, I have the tech air race and it stays in the suit zipped together. Was a little wierd getting used to for a day or so but now I dont even notice it. Also had a slow lowside and it did not deploy thankfully. I have a tech-Air compatible A star suit also if that makes a difference.

 

What's your height and weight?

 

220 5'11"
It was tight in the chest and legs, so I ordered a XXL to try.
My goal weight is 200 but I still feel that the XL would be on the tight side for me at 200 (I am big boned).

All that being said.... I am still on the fence about the tech air 10 for the same reasons posted above.
- Pain in the ass to put a under suit then the tech air 10 suit. Obviously, it is worth the effort for the hip protection.
- Suit is hard to get past the back protector. You will probably need help at the track if your suit is on the tight "Race" fit side.
- You need to smooth out the hip/Shoulder air bag after you have the under suit put on. They just flop around in there and can get all bunched up.
- The 10 is bulkier in the chest and back protector area than the race vest.

My theory is the newer tech 10 ready suits (GP Tech V4) will have some extra clearance in the chest and back protector area. My GP tech V3 does not have extra wiggle room in those areas. When I get down to 200, I think there would be enough clearance to fit the 10 under my GP Tech V3 suit.

Like the OP I and leaning towards just going with the race vest because it was designed for the suit I have. Hopefully they do not discontinue then because I have 2 brand new GP tech V3 suits.

 

A* has stated they will not be discontinuing the race vest. If you notice WSBK, Moto2 and Motoamerica riders are all using the vest and not the tech air 10.

 

So I used the new Tech air 10 this weekend while racing in Colorado. Charged it and downloaded the app on my phone and it was pretty simple. I like that you can see everything about the suit on the app. BAttery status, whether its in race in street mode, ect. I put under armor pants on and then slid the suit on. Wasn't that hard. I am 6 foot 1 about 205 pounds and I wear an XL tech 10 suit and it fit great. Before the air bag suit I wore the new alpinestar back protector with the side protection on the waist band and also the check plate.

My race suit does have a little room in it and its not skin tight, but getting in and out of my race suit with the new tech 10 is not very easy. Its a 2 person job as the back protector/air tank does get caught on the leathers. But like anything else I am sure after using it a few weekend I will get the hang of getting in and out of my suit. Even with a little room in my suit and then wearing the tech 10 I felt like an Italian sausage being grilled and ready to burst. LOL Its was a little snug. Once I wore it for the weekend I got used to it and it was fine. So if you have a tight fitting suit, there is no way you will be able to squeeze into it. No way. You will have to buy a new suit 1 size larger.

I am wonder how its going to be when I am at the track alone when its 90 degrees out. Its going to be a little bit of a hassle taking my leathers off for lunch or between races.

 

I was able to get my Race vest repacked this February after waiting 7 months, once they were able to get the parts, it was maybe a week door to door.

Apparently the medium race was a sore spot? Other sizes did not have to wait as long.


Regarding the 10, it'd be interesting to see if they can integrate into their suits. I have the off-the-shelf Taichi suit, with the vest on the outside of the liner, the newer A* suits have them on the inside which seems like a much better experience. Is there some reason they wouldn't also be able to put the 10 behind the liner as well?

 

I LOVE the Racing Absolute suit. It feels like it was custom-made for me. I'm 5'10, 180lb, 32"/32" pants and 16"/34" shirt. I wore a size 42 suit, and it is like a second layer of skin (without the TechAir 10). I may never buy a different model.

I don't love the TechAir 10. I don't hate it by any means - I don't even necessarily dislike it - but I definitely do not love it.

While riding I didn't spend a penny of thought on the vest. It doesn't dramatically affect airflow, it didn't restrict movement, and it didn't feel "in the way" at all. However, off the bike, it is honestly pretty unpleasant. It is extremely bulky, and keeps heat in when there's no wind blowing. It was 90°F in Atlanta this past weekend and the only concern I had when getting off the bike was ripping myself out of the suit. Because of the integrated chest protector, the TechAir is a side-zip - so unzipping your leathers to get some airflow to your chest doesn't work, because you can't really unzip the airbag underlayer in the same way.

