Well today was payday and my wallet was crying under actually having to carry some weight. So at lunch time when I just happened to be passing by Revzilla's store, I decided to drop in and browse. Was looking for a mirrored shield. But when I walked in the door, they had a jeans display (new for them since they were online mostly).

They had the A*s Axiom, Icon Victory and Fieldsheer Rider 2.0 jeans out. Didn't like the A*s cause they looked more like Skinny Jeans for Men. I'm skinny enough already, thank you. No need to advertise it more (b'sides skinny jeans on guys look ghey imo). The Icon Victory immediately made me think of Farmer Joe. And the Fieldsheer's reminded me of those days my mom refused to buy new jeans simply because of a hole in the knee and used those iron on patches. Anthony at Revzilla emphasized, asked my size, said "Wait a sec", went to the back and came back with these:

So I gave them a shot.
Sizing: Shift goes by waist size only. I wear 30 / 31 waist and 32 inseam, depending on the manufacurer. Anthony brought out brought out both 30s and 32s to try on. The 30s fit true to size in the waist. And the jeans are a Boot Cut so they run a little long normally to cover the boot. The 30s fit same as my Levi's 30w 32l boot cut jeans.

Comfort: Since I was still at work, I didn't wear them till it was time to ride home. On the bike, the jeans felt very comfortable. Some of my jeans have a tendency to fit tight across the groin when in a riding position (or maybe riding makes me a little too excited ). A couple pairs of jeans I'll never wear on my bike again as they became tight enough to cause pain. The Torque's didn't show any of this. They remained loose in the crotch without being so loose that I slid around in them while moving around on the bike. They also feel very light. My Carhartt Heavy Duty work pants feel just like that: heavy duty. The Torque's were much light and breathed better. Normally, I begin sweating in my Carhartts in the 1/2 hour ride home. Today I got stuck in traffic for an extra 15 minutes with Ororo bouncing back and forth between 225 and 217 degrees while idling in it. Barely broke a sweat.

Style:
Definitely don't look like most riding jeans. Other manufacturers seem to make it their goal to let everyone know you are not wearing normal jeans. The kevlar panels are actually fairly unobtrusive. The panels are the same color as the denim material. And the stitching for the panels isn't exaggerated like other jeans.


Price: Revzilla has them for MSRP ($99.95). Other websites maybe be cheaper but I didn't bother to hunt down a cheaper price. I buy gear from Revzilla only.

Overall impression: Obviously I just got them so I haven't seen how long they last. Nor how well they'll hold up when my girlfriend gets a hold of them on laundry day But right now, I see myself investing $99.95 every other paycheck until I have 5 pairs. The only con I can think of is they lack pockets for removeable impact protection. But not concerned about that since I'm eyeing Forcefield Pro armor for underarmor impact protection (woulda grabbed the knee limb tubes but 'zilla was sold out).

So my current score for the Shift Torque Jeans: 94

 

I like the idea of riding jeans, but I still can't really put my faith in them to protect my *** if I do happen to take a digger, and slide. Certainly they are better then the d-bags wearing shorts, and a tank top for sure. Do you plan on wearing knee/shin armor under them ? I wear leathers everyday, and thats my personal choice, but I will be the first to admit, it does become a pain in the a$$ changing in, and out of them when I get to work, and leave.

 

I find it amusing how you wearing leathers while you ride is your "Personal Choice" but people who wear shorts while riding are "D-Bags"... Interesting.

Those jeans look nice. Something I'd definitely see myself being able to slip into and not worry about looking out of place if I go out anywhere in public for a length of time. Bit much, maybe I'll end up getting a pair or two, but can't put a price on safety I suppose. Nice write up!

 

Yeah I originally went in the store to see if they had these back in stock


T-Pro Body Armor Forcefield Limb Tubes

They're a bit pricey running around $70. But I played futbol for 8 years and know pretty well the problems with strap on shin / knee guards. They never seemed to stay where I wanted them, often sliding down into uncomfortable positions. The discomfort eventually made be just give em up and risk it.

Leathers, you gain protection over riding jeans. And sacrifice social options, imo. So to balance the decreased protection with the jeans, I don't ride as aggressive as I would in leathers. These jeans are for commuting, cruising and short ( < 2 hrs) trips).

 

KURO! You are exactly my size. lol Thanks for the review. Ive been looking at them for some time but never can find good reviews for size but your pictures and sizes helped alot. Thanks.

 

Thanks for the writeup Kuroshio. Good info.

Another good choice are the Carharrt - double front jeans. They're not "riding jeans" but they are tough...a helluva lot tougher than the junk they call jeans these days. They're worth the $45 price as well. http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/s...tegoryId=10935

 

My job issued Carhartts last year for our work uniforms. I actually lowsided at about 15-20 mph in them and they didn't burn through. Got a couple very small friction burns but came out good.

This year I want to take longer trips. 1 1/2 - 3 hr highway so I decided to upgrade. So I decided to get riding jeans. Next year are leather pants that'll attach to my jacket for entry track. But given the price of these jeans (a little more than designer jeans), why not pick up a couple pairs for riding?