Pearl Izumi Rev Short Review
First Impressions
Pearl Izumi started in the cycling business more than 50 years ago. And the company continues to innovate in a number of categories including road and mountain biking, road and trail running, triathlon gear and more. Last summer and fall, we checked out some of the Pearl Izumi’s running road running apparel and footwear including the Streak II shoe and In-R-Cool Short Sleeve shirt. Over the past several months, we had the chance to test a couple of pieces of from the company’s mountain biking line, chief among them the Pearl Izumi Rev short.
Features
Out of the box, the Rev short is a fairly spare short when compared to other products in this test. It’s made from a lightweight slightly stretchy polyester fabric. There are three pockets: two cargo pockets on the thigh and one small zippered security pocket at the waist.
The cargo pockets are bellowed for extra carrying capacity and have enough space to hold a phone, MP3 player, gloves and other items. They close with two hook and loop tabs which performed well in our tests. I would however like to see a little more security, maybe a zipper closure instead of just hook and loop. The waist pocket does have a zippered closure, but it’s fairly small. It will hold keys and some cash, but don’t expect to fit your wallet inside.
Specs
Fabric: Stretch polyester
Liner: Removable, synthetic chamois
Pockets: 3
The Rev has loops around the waist for adding a belt – should you so choose – and comes with a removable liner and synthetic chamois.
Fit
The Pearl Izumi Rev short fits well. My medium sample ran a touch narrow through the hips but was not overly confining. The waistband has two button tabs for adjusting the waist to customize the fit. The mesh liner delivered good breathability and the synthetic bright-orange chamois is nicely sculpted with extra layers of padding where needed.
Final Verdict
Stripped down and lightweight describes the Pearl Izumi Rev short’s design approach. We liked its comfortable chamois and spare appearance. We’d like to see a little better security on those cargo pockets, but other than that, the Rev delivers.
