****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Overall, a solid cold/dry weather cycling jacket. As fall is transitioning to winter, I picked up this jacket to help extend the riding season for as long as possible. It's a solid jacket. A few thoughts:- It's a very tight/form fitting jacket. I wear a medium normally and while the medium here fits (and fits over a long-sleeve base layer and regular jersey on top of that), it's form fitting and can bunch up a when moving around). I don't regret choosing medium.- It has a convenient, wallet sized front breast pocket as seen in the photos.- It has a zip rear pocket with 3 dividers inside; comparable space to a cycling jersey, plenty of space.- The wrist gaiters are a nice touch, though they are fairly loose and can bunch up under tight cycling gloves.- The jacket is made of a nice softshell exterior with a thin fleece lining - it strikes a good balance between being chilly to wear when it's cold and you're not moving, to insulating enough so that you're not sweating buckets once you're cycling hard. But yes, in 30-40 degree weather, it can feel cold starting or if you've stopped for a bit. The softshell does a good job of cutting the wind down.- The front of the jacket is waist-high but the rear comes down to cover more of your backside, which is good for a low race position.- Safety Orange is bright and visible.- The softshell exterior is water resistant, but is not designed for any substantial rain, this is because the black areas of the jacket (including a sizable portion of the back) are not softshell, but a vented fabric that allows heat to escape from sides and back. The "vents" do help regular temperature and keep internal moisture down.I ride to work a lot in Albuquerque NM. It is only 6.5 miles but straight uphill on the way home. I bought this as my middle weight jacket which I wear when it is about 30-50 degrees on the way to work - all downhill. I wear a backpack a lot so I wanted the back to breathe as this does. It blocks the wind pretty well on the colder mornings. It fits pretty snugly but there is room for a base layer. I am 6'2" tall, weigh 184, and am slender with broad shoulders.I also struggled with the white since i have a white bike but as I ride home in the semi-gloom in the winter I though this would be the safest color. It has not gotten dirty easily. The front pocket holds my large (HTC DNA) phone well enough. I wish it had a front side pocket for storing my keys as the back pocket is hard to reach and manipulate but it works. Feels like a quality product.Sometimes people ask - I bought a large.Ok, now it is 2014. In March I crashed my bike badly - really. Bike was almost untouched but me and the clothing I was wearing was torn up a lot - yes the white jacket was destroyed - mostly by paramedics cutting it off of me :). Great jacket so I bought a red one because it was cheaper. I am now starting to wear it as it is getting cold some mornings. Still a great jacket!I don't know why, but I looked thinner in the GORE jacket that I was considering. Anyone who knows a self-serious bicyclist knows that the most wilting insult is to tell them that they look fat in their kit. On to more serious considerations that are no fault of PI. I usually wear a large in most jackets, but ordered an XL in the PI and GORE. Both fit comfortably. I like the longer tail on the PI. The PI is not as thick as the GORE, but it doesn't seem to matter in terms of windstopping power or warmth. I like the thumb/hand cover insert in the sleeves. I also like the pocket in the front of the jacket. Overall, even though I look a little more 'husky' in the PI, I like the styling better. I didn't like looking like a construction worker in the florescent green GORE. Besides there are too many cyclists wearing them. And I really dislike the big stupid GORE logo on the chest. I can't shake the unintended political reference. PI has never failed me. Great bib shorts too. Tough as nails.I rode the Pro Softshell 180 in low 50's weather in 5-10 mph winds on a night ride - with just wearing a single long sleeve base layer (non-thermal) I was toasty warm! In fact about 10 minutes into the ride I found myself unzipping about halfway. The jacket is extremely breathable with several distinguishing features. First the extended thumb/wrist gaiters provided a perfect layer ensuring warmth between my gloves & jacket! The arm sleeves provided excellent wind protection arm warmth-I'll explain. Normally when I ride in cooler temps I would wear arm warmers as added protection from the wind & cooler weather - not needed on this ride as my arms were warm & very comfortable! Front zip pocket is a great place to store ID's, cash, gels or lip balms - has a drawstring for ease of access. The jacket has several reflective points - front zip, sleeves & back for nighttime visibility! The rear reflective zip pouch kept things nice & warm with a soft fleece liner, separate divider & hidden pocket great for keys. Overall, I purchased this jacket for riding in 30 degree weather - with thermal layering, this non-bulky form fitting breathable jacket won't disappoint. A great buy to add to your cold weather gear riding comfort! Pearl Izumi does not disappoint!PurposeI bought this for road cycling throughout the winter, typically 20 to 60 miles, day or night ideally without rain.SizingI am 6'2", 43" chest and measure 61cm from the centre of my armpit to the crease between the end of my arm and my hand.I bought an XL which seems the better compromise between this and Large for me, any smaller and go for large, room for a bit bigger.The arms come up long so that at full reach on the drops they are perfect but seem a little long ordinarily. For me its a close rather than tight fit with room for a thin base layer and top if needs be. It's quite an elastic garment so will accommodate a range of girths! The shoulders are broad on this item.DetailsI like the thum hole arrangement at the end of the arm though its not that necessaryThe Zip is on the wrong side for us in BritainIt makes use of softshell which beads water and windstops in all the right places. The red panels are thin at the back and under the arms to allow ventilation - also inside the wrists but the arm extensions start inside of this to compensate. The Zip has a guard at the top with a popper to hold it in place. The front pocket has ample room for a phone or similar and the back extends down amply even when tucked on the drops.This is definitely built to fit best when being used.I tend to overheat but can see how when it gets colder, this and a good base layer will do for me down to zero once I've frozen my bits off for the first couple of miles warm up.Not so cleverThe back has an interesting arrangement of pockets. There is a zip across the whole opening and a large full width insulated pocket inside. Body side of this large pocket there are three further fabric compartments of the type you get on jerseys, with further insulation between these and your body. All added up, if the base of your back gets hot then think again. Not a huge issue but stops this being perfect. Access to the 3 jersey style pockets is not wonderful (the middle one is slightly larger and easier to get to) but having to unzip and wrestle with it on the move requires practice, skill and patience. The main pocket at the back is easy and you don't have to zip it up anyway.SummaryI paid £86 for this and really feel it was good value. It looks great and is very well made with very good quality materials. It does its job well and I don't find myself cruising the net anymore for a solution nor did I get any buyers remorse! DelightedThe jacket I originally ordered was out of stock, so the supplier sent me the updated 2015 version at the same price. Good start. A really warm jacket for colder days, with just a base layer underneath. Wicks sweat away well, very comfortable and stylish. I'm a fairly generic medium and size and this fits perfectly. Finally, I would wear a light waterproof over it on really wet days.This jacket has a great fit and is also very warm with excellent wind stopping qualities. It has a real feel of quality and looks great. Its a real pity they chose to put this zip pocket at the back as it struggles to carry your waterproof, food, wallet and phone. You can get the stuff in there, but its a bit of a struggle and it all sticks out a bit. If you don't carry too much kit though its a real classy, functional and stylish jacket.Great product, highly recommened, but dont buy M size if you are tall 180+ cm, like me.. it was small for my chest and paunch..The short sleeve jersey I have is also little small, but transfer baselayer is perfect for me in size M.... I have 98cm chest.Stunning quality and fit, very happy with my purchase. My only gripe is Royal Mail only knocking the door once to make the delivery, I didn't hear them. Had to go to my local depot the following day to collect!
