Are Pearl Izumi products made for Asian/Japanese people?
 

Their mtb shoes are like 1 size smaller than what I normally wear, same with their arm, leg, and shoe covers, everything feels a bit smaller than usual. The large size arm cover feels like a medium, possible between medium and small. While the size is weird, there is no question that most of their products offer great value for the money, and I would rate quality better than many big name American brands. Is Pearl Izumi the best Japanese bike accessories brand? Are there other Japanese brands that offer cycling accessories?

I think they are owned by Shimano. I find I need XL everything, and I am slightly shorter than the average American (but probably a bit fatter than the average cyclist).

I think their sizing is for everyone except fat Americans. the rest of the world has to size down if the product was designed by Americans.

there is really no standard closing sizes. just ask women.

I find this comment too funny to be offensive :)

havent had much luck with there products for being long enough. The bigger I select in size only makes it baggy. Sucks being taller.

I actually find their sizing to be pretty good as I am not skinny and their jerseys, shorts, and shoes match up with what I normally wear. And I am not asian if that matters.

Their web site said that size 42 equals size 9 in U.S. I ordered mtb shoes size 42 but box i got said 42= 8.5 I couldn't even begin to get my fat American feet in them

Why would it have to be "Asian/Japanese" people specifically? A good deal of cycling apparel is made for generally skinnier folks and less so for people of average body size or above.

Pearl's sizing is well known to be an American fit. A medium Pearl is probably an XL in many European brands. Yes, we Americans are fatter than the rest of the world. This is not news. Like most manufacturers, Pearl makes various levels of apparel. Some nicer than others but mostly decent to above average.

I always have to size up cycling shoes the brand doesn’t matter, I wear a 46 in every shoe but cycling shoes where I wear a 47

PI offers several different cuts.

I need an XL in their PRO line, large in the Elite line, and a medium in their mountain bike line.

The PRO line is pretty similar to a lot of the European brands. I take an XL or XXL in Castelli, for instance.

You should direct this question to those who produce and size the clothing.
It is well established that some clothing sizing is labeled 'asian', 'euro', and 'american'. Also, it is common for brands to explain that an American should size up and select XXL instead of L, for example.

Reality is that we aren't all the same. It is nice that this is recognized and specifics are listed when considering clothing you cant try on in person before ordering.

These shoes are the same size as my previous Shimano shoes and fit just as well. I’m not Asian/Japanese. Must be you.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8f5576817.jpeg

Same here. I have XL in both bibs. The Elite is a bit too large.

Pearl Izumi was founded in Colorado, so although it's owned by Shimano now, I wouldn't think of it as a Japanese accessories company.

I do :foo: whenever people complain about sizing. I use a tape measure and go by size charts, which have never been off in chest/hip/waist, only length. For me, PI stuff tends to be longer for the nominal size than other brands, but even their Pro line is baggy compared to every other brand that I have bought.

Guess you’re not familiar with the OP. SOP for his threads.

We have the same cat. FWIW, size S in Izumi and other brands.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f36a64f0d8.png

Not mine. He’s a little imp that lives in Rockwood, PA. Meet him during a September tour across the state.

Pearl Izumi wear sold in Japan is made for the local market > local sizes. The stuff you get in the US is not the same. Model names are different, designs are different, and the sizes are... larger.

It's probably the top brand, but there are others, including the brands below. But again, made for the locals, not for bigger westerners.

STEM DESIGN
KAPELMUUR
narifuri
TOKYO WHEELS
CaLORS

It's hard to beat trying clothes on in a store, as 20th century as that sounds. After you find something that fits, buy one in the store and then you can order more on-line. How much time and postage does it take to return something that was sized too small, and how does that compare with cost and time "savings" from mail-order?

It's not just shorts and shoes, either. I ordered some winter gloves my LBS didn't carry. Two out of three pairs were unusable because the fingers were too short -- do designers really thing XXL hand's fingers are no longer than M??

I like Castellie and they are also quite small. Italians must be Asians or something :)

With the fancier brands there may be an "aspirational" aspect to their sizing. Having us porkers decked out in their kit isn't going to help so they make it difficult. You aren't going to see Lampre Man in an ad even if he grew 3 day stubble and developed chiseled cheekbones.

What they need to do is make cycling shoes with actual widths, such as A to EEE so those of us with wide feet can have a comfortable shoe.