Pearl Izumi, a company well known for making excellent gear for cyclists, runners, and triathletes, has announced a new line of products aimed specifically at the mountain biking crowd. The gear makes its debut in time for the 2015 spring/summer riding season, and brings an innovative new approach to how it was designed that promises to improve comfort all around.
With their new line of mountain biking apparel, the designers at Pearl Izumi made a conscious decision to focus on improving the level of comfort for female riders first and foremost. In the past, the women’s clothing was often created as an offshoot of the men’s line, which meant it wasn’t always as comfortable as it could have been. But this time out they wanted to start by designing the ladies apparel first. What they learned by making specific design decisions on the women’s line actually ended up having a positive impact on the men’s gear as well, improving the fit and comfort for the guys too.
If you’re in the market for some new mountain biking apparel for your upcoming rides, here’s a quick look at some of the new gear coming our way from Pearl Izumi.
Women’s Summer Short
Lightweight and durable, the Summer Short features stretch fabrics with a water-resistant DWR treatment. Designed to be worn with your favorite liner, these shorts are semi-form fitting, and include two hand pockets. ($70)
Women’s Journey Tank
Made from highly breathable moisture-managing fabrics, the Journey Tank offers plenty of comfort for long day on the trail. It features a built-in lightly lined shelf bra for added support, a hidden optical cloth, and a zippered hip pocket for easy storage of small items. ($60)
Elevate Shorts
The new Elevate Shorts were specifically designed with a longer inseam to facilitate pedaling over knee pads. Made from 4-way stretch ripstop fabrics that won’t inhibit motion in any way, these shorts are water resistant, and include two zippered hand pockets, as well as a third security pocket on the center back. ($100)
Big Air Jersey
Pearl Izumi’s all-mountain jersey is the Big Air, which includes long sleeves and is made from highly breathable mesh fabrics. Built with moisture management in mind, this shirt features a V-neck collar and a sunglass wipe incorporated directly into the design. ($55)
X-Project
Perhaps the most exciting new addition to the Pearl Izumi line-up is the new X-Project mountain biking shoe. This footwear has been built with a flexible sole that makes it easy to walk in them, but also includes a fully rigid carbon bottom that has been highly tuned to provide plenty of performance while riding. The shoes also include a bi-directional BOA Closure that allows the wearer to dial in exactly the right fit. ($320)
Checkout the entire line of Pearl Izumi performance gear at PearlIzumi.com.
