sizing: cycling shorts
 

Just a quick question.. Do Pearl shorts run true to size. I know some brands sizing seems to be off, usually on the small side. I need a true XXL. Thanks for the help.

They are usually smaller then other brands as far as I can tell which is why they fit me as I am not a big dude.
size charts here:
http://www.swimoutlet.com/size-charts/Pearl-Izumi

Their "form fit" runs big compared to the European brands. So you usually want to drop down at least one size if you're coming from Euro sizing. If you post your height, weight and waist size maybe someone can make a suggestion on size. Their size chart for shorts is fairly accurate in my experience. I have a 34.5" waist and have used both M and L size PI shorts and bibs.

I tried some Pearl wind vests, and they were full cut, American sized.
Don't know if that works for their shorts.
Can't tell you how much money I've spent "trying-on" clothes & shoes purchased online.
As always, try before you buy.

S

I received two Pearl shorts for Christmas, sized XL. I am pretty much an XL in all things bottom, like workout shorts. The Pearls are pretty snug and I would not want them any more snug than they are. You may be able to go with a pair sized XXL. Are you at the large end of XXL?

I wear a large in pretty much everything, including PI.

IME Pearls are larger than some other brands but the Pro model is tighter than the lower Elite. The nicer Performance brand shorts are also reasonably sized.

Thanks for all the information.. The sizing from brand to brand and even within brands seems to vary quite abit. I usually wear 2X in some older Castelli shorts and recently got a pair of their Presto Due shorts in 2X. They are on the small side. The waist is fine but the legs are very tight and a bit shorter then I like. The P.I. Elite line looks good. I guess it's a case of trial and error until I find the right fit. Cycling clothing can be a challenge.

I wear medium tops/bottoms in most brands across the board - including Pearlizumi. Their stuff especially, seems to fit me consistently well. Sometimes though, you need to shop different brands if one companies stuff doesn't fit.

FWIW: I've found that sizes and fit often varies between different models within a brand and over time. Sometimes they differentiate with terms like race vs club fit etc.. but even within these categorizations there can be variation within a brand.

FYI Amazon has some really good deals now on the PI Elite and Pro bib shorts right now. Returns are really easy with Amazon if they don't fit.

Sweet, thanks for the tip!:thumb: 70 bucks not bad for the pro bib!

I went with the black Pro bibs for $90. Still a pretty sweet deal at near 50% off list. I've been waiting patiently for months for this sale. I scored some PI Attack shorts last January for $32/ea. Only thing that sucks is that we now have to pay sales tax in CA on Amazon purchases :(

Returns are pretty painless with Amazon. You just print off a return label, return shipping is free, and you get a credit fairly quickly after it's delivered to their returns department.

Yeah, I have Prime, love Amazon. Hell if I could buy milk from them I would...

Anyway, how did you find out about this, or do you just check every day? Or do you leave stuff in your cart and wait for a notice that the price changed? I'm thinking of just going the cheap route and getting the blue/yellow ones. Cheapest by far, I could probably put together a decently matched kit with it haha.

Amazon ran a big sale in early January 2013 on PI shorts/bibs last year. I scored those PI attack shorts for $32 (list $80) so I've been patiently waiting all year figuring they'd run the same sale this year. I've been checking prices every day or two since the new year. Don't wait very long to pull the trigger, last year the sale disappeared within a few days (or I would've bought two more pair of shorts.) Even as recently as last week the Pro shorts were still $175 in my size (M.) January is generally a good time to stock up on summer cycling clothing if you can be patient.

Edit just went for a ride with my new Pearl Izumi Elite bib shorts (still waiting on the Pros to arrive.) The chamois is SO MUCH more comfortable than my PI attack shorts. My saddle felt a lot better at the end of the ride as well.

if you go to the Performance or Nashbar website and navigate to the cycling shorts section you will find a button for sizing charts when looking at any pair of shorts. It gives the waist size range for the various sizes (s,m,l,xl,xxl) of all the manufacturers. You can tell from these charts which manufacturers sizes run small or large. I have found this helpful and I find I can wear a L in one brand and XL from others.

Good Luck.

I've been using the PI Elite shorts for a few years now. I wear XXL and these are the best fitting shorts I've tried, many others are too tight in the crotchel region.
The pad isn't the best, but not feeling like my junk is in a vise is worth the tradeoff.
fwiw I have a 40 in waist.

Thanks again for all of the input. I think I'll give the P.I Elite line a try. Can always return if they don't workout for me.

I had to size up when I got some PI bibs. I'm a medium with all their other clothing but the bibs I have are a large. If I remember correctly it was mostly due to my height (5'11") and the shoulder straps, but the medium shorts were quite snug as well. Oh and their Elite line is my personal favorite.

This highly depends on what PI line you are looking at. Their PRO and Elite lines are cut very slim, the rest of the stuff is American cut.
I found their website sizing guide to be accurate.

This seems to be true even though Pearl Izumi says they are all the same "form fit." I rode the Elite bibs (medium) yesterday but they were so tight in my (not huge) legs I felt like I was pedaling against a resistance band. I will be exchanging them for large Elite bibs. My PI Attack shorts in large feel kind of loose which is why I went with medium bibs.

The medium Pro shorts I received tore the leg gripper the first time I tried them on. Seems like a weak link. So I'll be exchanging those for Elite bibs which double over a piece of fabric at the leg gripper so there's no exposed edge. The chamois in both seems to be very similar and are VERY comfortable.