Pearl Izumi Men's Pro Pursuit Speed Cycling Jersey - Lightweight & Breathable Bike Shirt for Road Racing & Training

This review is for the 2017 Pearl iZumi Pro Pursuit Speed cycling jersey. It was sold by Amazon and shipped free with Amazon Prime. The price was $40.79 which was amazing considering the retail price for this jersey is $150.00.I believe this Pro Pursuit Speed jersey is misunderstood by many cyclists which has led to some confusion. Pearl iZumi's goal appears to be to bring a custom-fit aerodynamic time-trial (TT) jersey to the mass market. It's advanced materials, like textured aero fabric, helps reduce wind turbulence as it flows over the cyclist.But here's where the confusion begins: This jersey is tailored for a cyclist in a tucked aero position resting his forearms on aerobar arm rests. In this position the arms will be pulled in close to each other and the back will be elongated and rounded forward while the front of the torso is curled inward, low and shortened. Compared to a normal road cycling jersey in the Pro line, this jersey's back is cut longer and the shoulders are cut a little wider while the chest is cut narrower and shorter. The goal is to avoid loose material that will flap in the wind while fitting the "aero tuck" of the time trial cyclist.Because of its cut, this jersey will not feel comfortable in most other riding positions---including riding "on the drops". Why? Because the jersey is cut for use with aerobars where the arms are held much closer together. To ride on the drops, the arms must be opened enough to enable the hands to grasp the full width of the handlebar. This jersey will also feel very uncomfortable when riding in a raised position "on the flats" or---worst of all---when sitting up or standing. It really is a specialty jersey meant for speed on a time trial bike. It's the closest thing to a custom body suit that you can get and still wear a separate off-the-shelf jersey.The problem for many cyclists is that the tolerance of the tailoring is so close that it allows very little forgiveness for anatomical variation. I'm 6' 2" tall (180 lbs) with a pro cyclist build. Sadly, Pearl iZumi does not make clothing for tall cyclists. So I am forced to purchase jerseys in size X-Large in order to have adequate torso length but they are a bit too wide for my 41" chest. What I really need is a Large-Tall. I purchased this jersey in an X-Large and its length is very good. But it is a bit loose in the shoulders. Yet, it is fine in the lower torso because it is designed to fit the torso tighter than a regular Pro jersey. On balance, it seems to fit more aerodynamically than Pearl iZumi's regular Pro jerseys in the same size. But I doubt that this jersey will fit many cyclists exactly, regardless of their anatomy, because our bodies vary enough to make such a precise fit uncommon. In that regard, the buyer takes his chances when buying this jersey without trying it on first. So be forewarned.One of the first things that I noticed and was discouraged about was the absence of silicon grippers along the bottom hem of the back. Yet, the first time I wore the jersey on a ride, it showed why---they were not needed. The back is cut long enough that it doesn't ride up---it stays in place better than any jersey I have ever worn. The silicon grippers along the left and right sides of the bottom hem are all that is needed.The sun protection of this jersey is mixed. Although most of the fabric panels offer a UPF rating of 40+, the neck opening is very large. The idea is for the neckline to fit very flat against the lower neck and minimize aerodynamic drag (stand-up collars can add considerable drag). But this exposes much more of the neck to the sun. Plus, the neck is too wide to cover a summer balaclava if you use one for sun protection. So I would not recommend this jersey for long rides unless you take precaution to protect your neck with a good topical sunscreen.The reason I rate this jersey 3 stars is because it is made with very advanced and high-quality materials, yet each size offered (S, S/M, M, M/L, L, XL, XXL) fits a tiny range of cyclists owing to its close-fit tailoring. For example, there is no provision for varying shoulder width within a size. Nor is there provision for different torso length within a size. Even more sizes---especially tall sizes---are needed for this kind of jersey. There is a reason why these jerseys are custom-tailored to professional cyclists---they have to be---and it just doesn't seem feasible to recreate that kind of close fit without it. Things would be different if Pearl iZumi could invent a more stretchable aero fabric for this purpose. But that would be a very tall order. Another factor in my rating is the absence of a zippered sweat-proof pocket. I expect all Pro jerseys to have this feature and I'm very disappointed when expensive Pro jerseys like this one omit it.Finally, since this jersey is a part of Pearl iZumi's Pro line, it is intended to snugly fit athletes with low body fat. This is not a jersey for the weekend cyclist or casual athlete toting extra pounds. That's what Pearl iZumi's Select line is for. And their Elite line is in between casual and pro athletes. So it would be a mistake to compare the sizing of the Pro line to the Elite or Select lines because each are made for different physiques with the Pro line having the tightest fit for maximum speed. This is not a mistake in sizing, it is intentional. Also, the Pro line is not necessarily more durable than the Elite or Select lines. Rather, the higher cost of the Pro line has more to do with the expense of the fabrics used and the tailoring. Often, durability is sacrificed in favor of a lighter weight in the Pro line. The highest durability is usually found in the Elite line.I hope this review is helpful. If this jersey fits you well, if you take adequate precaution to protect your neck from sun exposure, and if you won't miss the absence of a zippered pocket, then this jersey can offer the best aerodynamics of any separate jersey in the Pearl iZumi line. I hope we'll see more innovative clothing like this in the future. And I hope that Pearl iZumi will find a way to either make aero fabrics that are much more stretchable so the sizing is more forgiving or offer more sizes (especially tall sizes).I have lots of PI stuff and nearly all of their gear fits my frame (6'2" 190 lbs) well. That said, this jersey had some odd proportions. Even when in the dropped position this jersey was baggy over the shoulders while too tight in the torso. Arm length was good but as I am not always in the dropped position, standing in it was just uncomfortable. Kept pulling at it to somehow make it fit better but never got there as some of the fabric panels were less forgiving than others. I returned this jersey and will buy another. One dud out of many won't sway me from buying more PI hear in the future, no one gets it right 100% of the time. Your mileage/fit may vary.Fits perfectly riding on aero bars, stretched out on the hoods or in the drops. Pick something else for club riding and hill climbing, that's not what they're made for.I bought this as a gift for my dad who requested a medium men's. It was so small that we were wondering if they accidentally shipped us a children's size!Got this for the bf for his birthday as we went to the pearl izume store but they didn't have his size. Its definitely a tighter pro fit, but still works great. I have a matching one in smaller size so we can now be in uniform when we ride.