TESTED: Pearl Izumi women's 2016 trail gear

Pearl Izumi LTD MTB Jersey

The Pear Izumi LTD jersey combines performance features like a full-length, hidden zip and three deep rear pockets with a semi-form fit that’s relaxed and casual, but just a little bit racy. A summer-weight top with excellent moisture wicking, the LTD jersey is perfect teamed up with either lycra or shorts, and is suited to everything from an afternoon burn around your favourite trail to all-day epic adventures. Like the whole Pearl Izumi women’s range, the LTD jersey comes in bright, fun, geometric designs – it’s available in four colour combinations.

$99

Pearl Izumi Launch Jersey

The Launch jersey is an essential addition to any mountain biker’s wardrobe: a simple, cool, lightweight trail top with a tidy v-neck, and a handy sunglasses wipe triangle on the inside. The relaxed fit is perfect for trail riding and Pearl Izumi’s bold colours and graphics will keep you cheerful all ride long: One of the great things about this year’s Pearl Izumi range is that it feels like a collection, so you can mix and match a bunch of items and still feel like everything goes together.

$69

Pearl Izumi Summit Short

Perhaps the most useful feature of the Summit short is its water-resistant DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating that helps keep you dryer when you hit a puddle or the rain hits you. Two flat zippered pockets provide a place to stash your essentials, and internal waist adjustment is handy to get exactly the right fit. The Summit short comes in a few colours, most of them fairly neutral. They’re a medium-length short (11” inseam on the medium size) made of lightweight, tough fabric with stretchy main panels, and are suited to just about any kind of riding.

$139

Pearl Izumi Women’s Select WxB Jacket

A lightweight, breathable jacket is essential for any cyclist’s wardrobe and it’s nice to see Pearl Izumi offering not one, but five different styles across their women’s cycling range this year, all of them feminine and stylish, but without being girly. The Select jacket is fully seam-sealed for excellent waterproofing, with elasticated cuffs that also help keep sneaky raindrops out. It has a rear pocket (closed with seam-sealed zip) and we discovered you can turn it inside out to store the jacket, although the zipper doesn’t reverse so it needs a bit of coaxing to close. Inside, the Select jacket has a soft mesh lining around the collar, and outside, some nice reflective detailing so you stand out, even when the weather’s foul.

$249

Pearl Izumi Elite Tall Socks

These nicely elasticated socks come in a range of colours from this year’s Pearl Izumi palette and sit across the men’s and women’s range. With Pearl Izumi’s signature 7.6 inch (or 19.5 centimetre) cuff they provide great sock height that doesn’t go saggy mid-ride. With a stretchy compression band around the arch and smoothly-stitched toes they’re comfortable to ride in all-day long, and mesh ventilation and ‘ELITE’ transfer yarns (a mixture of polyester, nylon, and spandex) mean great moisture wicking. Even when wet, these socks are comfy to wear and look the business.

$29

Pearl Izumi  Women’s Divide Gloves

These nifty little gloves prove that minimalism and comfort go hand-in-hand. With a tight ‘second skin’ fit without any pesky gel inserts, Velcro tabs, or padding, the Divide glove transfers great bar feel and is incredibly smooth to wear. They’re full mesh on top for ventilation, and feature very handy conductive synthetic leather on the index finger and thumb so you can SMS, selfie, and dial without needing to whip them off. A summer-weight glove for the warmer months, the Divide is also available in cool Aqua Mint and between these two it’s easy to find a glove that neatly complements any of the bold, zig-zag designs that Pearl Izumi have run throughout their range this year.

$45

Need more details? Head to the Pearl Izumi Australia site.