Padless Cycling Tights?

[Claud]

Long shot: Does anyone know of any loose fit tights that can be bought without a pad/chamios? (Yes, 'loose fit tights' oxymoron, but you know what I mean ). My 15+ year old Altura tights are at end-of-life, but I love them for their comfort and choice of road shorts under.
Thanks!

[geomannie]

I hate padded shorts & tights and in cooler weather use Ron Hill Tracksters. They are primarily designed for running but are great for cycling. They are very durable and pretty cheap too!

£18 at https://www.peteblandsports.co.uk/buy/r ... c_4988.htm

[Pendodave]

I also use ron hills. Dual purpose for winter park runs.

[gom]

+1 for Tracksters. In the before times I used them for work commute.
There also used to be Ron Hill Bikesters, but I think no longer made.

Aside: I found unpadded tight tights quite difficult to come by, but Spa sell Lusso ones that are just what I like.

[Jamesh]

If you want tight lycra tights as opposed to looser Ron hills then more mile tights are good. Not expensive either.

Cheers James

[mikeymo]

I hate padded shorts & tights and in cooler weather use Ron Hill Tracksters. They are primarily designed for running but are great for cycling. They are very durable and pretty cheap too!

£18 at https://www.peteblandsports.co.uk/buy/r ... c_4988.htm

I'm looking for something like that. How accurate would you say they are size-wise? Are the mediums "really" medium or do you need to go to large (hope that makes sense).

Thanks.

[geomannie]

I hate padded shorts & tights and in cooler weather use Ron Hill Tracksters. They are primarily designed for running but are great for cycling. They are very durable and pretty cheap too!

£18 at https://www.peteblandsports.co.uk/buy/r ... c_4988.htm

I'm looking for something like that. How accurate would you say they are size-wise? Are the mediums "really" medium or do you need to go to large (hope that makes sense).

Thanks.

Good question. I am 6ft with 32" waist. In the past when I was a little plumper (34" waist), I wore the large size but even then they were a bit loose. I now wear medium & they are a good fit.

[De Sisti]

Whereas the Ron Hill tights are adequate, they don't come with a high waistline (what you'd
need if you're leaning forward to your handlebars. These from Ozzo would be much better (imo) and I've tried both.

[mikeymo]

The foot loops, do people use them inside or outside shoes?

I kind of assume inside. They wouldn't last long with me outside the shoes, as I wear flats and use flat pedals with pretty vicious pins.

But I've got functional hallux limitus. That's latin for big toes that don't bend properly. It's fine with custom orthotics*, but a great wodge of material might alter the way the orthotics work.

*or "orthoses" if our resident Latin pluralis pedantium wants to chip in.

[peetee]

Whereas the Ron Hill tights are adequate, they don't come with a high waistline (what you'd
need if you're leaning forward to your handlebars.

Exactly the problem I have. Tight at the knee and gaping at the back. Trying to avoid this means tightening the waist string too much to be comfortable and the next size up is just too baggy.

[slowster]

Before bibtights made with roubaix type fleecy backed lycra material became ubiquitous, most cyclists wore black acrylic/wool mix or similar longs. Using clip on braces with those stopped the lower back being exposed when bent over, and made a noticeable difference to the warmth of the combined top and bottom layers. Bike shops used to sell the braces and if my memory serves correctly the elastic straps were striped with the world champion rainbow colours.

[simonhill]

The foot loops, do people use them inside or outside shoes?

I kind of assume inside. They wouldn't last long with me outside the shoes, as I wear flats and use flat pedals with pretty vicious pins.

But I've got functional hallux limitus. That's latin for big toes that don't bend properly. It's fine with custom orthotics*, but a great wodge of material might alter the way the orthotics work.

*or "orthoses" if our resident Latin pluralis pedantium wants to chip in.

I wear the loops inside my shoes. Can't think they are meant to be worn outside.

The material is fairly thin, not a "great wadge" and I don't notice it. It is designed to stop them riding up, you can probably get away with cutting the loops off, but risk a ruffle or two on the lower leg.

[mikeymo]

The foot loops, do people use them inside or outside shoes?

I kind of assume inside. They wouldn't last long with me outside the shoes, as I wear flats and use flat pedals with pretty vicious pins.

But I've got functional hallux limitus. That's latin for big toes that don't bend properly. It's fine with custom orthotics*, but a great wodge of material might alter the way the orthotics work.

*or "orthoses" if our resident Latin pluralis pedantium wants to chip in.

I wear the loops inside my shoes. Can't think they are meant to be worn outside.

The material is fairly thin, not a "great wadge" and I don't notice it. It is designed to stop them riding up, you can probably get away with cutting the loops off, but risk a ruffle or two on the lower leg.

Thank you.

[Richard of York]

Clip on braces work well with none bib type legwear. You can set a certain sartorial elegance as well if you choose carefully. Mine are black and white images of past Hollywood stars, remind me to show True Grit on hard rides.

[Claud]

Fantastic - thanks for the replies - seem to have hit more of a chord than I expected

I do like a pad/chamois, but prefer the flexibility to choose from my selection of padded shorts to wear under the tights . Also like that the old Altura ones are slightly loose, so no rubbing behind the knee, and I can something else full length underneath on a cold day, but no flapping either. And like that they're on the thin side, so can pack small as it warms up.

Aside: I found unpadded tight tights quite difficult to come by, but Spa sell Lusso ones that are just what I like.

Thanks - are these a snug fit, or loose enough to fit another layer underneath, and not rub behind the knees? And is the sizing good, or need to go up/down?

If you want tight lycra tights as opposed to looser Ron hills then more mile tights are good. Not expensive either.

Thanks - but I can only find padded ones so far - do you know which variety come without pads?

Whereas the Ron Hill tights are adequate, they don't come with a high waistline (what you'd
need if you're leaning forward to your handlebars. These from Ozzo would be much better (imo) and I've tried both.

Yeh, cheers, definitely need a higher waistline. And cheaper than Lusso! How snug/loose are these, and for how does the sizing work out? And it says "spring and autumn", so I guess a thinish material?