Originally Posted by Hiro11

Weird choice of a brand to choose to make this point. The Pearl Izumi sold in the US I've purchased is far from Euro-tight even at the P.R.O. level. Also, I'd say Pearl Izumi is one of the more transparent and easy to understand brands around with their fit and sizing.

Regarding cycling clothes for Americans in general, I think part of the issue is In-n-Out lard butts. The other issue is that (potential snobbishness ahead) many American cyclists don't understand how cycling stuff is supposed to fit. Cycling stuff is supposed to be pretty damned tight and many American riders don't like that. This becomes more true the newer a buyer is to cycling. As a result, more mainstream brands like Pearl Izumi are generally a little less tight fitting, especially at the lower end. The majority of mid-priced American brands like Voler also are a bit floppy. Meanwhile enthusiast American brands (Eliel and Ornot or the various American custom kit makers like Hincapie or Starlight) are much more traditional (tighter) fitting because they're selling to people who want that tighter fit..