Bike Diva Reviews Pearl Izumi Women's Cycling Bibs

Above: front view of Pearl Izumi's women's drop tail cycling bib

Perks of the Trade

One of the perks of being a writer, is from time-to-time, I am contacted by companies wanting to know if I'd like to receive samples of their products to test and review for one or more of my websites. I get a lot of socks, clothing, running shoes, nutritional products, heart rate monitors, etc... sent to me. I have yet to have a cycling manufacturer contact me wanting to know if they can send me a sample bike to test - bummer.

Free Sample

Pearl Izumi contacted me a couple of weeks ago to ask if I would like to test a pair of their new women's cycling bib shorts. Is my nickname the Bike Diva? Heck yeah, I would like to test a pair of women specific cycling bibs.

My husband has been wearing various brands of men's cycling bibs for years. He swears by cycling bibs as opposed to regular bike shorts, whenever he's out riding. The problem I've always found with bib style shorts, is that you practically have to get naked when you have to go to the bathroom.

Above: back view of Pearl Izumi's women's drop tail cycling bibs

Pearl Izumi Women's Drop Tail Cycling Bib

Available in black only
Retail price: $130
Sizes: S, M, L, XL
Anatomic 3D chamois technology. According to Pearl Izumi, this chamois offers PRT (pressure relief technology): "Our system of patented multi-density and multi-tiered padding optimizes riding comfort, blood flow and athlete performance while dampening vibration."

Above: women's specific chamois pad in the Pearl Izumi drop tail cycling bibs

Pros

Nice 8 inch long inseam
Comfortable tummy - the waist band of regular cycling shorts can sometimes dig into my less than skinny waistline.
The drop tail feature allows you to go pee without having to first take off your cycling jersey, then lowering the bib shorts shoulder straps like you have to do with regular bib shorts. Simply slip the back portion of the shorts past your booty, kind of like you are getting ready to moon someone, and go pee. NICE!
Ample padding for longer club rides and events - these shorts have quite a bit of chamois padding, they would be perfect for keeping you butt happy on long metric century and century bike rides. I'll be doing El Tour de Tucson on November 20. That's a 109 mile road bike ride which takes place in Tucson, Arizona. I plan on using the drop tail cycling bibs at El Tour de Tucson.

Cons

Price - they retail for $130 per pair. While I always say you should invest in one or two pairs of high quality cycling shorts, instead of lots of pairs of cheap shorts, this is a pretty hefty price tag.
Shoulder straps - I already have the straps from my sports bra digging into my shoulders, not sure if I like having a second set of shoulder straps from the bib shorts.
Too much padding for everyday riding. I don't like doing regular workouts or sprint races in shorts with too much padding. I often go for a short run after many of my training bike rides, these shorts have a little too much padding for me to want to use them on a daily basis.

Bike Diva's Conclusion

Here is my final verdict on the Pearl Izumi women's cycling bibs. I recommend these shorts, if your budget can afford it, and you are looking for a high quality pair of women's specific bib shorts to use on your longer club rides, and/or charity bike rides. Just try not to moon your friends in public when using the drop tail feature, I won't be there to bail you out of jail.

Additional Information

Pearl Izumi website: www.pearlizumi.com
Pearl Izumi Twitter page: twitter.com/PearlizumiKody
Pearl Izumi Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Pearl-Izumi

Future Product Reviews

Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, is always looking for products to review for the various websites and blogs she writes for. Please go to the Product Review page if you are interested in having your product reviewed on Bike Diva.

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