Description of Pearl Izumi Optik Bike Jacket - Women's:
Some wind-and water-resistant jackets make you feel like you just stuck your torso into a carboard box. Pearl Izumi added stretch side and sleeve panels to the Women's Optik Jacket, so you get weather resistance outside of the box. Layer a short-sleeve jersey under the semi-fitted Optik Jacket on chilly mornings, and stash this lightweight, packable jacket in your hydration pack when the sun comes out.
Bottom Line: Stretchy panels and weather-resistant fabric meandered outside the box to create Pearl Izumi's Optik Bike Jacket.
I'm 5'9 and 135 lb and this jacket in a medium fits me well. It's long enough when I wear it with my riding shorts, and the sleeves are plenty long. I even have barely enough room for a fleece. I wore this on a cold, misty afternoon and it did a great job at blocking the wind/wetness and it packs into an itty-bitty ball to stuff in my jersey. BUT, it's so expensive for so little fabric.
Just like the vest, this comes up WAY above my hip area. I'm a tall gal, and I have trouble finding women's sportswear that's cut long enough. If you are not like me, go for it! Otherwise, look elsewhere. The rest of the jacket was roomy enough (even the sleeves were long enough, oddly). I much prefer the Vagabond II jacket- despite the velcro issue, it's MUCH longer than this and doubles as vest & jacket.
Bought this for my wife, for her daily commute to work. Plan on getting 1 size larger than you think, as these are sized somewhat small. Super lightweight fabric, the whole jacket folds up into it's own pocket. Yellow color is hard to miss.
