Aero Cafe Racer Without Bi-Swing Back (Shoulder Gussets) -- Good Idea?

[Bulldozer]

I'm thinking of getting the Cafe Racer, but without the bi-swing back (shoulder gussets) and no additional yoke. Is that a good idea? Has anyone done it? Will Aero add extra leather to compensate / allow better movement, and will that leather bunch up behind the shoulder?

If no one has done it, I see that the Board Racer does not have a shoulder gusset. How do they make that work without adding extra leather in that area? Or do they actually do, and do all board racers have leather bunching in the back behind the shoulders?

 

[dan_t]

Have you had a chat to the team at Aero?
Honestly, this is the best place to start - they know their patterns better than anyone ;-)
Or alternately, contact @Carrie @ Thurston Bros. and have a chat. Carrie is on your side of the world & can get a fit jacket to you in no time at all.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Good advice dan_t.

 

[Mandarin]

If you like a clean look, you might be better off with no gussets. It does not affect mobility, as the J 100 pattern demonstrated.

 

[Bulldozer]

Have you had a chat to the team at Aero?
Honestly, this is the best place to start - they know their patterns better than anyone ;-)
Or alternately, contact @Carrie @ Thurston Bros. and have a chat. Carrie is on your side of the world & can get a fit jacket to you in no time at all.

Yes I have. And I want to hear from real-world experiences, hence I posted here.

 

[Jejupe]

Of course Aero's team are the experts, but I'll give my 0,02€:

Tight fitting jacket without any gussets or action back usually restricts arm movement up and especially forward. One way to work around this is very high arm holes like I believe Aero's board racer has. In general I would say that removing gussets / action back from a pattern that has been designed with those is not advisable. Adding leather on the back to compensate the lack of gussets will probably not work well and I would be very surprised if Aero would be ready to give it a go.

 

[Carlos840]

If you like a clean look, you might be better off with no gussets. It does not affect mobility, as the J 100 pattern demonstrated.

That's flawed logic... You can't compare two different patterns like that.
The reason the J-100 has good mobility is because it was designed without gussets and with good mobility from the start. That doesn't guarantee in anyway that a pattern that was designed with gussets will allow the same mobility once the gussets are removed!
On top of that not all gussets are made equal, some have great function and would definitely affect range of movement if removed, some are mostly cosmetic and wouldn't be missed at all if removed.

 

[dan_t]

I’ve owned three Aero Sheene jackets. These are the cafe racer, plus a collar, so exactly what you’re looking at. one has gussets & the two others did not.
In my experience, there’s no discernible difference if overall fit. if anything, the gussets add thickness where the leather doubles up.
my opinion is that there’s not enough real world added movement to specify these if that’s your aim. Pretty much a visual design preference.

 

[Bulldozer]

I’ve owned three Aero Sheene jackets. These are the cafe racer, plus a collar, so exactly what you’re looking at. one has gussets & the two others did not.
In my experience, there’s no discernible difference if overall fit. if anything, the gussets add thickness where the leather doubles up.
my opinion is that there’s not enough real world added movement to specify these if that’s your aim. Pretty much a visual design preference.

Thank you. On the Sheenes without gussets, did the leather bunch up a bit behind the shoulders or make the jacket fit a little less closely to the shoulders compared to the one with the gusset? Any chance you still have at least one of each for a picture of the back with you wearing them?

 

[VestCoast]

I had the same question when I was working through the details on my Sheene. I got a cafe racer fit jacket from TB and it had shoulder gussets, which I found gathered a lot of material in an unappealing way. I went without the gussets and am glad I did. Here are some pics of each, both the brown fit jacket and black sheene are size 40.

 

[zebedee]

Without gussets is fine- I don't have them on mine and prefer a cleaner look.

 

[Bulldozer]

Thank you. I have read your thread several times over! And it's what prompted me to ask Aero and post this question here. As great a fit as it is on you, I feel like it's flaring a bit behind the shoulders, and that didn't change after a full year of wearing. My Schott Storm, for instance, drapes perfectly shoulder to shoulder, and feels like a shirt, albeit a very very heavy one. So I was wondering if this "blousing" phenomena is the norm or the exception.

I had the same question when I was working through the details on my Sheene. I got a cafe racer fit jacket from TB and it had shoulder gussets, which I found gathered a lot of material in an unappealing way. I went without the gussets and am glad I did. Here are some pics of each, both the brown fit jacket and black sheene are size 40.

