Alpinestars focused on weight distribution in the conception of the Tech 10. Designed with an ultra low profile bottom, the weight of the Tech 10 is minimized around the foot, bringing the boot's center of gravity up towards the rider's body.

The safety structure of the Alpinestars Tech 10 was specifically developed to withstand and protect against the unique demands of motocross riding. The Tech 10 features a new inner brace with a patented double-hinged assembly to allow for dual protection for both the ankle and heel, while still giving freedom of movement and flexibility.

Aesthetically speaking, the Tech 10 has a very streamlined, asymmetrical appearance, but that's not just for looks. The Tech 10 is designed to give the rider a virtually flat surface on the inside of the boot, enabling better contact with the bike. Strategically placed rubber pads help improve grip and control.

otocross riders are constantly pushing back the limits of performance and demanding ever more from their equipment. As both the bikes and tracks evolve, the riders adapt their style and consequently, protective riding gear - boots in particular - need to improve.
     Alpinestars has always recognized this challenge for continuous development and so the successor for the ubiquitous Tech 8 has been on the drawing board, or more accurately, in the CAD system at the company's R&D facilities in California and Europe for quite some time.
     Indeed, the process started over 3 years ago, while the Tech 8 was still in the middle of its evolutionary lifecycle, when the technical footwear team at Alpinestars began looking closely at both the biomechanical performance of top riders and the latest material innovation becoming available to investigate how motocross footwear could benefit.
     While the Tech 8 continued to dominate in both performance and competition results, Alpinestars knew that the motocross world was moving inexorably onwards and the riders would need improved technology to cope with their own development in the future. Through intensive design simulation and constant feedback from the company's top riders, in particular Jeremy McGrath, certain aspects of their boots were re-developed, tested and adapted continuously at the races and the Tech 10 project began to materialize.
     Several key objectives for the development team working on the Tech 10 became apparent. The first was to improve the performance of the boot's safety structure. Existing Alpinestars boots have ankle protection and support built inside their construction. To improve on the concept, bringing protection closer to the body, a new inner brace was developed. Having discarded the use of a single hinge boot system, (a concept Alpinestars had developed and patented designs for in the mid-80's, but never adopted because of excessive stress put on the knee) a revolutionary solution was developed.
     Using some of the lessons learned in the company's road racing program, where the Alpinestars Supertech boot leads the way with its unique torsion bar ankle support, the new MX brace features a patented double-hinged assembly. However, the Tech 10 brace shares no common components with the Supertech version, besides the hard-compound torsion bars, having been designed specifically to cope with the particular demands of motocross riding.
     The double hinge joint allows upper and lower protective structures to protect the ankle and heel, while giving complete freedom, flexibility and feel to the rider by following the natural movements of the foot and ankle, with no constraint until the point of over extension. To give the rider the ability to further lessen stresses put on the knee, a major concern for many, a replaceable softer-material inner bar is included with the Tech 10. This allows the rider to customize the degree of ankle control and therefore the amount of possible stress transmitted to the knees when the boot gets into deep ruts etc. The system also minimizes the chances of sprains and twists, while also protecting the ankle from lateral impacts. It is comfortable to wear, extremely strong, stable and crucially, lightweight, which was the next objective identified for the Tech 8's successor.
     Weight is an obvious impediment in racing and Alpinestars found that it is the distribution of weight in a boot that plays the most important role in hindering rider performance. Focused on this, the Tech 10 outer is designed with an ultra low profile bottom and its weight is minimized around the foot to bring the boot's center of gravity upwards, closer to the rider's body. This reduces the inertia of leg movements while riding, noticeably lessening fatigue.
     The design philosophy of the Tech 10 is innovative and completely different from all other current motocross boots, which feature traditional Welt stitching and multi-layer construction. It is also a complete departure from Alpinestars' Vector boot concept, since the construction technique is completely different.
     The ultra low bottom profile and its streamlined, asymmetrical appearance are very deliberate features of the Tech 10 design. As riders seek greater control of the bike, they need better feel. This requires a better "fit" and grip with the bike frame and hence Alpinestars delivered a solution on the Tech 10, giving the rider a virtually flat surface on the medial part, inner side, of the boot. This streamlining has been applied from the sole up the entire upper section, to the top of the boot, producing one continuously even surface to maintain contact with the bike. High-grip rubber compound pads have been placed on this surface to further improve the rider's grip and improve control.
     The design team working on the Tech 10 also wanted to develop new technology into the sole of the boot to improve its performance. A multi-density single bottom structure was the result and the Tech 10 features a completely new sole with several materials all built into the one unit. These materials have differing densities allowing the sole to have varying degrees of impact absorbing support and flexibility throughout its construction. The foot peg area has been developed to give extremely effective impact protection, while the boot's forefoot is specifically designed to give the rider flexibility and sensitivity on the bike's controls.
     Improving the performance of the Tech 8 has been achieved in a number of critical areas but the design of the Tech 10 also needed to combine improvements in the safety offered by the outer construction with a suitably radical approach to the boot's design in order to make a clear performance advance from its predecessor. To achieve this, the low profile bottom structure was matched to a unique rear guard that connects the hard PU protection on the upper and lower parts of the construction. The boot's design combines effectively two hard shells to protect the rider's foot and lower leg, with the double hinge internal ankle brace filling the flexible gap around the ankle.      The PU rear guard adds lateral support and prevents the rider from over-flexing backwards. The guard stops the boot's rearward flex progressively, before the rider's ankle reaches a dangerous angle, while also ensuring that the heel, Achilles and entire back of the rider's lower leg is protected from foot peg impacts.
     The appearance of the Tech 10 is certainly revolutionary in its construction. New materials, right down to the new rubber top seal, ensure that this is the most technologically advanced boot on the market. But the most telling aspect of the Tech 10 is hidden beneath its skin; in the design and development of the double hinged inner ankle brace. This innovation has allowed Alpinestars to radically alter the safety philosophy of its latest motocross boot and produce a truly worthy successor to the Tech 8.
     The Tech 10 is now being used by Alpinestars' top motocross riders in the U.S. and worldwide. With countless wins under its belt already, the new boots have been very well received, especially as they have been used straight "out of the box." Welcome to the age of the Tech 10. Call your Parts Unlimited rep today!