Before we get into the technical aspects of the Viking Cycle Asger men’s riding jacket, you may be puzzled about the unusual name. I certainly was. With the help of Ramiro Hernandez at Motorcycle House, who provided the Asger for this review, I learned that Asger is the modern form of an ancient Norse masculine name. So, in selecting the name, Viking Cycle is staying true to its Scandinavian aesthetic for this men’s riding jacket.

The Fit

On styling alone, the Asger is an attractive product. The jacket is made with a somewhat aggressive fit, so it is designed to keep close to your body to catch minimal wind and look like it was custom fitted. For that reason, you may want to consider wearing one size up when you order the Asger. I followed that advice from Mr. Hernandez on a previous Viking Cycle jacket and it was spot-on. The jacket fit perfectly one size larger than my usual; just loose enough to add a base layer with the lining in, if it is necessary. With the addition of the lining, the Asger is a particularly well-suited jacket for cool to cold weather riding.

Review: Viking Cycle Asger Jacket — Ancient Name, High-tech Jacket

Asger front view: The Viking Cycle Asger jacket offers a tailored fit, sharp design and a variety of rider protection features from internal and external armor to reflective panels and foul weather capability.

Functionality

Beyond styling, the functional features of the Asger run up quite a list. Safety-related features include retroreflective cloth panels in the front and back aspects for high-visibility in low light and darkness, internal CE-approved impact protectors at shoulders, elbows and back, external hard polycarbonate armor at the shoulders, and additional firm padding at chest and back.

The Asger is designed to handle both warm and cold weather. For warm weather riding, it is equipped with four front-facing vents with YKK zipper closures; two on the biceps of the sleeves and two on the chest. Twin zipper-closure torso vents on the back help the air flow through.

When things get cool and closing the vents alone is not enough to be comfy, a polyester-filled quilted lining (fully lined down the sleeves) can be zipped in. Hook-and-loop closure waist, collar and cuff adjusters can be tightened up to hold out the cold air.  All external pockets can be zipped shut to further reduce infiltration into the jacket.  When things get wet, the exterior shell is breathable polyurethane coated Tri-tex textile material with taped seams to help keep the water out. A heavy duty 8” zipper is placed at the bottom of the back for zipping the jacket together with riding pants.

Review: Viking Cycle Asger Jacket — Ancient Name, High-tech Jacket

Asger back view: The Asger includes both a CE approved back protector and additional over-padding as well as twin air exhaust vents on the back.  Reflective panels at the edge of the dark material add low-light safety.

Pockets! Pockets! Pockets!

For those items you’d rather keep closer to you than in your saddlebags, there are pockets— lots of pockets. Four roomy external zippered pockets at the sides and chest offer quick access to gloves, glasses and so on, but inside the jacket, some creativity is shown on both the number and design of the pockets that comprise the jacket’s storage system.

On the right front side, there is a large vertical zipper-closure stow pocket and adjacent to that a padded pocket large enough to hold a 10” tablet.  Above those are two non-closable narrow pockets located so that they are accessible even with the quilted liner in place.  Those are suggested for use as storage for sunglasses, cell phone, pocket knife, pen and earphones.  A small concealed pocket with hook and loop closure can function as a money belt.

On the left front side, the pocket layout is mirrored from the right side, with the exception of no padded tablet pocket, but the left side of the zip-out lining has a large vertical zippered pocket in that position. In addition to all these pockets, the Asger is set up for earphone wiring installation, including headphone wire retainers.  The pockets are carefully positioned to avoid over-lying other pockets, which causes that bloated look when cargo is placed in them.

Review: Viking Cycle Asger Jacket — Ancient Name, High-tech Jacket

Asger sleeve view:  Sleeves include zipper-closable vents at the bicep and large hook and loop adjustable cuff closures.  At the shoulder, internal CE impact protectors are reinforced by external polycarbonate hard armor.  CE impact protectors are at the elbows, as well.

Construction quality appears precise, but most external shell seams appear to be single-stitched with the exception of the seams at the back of the shoulders.

Temp Help

Riding in weather that had suddenly turned unseasonably cool on the heels of a week-long heat wave, the Asger proved comfortable with the lining zipped in.  In temperatures that may dip into the low to mid-forties, a light long-sleeved base layer may be a good thing to consider, but above that, the Asger would probably work well for most riders with just a t-shirt inside.  All that can be adjusted to your individual taste and temperature tolerances.

As temperatures rose to more normal summer levels, zipping out the lining and opening all the front and back vents allowed air to flow in.  In the high humidity of the Midwest in summer, I found it helpful to open the front main zipper for even more air in-flow to minimize perspiration.  The jacket is waterproof, after all and the shell material is designed to be breathable, but it is also a very effective wind blocker.

Asger back view:  Those closer view shows the back exhaust vents open and the padding over the back protector.

The fit of the jacket allows full range of motion with no binding around the shoulders or arms.  External zippers come with large zipper tab extenders to make it easy to use the zippers without having to take off your gloves.

Despite the number of features and variety of materials used in the construction of the Asger, the jacket doesn’t weigh you down like some that are similarly equipped, weighing in at about 5.0 lb. with the lining in place.

Given the number of functional and aesthetic features the Asger includes, dollar-for-dollar, it is an excellent value for most riding situations.

RideApart Riding Jacket Fast Facts:

Jacket: Viking Cycle Asger Men’s Riding Jacket

Shell: Tri-tex (Cordura) breathable polyurethane coated waterproof, assembled with taped seams

Country of origin: Pakistan

Lining material: Zip-out quilted polyester insulated.

Available sizing: S-4XL

Closures: YKK heavy-duty nylon main zipper with internal storm flap; air intake vents, exterior and some interior pockets YKK zippers

Special features:             

Prepared for earphone wiring installation, includes headphone wire retainers

Nine interior pockets including one large pocket in the zip-out lining and ten inch padded tablet pocket and a small concealed pocket that can function like a money belt with a hook-and-loop closure.

Extendable key holder in the right front exterior pocket.

Four front-facing zip-closure vents, two on bicep, two on chest and twin torso outlet vents on the back

Chest and back padding

Internal CE approved impact protectors at shoulders, elbows and back, external polycarbonate hard armor at shoulders.

Hook-and-loop cuff and waist size adjusters

Padded mandarin collar with hook-and-loop closure

Reflective materials front and back.

Warranty: One year manufacturer warranty and 30 return policy to vendor (wrong size, etc.)

MSRP: $79.99

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