Regarding the chest protector, I will say that I felt extremely protected by the TechAir 10 system. For the price of all that bulk, you get what feels like basically an entire parachute setup built into the kit. There is protection on top of and all around your shoulders, hard as well as airbag back protection, airbag chest protection, and airbag hip protection. The airbags move well with you, and are attached by clips and folded in with Lycra panels. It does take some care to keep the bags all smooth and not bunched up, but overall it was pretty easy to keep in check.

Putting the suit on is definitely not easy. I did it solo (in a tight-fitting suit) so it is doable by yourself, but it was a challenge each time. I did find that I had to manually smooth out the airbag shoulders each time; the suit's neckline would grab the TechAir and pull it upward when I would slide my arms in. The airbag easily doubled the amount of time I spent putting the suit on and taking it off - realistically it's only an extra minute or two, but it feels like a big difference in the moment. Getting a 44 suit, instead of the 42 (which fit me perfectly without the TechAir) might have made a positive difference here.

I was surprised at how disappointed I was that there's no way to integrate the TechAir 10 into the TechAir Race-ready Absolute suit. I've gotten very used to Dainese's system which is completely integrated, and I really wanted to be able to have a functionally-identical setup but with individually-separable pieces.

Overall, I do feel very safe and protected with the TechAir 10. That's its purpose, and it gets A++ 5 stars. It is not very, bordering on not at all, noticeable while actually riding, so again, A for comfort-in-use. Around the pits and just hanging out it is very bulky and definitely does affect cooling and movement, but it never caused me any actual pain or discomfort - so C+ for comfort-in-general.

Pros:

• Very protective
• Easy to use
• Integrated hard back protector
• Integrated chest protector
• Doesn't bother me at all on the bike

Cons:

• Very bulky
• Heavy (though not noticeable once it's on)
• Restricts airflow without wind
• Doesn't integrate into suit

Verdict: Satisfied, but kinda wish I'd gotten the TechAir Race.

 

Hah, my review is damn near identical to @G2G's.

 

Great review!

 

I received the TechAir10 suit this week. For reference, I am 5'11", 168lbs with an average build. 30" inseam and 32/33 sleeve length. I ordered a large and it fit as expected.

My comparison is the Tech5 vest not the race vest. This is fit only as I have not worn the suit at the track yet.

• Fit: Luckily, my current set of leathers is an old off the shelf set that had plenty of spare room all around. Getting the leathers over the TechAir10 took some effort, but the smoother shape of the back protector vs the Tech Air 5 allowed me to get suited up successfully 4 out or 4 attempts. The Tech Air 5 vest hump was next to impossible to slide your suit over. Unlike others, I didn't experience bunching in the sleeves after putting on leathers. Plan for a little extra time to get suited up before hitting pit lane.
  
• Function: Have not yet charged it up or installed the app. The side entry takes some getting used to so getting the suit on initially is a little awkward. Generally speaking, there wasn't any restriction of movement with the TechAir10.
• AirFlow: Tough to say. There is quite a bit of perforation and stretch built into the suit, but my guess is that it will add heat during the hot days of summer.
  
• Advantages: Personally, the advantage was two-fold; extra protection and $avings. The additional protection of hips seems worth it. Damaged hips/pelvis/etc is not something I want to experience. If I had not purchase the TechAir10, the alternative would be buying a TechAirRace vest for $150 more, and then buying a TechAirRace-compatible suit for another $1K-2K. Essentially I spent $1K rather than $2K-$3K. A consideration if you're on a budget. A vest gets 2 deployments where the suit gets 1, so choose what's best for you.
  
• Gripes: Could be me, but I found the neck of the TechAir10 to be irritating because there wasn't enough give. It felt like if was digging into my neck. That may go away with use. Weight seemed to be no better or worse than other air bag solutions.
  
• Other: The TechAir10 has a "front door" like a set of tighty-whities.

 

I also had this issue. Though it might have been me when trying to get the suit on by myself and having it ride up to far while putting my leathers on.