Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

review

Swrve 4-way stretch indigo Cordura slim fit jeans

9
£90.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Comfortable and hard wearing, plus the subtle cycling tweaks actually make them better off the bike too
Very comfortable
Work extremely well off the bike
Better than standard jeans on the bike
Reflectives show if you turn up the ends
Lots of size options
Expensive against 'ordinary' jeans
Sizing is quite critical
Weight: 
718g
Contact: 
road.cc Recommends

This product has been selected to feature in road.cc recommends. That means it's not just scored well, but we think it stands out as special. Go to road.cc recommends

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

The Swrve 4-way stretch indigo Cordura slim fit jeans are extremely comfortable, and if you're doing short bike commutes or rides into town they're much better than 'normal' jeans – and few people will realise these aren't normal. The cut, stretch and durability are all impressive.

For more casual-looking options to wear on the bike, check out our guide to the best cycling clothes for commuting.

> Buy now: Swrve 4-way stretch indigo Cordura slim fit jeans for £90 from Swrve

These cycling jeans do something I wish normal ones would: they fit when you lean over or crouch down. Maybe I've just been unlucky, but I've got seriously bored trying to find jeans that aren't cut higher at the front than the back for, I assume, fashion reasons; reasons that will forever remain beyond my understanding. The Swrves are higher at the back – not so high it shows, but high enough to count – and just this feature alone makes them nicer to wear whether you're cycling or not. It's like they've been shaped for bodies that bend forwards in the middle. Imagine that!

2023 Swrve 4-way stretch indigo CORDURA slim fit jeans - back detail.jpg

Radical as this is, Swrve doesn't stop there. The four-way stretch to the Cordura denim allows easy movement, and the extra panel in the crotch – a diamond that runs underneath and tapers down each inner thigh – means there's no central seam to cause issues with saddles.

You get a good number of well-placed belt loops for very secure support, and they're wide enough to easily take chunky belts (another thing many 'regular' jeans get wrong).

Swooping dramatically to the other end of what I might stiffly call 'the garment' brings us to the leg ends, or hems. They're designed to be rolled up, as that reveals the reflective taping on the seam, but if you don't like the 1970s turn-up look, no matter, there's still a benefit: they're nice and slim around the ankle, and fairly easily kept away from chains.

2023 Swrve 4-way stretch indigo CORDURA slim fit jeans - back.jpg

In the 34/34 size we were sent I found the legs long enough to avoid showing half a mile of sock as I pedalled, but they weren't so long that they piled up excessively on my shoes while walking. The sizing seems comparable to any other jeans – I vary between 34 and 32, depending on who's made them.

Though the waist fitted me without rucking up when cinched, I did find these just slightly voluminous from the pockets to the knees. However, Swrve's sizes include every inch, so really I should be in a 33, if not a 32, and I'm pretty confident that would slim the top half out. Better still, each size is available with three different leg lengths, so you really should be able to find a very good fit.

2023 Swrve 4-way stretch indigo CORDURA slim fit jeans - side.jpg

Swrve recommends you wash these first to reduce the chances of staining your legs blue in the rain, though I had no issues with a little light drizzle. Cordura denim dries quicker than regular denim, too, and feels notably tougher – thick but without the weight you'd expect. It breathes better than you might think as well – these stayed comfortable on some quite humid, 16-20°C days. You won't want to be sprinting anywhere in them, though.

2023 Swrve 4-way stretch indigo CORDURA slim fit jeans - logo tab.jpg

This fabric apparently includes military-grade INVISTA T420 nylon 6.6 staple fibre, and Swrve has quite an entertaining story about how many rubs denim can withstand in testing (the Martindale Abrasion BS EN ISO 12947-2:1999, doncha know). It seems this fabric took so many rubs they eventually had to switch off the rubbing machine at 250,000 rubs, defeated and, I like to think, with a trembling lower lip. Presumably quarter of a million rubs is a military-grade rubbing.

I'm just happy that humanity has invented a rubbing machine that counts rubs.

Value

A price of £90 puts these in the same bracket as desirable brands such as Levi's; jeans from less recognisable brands are usually less than half that. They're a good price amongst cycling jeans, though.

The Vulpine Men's Omnia Cycling Jeans are £100, for instance, while the Osloh Lane Bike Jeans are £126, and once you add US postage and the Brexit VAT dividend you can probably double it... (and there's the rub, once again).

Overall

These are very nice jeans even if you're not riding – they're very comfortable and don't need hitching back up every five minutes if you're doing something active. The fabric feels very durable, the cycling-specific features are useful but very stealthy, and they look good. If you don't mind paying fancy-brand money without getting a (recognisable) fancy name, they're really an excellent option.

Verdict

Comfortable and hard wearing, plus the subtle cycling tweaks actually make them better off the bike too

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Swrve 4-way stretch indigo Cordura slim fit jeans

Size tested: 34 x 34

Tell us what the product is for

Swrve says: "Engineered for unrestricted movement and comfort, the addition of 4-way stretch fundamentally enhances both comfort and performance without sacrificing durability."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Swrve lists:

seamless diamond gusset

no-stretch interior waistband for all-day comfort

low waist in front to prevent your belt from digging into your gut

higher waist in back to stay respectable and to keep you warm

reflective detail on interior cuff

two pen pockets

coin pocket

premium YKK metal zipper

rivets for maximum durability

regular fit for everyday use

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

The shaping and easy stretch make these very comfortable.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

No issues.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Really well – they look like normal jeans, are very comfortable in normal use, and cope well with short commute-type rides.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The subtly higher back and lower front, the stealthy looks and their general comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I found these just a touch baggy from waist to mid thigh for 'slim fit' jeans (the lower legs are slimmer), though I could probably tune that out by sizing down.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

A price of £90 a pair puts these in the same bracket as desirable brands such as Levi's; jeans from less recognisable brands are usually less than half that. They're a good price amongst cycling jeans, though. The Vulpine Men's Omnia Cycling Jeans are £100, for instance, while the Osloh Lane Bike Jeans are £126 (plus postage from the US).

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

As regular jeans these are great – very comfortable and, as far as I can tell, stylish – and the subtle tweaks for cycling only add to the comfort. They're as hardwearing and effective on a bicycle as any jeans could be; they're ideal for regular short trips. Overall, they're excellent.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 48  Height: 183cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Vitus Zenium SL VR Disc  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: general fitness riding, mtb,

Add new comment

1 comments

Avatar
Secret_squirrel | 2 months ago
0 likes

Alpkit Jeanius are also worth a look, shallow pockets would be my only complaint. £80.

https://alpkit.com/products/jeanius-technical-performance-jeans-mens

Latest Comments