Reviews of the Café Racer and Voyager jeans
Resurgence Café Racer jeans review by Simon Greenacre
I WAS QUICKLY impressed by the Resurgence Café Racer jeans because they ooze quality and are well specced when it comes to protection.
The quality is evident in the denim – it’s a rich, dark blue colour with a premium feel. The stitching is also neat and tidy and they've got the de rigueur reflective strip insde the bottom of the legs.
I’ve got the skinny fit versions, which possess the fit and feel of the jeans I’d buy for swanning about in every day. They’re definitely the suavest pair of riding jeans I own.
However, it’s the protective stuff on the inside that counts and thankfully these aren’t lacking. The Café Racers are lined with abrasive resistant Pekev aramid fibre front and rear. I’m not talking patches of protective material on the arse and knees; the protective material runs from the waist band to about half way down the shin, where the top of your boots are likely to be. It’s very reassuring.
They also come supplied with Knox Flexiform knee and hip armour, which easily fit into pockets on the inside. I prefer not to use the armour as I like these to look like ‘normal’ jeans but even so, these are the most protective pair of riding jeans that I own and it’s nice that the armour comes as standard.
On the bike, they’re on the money when it comes to comfort because they don’t ride up, constrict or rub anywhere.
Comfort is also helped by the mesh inside lining, which separates the Pekev material from your skin.
Although the lining gives the Café Racers a luxurious, soft feel, it’s also the reason for my two criticisms of these jeans.
The first is that I find the Café Racers easily get hot and make my legs sweaty when the sun's out and the going is slow because like me, they're quite thick and the lining is the third layer after the denim and Pekev. I expect them to to be good when it's cold though.
My second criticism is that the lining stops about halfway down the shin and isn’t stitched in to the denim, so just hangs there and without fail, every time I take these off, I catch my heel on the bottom of lining and have to pull the jeans away to get them off. It's a nightmare when I get back from a ride and my wife's feeling amourous...
Those are fairly minor niggles and don’t detract from the fact that these are the jeans I always choose when I want optimum protection, good comfort and properly stylish looks.
Tested: Resurgence Café Racer jeans
Price: £199
Contact: Resurgence Gear
Resurgence Voyager jeans review by Kane Dalton
THESE are the CE Level 2 approved Voyager jeans, which come supplied with Knox armour
Like Simon’s Café Racers, the Voyager jeans are fully lined with 100% Pekev, an abrasive resitant aramid-based material.
This lining underwent the industry abrasion test it scored 10.38 seconds. This score is three times higher than a leather jean and these attained a CE EN13595-1 level 2 rating for cut resistance and seam burst. The CE Certified PEKEVTM is free moving which prevents friction burns when the jeans twist.
These jeans are heavier in comparison to standard or less protective jeans and the inside has a comfortable mesh lining which makes the jeans feel quilted. The lining is great because it also prevents the jean from sticking to your legs when you get hot. The mesh wicks moisture away from the body.
The Voyager is comfortable and easy to move in both on and off the bike – I’d go as far as to say the most comfortable. When the bike is rolling in warmer weather they are great, stationary they are warm as you would expect from a heavily armoured jean. I don’t mind this trade off. These jeans will be my go to jean when the weather turns.
Styling is subjective and there are so many gormless biker jeans on the market but these have a 501-style cut and I chose a stone wash colour. Without the body armour, I don’t it's obvious that these are protective jeans.
The waist is a little lower on the hips and the leg is straight. There are 5 pockets and no metal studs to burn when they heat up sliding along the floor or damage your custom seats.
The double belt loop at the back keeps the jeans in place and comfortable when you are on the bike.
There are ankle retention straps designed to keep the jeans in place – to stop your legs from becoming exposed. The problem I found was they attached to the edge of the jean which does not leave enough room to tuck over a boot, but they work well if you tuck the jeans inside the boot. If you plan to use the straps, order the leg length an inch or two longer than your usual leg measurement to give more room when your leg is bent. I did not want my jeans tucked in so cut the straps off.
You don’t have to make a choice between comfort, style and safety with the Voyager as this jean has all of these in abundance.
Tested: Resurgence Voyager jeans
Price: £240
Contact: Resurgence Gear
