Our History: 60 YEARS OF INNOVATION
From the first jersey our founder Kinji Shimizu crafted to each thread used in our apparel today, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible is our obsession.
We innovate so you ride happier, more comfortably, drier, faster, warmer, and safer. Innovation not for innovation’s sake, but for the goal of making each product better than the last. The Japanese call this approach Kaizen: daily improvements, always evolving and progressing, to create revolutionary outcomes over time. It’s what drove our founder, and what drives us day in and day out. Below are just a few of the many industry-leading innovations from the past sixty years
The Lobster® Glove
1993
The Lobster® Glove is a PEARL iZUMi original, developed to help riders stay on the bike through wintery conditions in Boulder, CO. Mittens are the warmest type of glove because they keep the fingers together, trapping your own body heat to warm your hands. But to control a bike you need some digit dexterity to grip the bar, operate shifters and pull the brakes. Enter the split finger Lobster Glove which offers the best of both worlds by providing riders with the warmth of a mitten and the control of a glove. For cold winter riding there’s no substitute.
Women’s Drop Tail Bib
2010
Our company is full of women who ride. A lot. They know what it takes to be comfortable on the bike and are not willing to compromise. Experienced riders know that bibs offer major advantages over shorts, such as holding the chamois in place better and eliminating the compressive waistband. But for many women, having to virtually disrobe to answer the call of nature was a dealbreaker. That’s why PEARL iZUMi introduced a drop tail women’s cycling bib, a design feature that solves the nature break dilemma. Since then, our team has refined the design more than a half-dozen times, each time taking a step closer to perfection. Now, in our Women’s PRO Bib Short, we may have reached it. The totally seamless design easily pulls down yet provides all the support and benefit of bibs, with no clips, zips, or snaps.
BioViz®
Rider safety is our top priority. That’s why we created BioViz, a design strategy that combines fluorescent colors with reflective markers placed in specific areas on our garments to help riders be seen.
During the BioViz research and development phase our team of engineers and designers established the 100 meter standard to ensure that drivers could see riders from at least 100 meters away—day or night—giving them plenty of time to react. They also identified three key areas on the body where the addition of reflective hits would be most effective: a lower back band to create a steady reference point, the hip for movement, and a back-of-the-leg stripe for a fast flicker with every pedal stroke. In motion, these three points create a quickly recognizable form—a cyclist. BioViz is one example of our drive to continue innovating and embodies our commitment to keeping riders safe.
2017
Cycling companies have used wind tunnels to optimize equipment in the pursuit of performance for decades, but we are the first cycling company to use one in the pursuit of comfort. On a regular basis, our Advanced Development team makes the trek from Boulder, CO up to Oshawa, Ontario to visit the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel. On the campus of the University of Ontario’s Institute of Technology, the ACE tunnel can simulate just about any weather conditions —sun blasted desert to snowy Michigan in January—on riders in an exact and controlled setting. And because we rely on data to inform our design and materials, it’s the perfect place to test out our products. It’s tools like these that keep us pushing the pace of innovation.