From my years in the industry and even longer before that, a name I’ve heard that has always been synonymous with cycling apparel was Pearl Izumi. I’m always impressed with a brand that manages to stay relevant in such a dynamic field as cycling, and for over 50 years Pearl has been giving us all kind of awesome apparel to keep us pushing our two wheels forward comfortably and in style. Recently they sent us a box of treasures to ride and review and I was pretty stoked to find some of their latest and greatest items inside.
I’m very familiar with Pearl’s synthetic base layers, and was very excited to see that they’ve branched out into the increasingly popular merino wool market and included a short sleeve and a long sleeve version to test. As many of you know wool has come a long way from grandma’s scratchy Christmas sweaters to lightweight and soft by using the wool of New Zealand sheep who graze in low hot fields and hang out high up in the cold clouds of the mountains which makes an idea fiber for multi-season wear depending on the gauge and weight of the fabric… but I digress. I’m looking forward to testing this hybrid that features wicking materials in the back and merino on the front.
Another rabbit out of the hat, uh I mean item out of the box is another new product, the Thermal Launch jersey. It’s a heavier thermal jersey that looks a bit more enduro style. It looks promising for layering with a base as we transition from the unseasonably warm weather to real winter. It also had a sticker that wanted me to notice its built in sunglasses wipe which I appreciate for my much less cool standard ol’ nerd glasses. Thanks Pearl!
Next up we have the new P.R.O. Amfib Super glove, which to me looks like a grown up version of their lobster claws that many are familiar with. Touted to be able to handle “battling wintertime chill on a fatbike in Minnesota, or tackling a frigid Colorado cyclocross race in late December” it sounds like they are geared directly to us good folks. With an extra digit available for shifting I’m interested to see if they are insulated enough, and to see if they really will show old man winter who’s boss. I also dig the brighter graphics which will be nice for signaling during the longer, darker days we’ve got ahead of us.
Last but most certainly not least, they also threw in some Elite Softshell MTB shoe covers. I’ve had some good experience with a lighter variety of these on a bike tour in years past and was glad to see they’ve kept the kevlar reinforced bottoms for the times when a hike-a-bike is necessary. I’ll definitely be using these as it cools off.
Here are the clickables to keep you stoked until the full review is up:
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