 

[zebedee]

I have that to an extent with my non-gusset CR; it doesn't bother me, but then again, I don't like tight leather and wouldn't ever size down. Lots of folks don't feel that way.

 

[robrinay]

Asking any maker to change a design may be a mistake. They design them to work and if you do manage to persuade them to apply your changes you may end up with a franken- jacket that you hate with no recourse to return it because most firms sensibly insist that if you ask for modifications there’s a no return policy. It’s a big risk to take on a very expensive purchase so don’t take the decision lightly.

 

[VestCoast]

Thank you. I have read your thread several times over! And it's what prompted me to ask Aero and post this question here. As great a fit as it is on you, I feel like it's flaring a bit behind the shoulders, and that didn't change after a full year of wearing. My Schott Storm, for instance, drapes perfectly shoulder to shoulder, and feels like a shirt, albeit a very very heavy one. So I was wondering if this "blousing" phenomena is the norm or the exception.

It really comes down to a balancing act between mobility and closeness. This Sheene hits me square on each shoulder, its a very close fit--can't comfortably fit anything other than a long sleeved t-shirt under it. It definitely flares at the shoulder, partially because it's stretched a bit but mostly because it's built that way so you can move your arms. Gussets and the bi-swing/action back improve mobility but do so by adding a fair amount of extra material. I found that it made the silhouette look worse in this pattern, but thats pretty subjective. CXL jackets don't really drape like anything else, they break in incredibly well but will never feel or fall like a milled leather jacket. Do you have hide in mind for your jacket?

 

[dan_t]

The cafe racer pattern is quite unforgiving. why not consider the boar racer based ‘Seven’?
Carrie at Thurston will be able to talk you through the differences & whether this will meet your needs.

 

[Bulldozer]

It really comes down to a balancing act between mobility and closeness. This Sheene hits me square on each shoulder, its a very close fit--can't comfortably fit anything other than a long sleeved t-shirt under it. It definitely flares at the shoulder, partially because it's stretched a bit but mostly because it's built that way so you can move your arms. Gussets and the bi-swing/action back improve mobility but do so by adding a fair amount of extra material. I found that it made the silhouette look worse in this pattern, but thats pretty subjective. CXL jackets don't really drape like anything else, they break in incredibly well but will never feel or fall like a milled leather jacket. Do you have hide in mind for your jacket?

Thank you again. Yes, I agree that the silhouette looked worse with the gusset in your picture, but for some reason it does not seem to be the case in many online pictures. I have no idea what to make of it. I'd also think that theoretically, the gusset should allow that extra material to neatly tuck behind the fold, therefore reducing the amount that flares? I am indeed thinking of getting the FQHH.

 

[Bulldozer]

The cafe racer pattern is quite unforgiving. why not consider the boar racer based ‘Seven’?
Carrie at Thurston will be able to talk you through the differences & whether this will meet your needs.

I want the stand-up / mandarin collar of the Cafe Racer.

 

[VestCoast]

Thank you again. Yes, I agree that the silhouette looked worse with the gusset in your picture, but for some reason it does not seem to be the case in many online pictures. I have no idea what to make of it. I'd also think that theoretically, the gusset should allow that extra material to neatly tuck behind the fold, therefore reducing the amount that flares? I am indeed thinking of getting the FQHH.

I think that the tight fit on the cafe racer fit jacket I tried actually worked against the gussets. The waist on the fit jacket was pretty close, particularly when zipped, and caused the lower back to bind a little bit, and I think that interfered with how the gussets are supposed to fall. I nabbed one of ton's bootleggers off the classifieds a while back that was customized with gussets and they worked far better and didn't flare at all. I think its likely due to the sizing of the bootlegger being a more relaxed 40.

 

[Bulldozer]

I think that the tight fit on the cafe racer fit jacket I tried actually worked against the gussets. The waist on the fit jacket was pretty close, particularly when zipped, and caused the lower back to bind a little bit, and I think that interfered with how the gussets are supposed to fall. I nabbed one of ton's bootleggers off the classifieds a while back that was customized with gussets and they worked far better and didn't flare at all. I think its likely due to the sizing of the bootlegger being a more relaxed 40.

Thanks, did that fit jacket fit square on your shoulders too or was it looser there?