Padded shorts - to wear or not to wear
Padded shorts - to wear or not to wear
I have riden both with and without padded cycling shorts, and am struggling to notice any obvious difference!
If I haven't riden for a while I'll get a sore rear end with or without padded shorts. If I've been doing a lot of riding I won't get sore whether or not I wear padded shorts.
Besides from the lack of seams in undesirable places what is the benefit of wearing padded shorts?
Any thoughts?
If I haven't riden for a while I'll get a sore rear end with or without padded shorts. If I've been doing a lot of riding I won't get sore whether or not I wear padded shorts.
Besides from the lack of seams in undesirable places what is the benefit of wearing padded shorts?
Any thoughts?
The main thing is how comfortable your saddle is in the first place and how suitable your riding position. However I usually wear a pair of inner shorts for longer rides. They cushion some of the jarring from increasingly rough roads. But they do make you sweat a lot more in the event of hot summer days.
- EdinburghFixed
- Posts: 2375
- Joined: 24 Jul 2008, 7:03pm
I never owned a pair until relatively recently (last couple of years) - however I now have to force myself to sit down if I'm out in jeans, otherwise I find myself riding standing up subconsciously!
For another step up, you can wear bibs which avoids anything digging in around your middle.
Wouldn't go back.
For another step up, you can wear bibs which avoids anything digging in around your middle.
Wouldn't go back.
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- Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 5:57pm
- Location: Middlesex
under shorts
When touring I wanted to get away from the lycra shorts so I tried padded under shorts but found the linner was only a thin piece of foam
and were not very good, so had a look around and found a brand named SUGOI the short matrial is perferated with a performance liner not cheap but worth the money.
and were not very good, so had a look around and found a brand named SUGOI the short matrial is perferated with a performance liner not cheap but worth the money.
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- Joined: 31 Jan 2007, 6:46pm
- Location: Horwich Which is Lancs :-)
Wear padded!
I find underpants get rather sweaty and very uncomfortable, with the seams and edges in all the wrong places.....
Further proof for me is that years ago I campaigned to get my wife and my brother to wear padded shorts. They are both occasional cyclists only. I was treated with complete cynicism if not ridicule. However, having tried padded shorts (with no additional underwear) they were immediately convinced!
I find underpants get rather sweaty and very uncomfortable, with the seams and edges in all the wrong places.....
Further proof for me is that years ago I campaigned to get my wife and my brother to wear padded shorts. They are both occasional cyclists only. I was treated with complete cynicism if not ridicule. However, having tried padded shorts (with no additional underwear) they were immediately convinced!
- EdinburghFixed
- Posts: 2375
- Joined: 24 Jul 2008, 7:03pm
The point of 'padded' shorts is not to provide any cushioning effect. It's purely to provide a comfortable seamless interface between crotch and saddle and to wick away sweat. In other words, it allows you to ride on a comfortable saddle for longer at a higher rate of effort.
This being so, I'm baffled that people find cycling shorts are more sweaty than normal clothes. I mean that is half the point of the garment, so something funny is going on (the other half of the point is that they cover up the seams).
I sweat *a lot* when I ride fast and can't say I would ever imagine cotton underwear being an improvement. I don't understand how there is any difference in ventilation when your undercarriage is pressed against the saddle either way? (Are there some funny recumbent riders in here?)
There are other advantages to shorts which are less obvious:
- the low front, high back is cut for your position on the bike - nothing digs in at the front and you don't get a gap at the back
- there's nothing to flap in the wind and slow you down
- no temptation to put things in pockets that will then dig into you (either riding or when you stack it)
- makes you feel faster somehow
- demonstrates your physical dominance over car drivers
Finally, you don't end up with holes worn in the crotch of all your jeans, as I did when I was a student!
This being so, I'm baffled that people find cycling shorts are more sweaty than normal clothes. I mean that is half the point of the garment, so something funny is going on (the other half of the point is that they cover up the seams).
I sweat *a lot* when I ride fast and can't say I would ever imagine cotton underwear being an improvement. I don't understand how there is any difference in ventilation when your undercarriage is pressed against the saddle either way? (Are there some funny recumbent riders in here?)
There are other advantages to shorts which are less obvious:
- the low front, high back is cut for your position on the bike - nothing digs in at the front and you don't get a gap at the back
- there's nothing to flap in the wind and slow you down
- no temptation to put things in pockets that will then dig into you (either riding or when you stack it)
- makes you feel faster somehow
- demonstrates your physical dominance over car drivers
Finally, you don't end up with holes worn in the crotch of all your jeans, as I did when I was a student!
- patricktaylor
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- Contact:
EdinburghFixed wrote:The point of 'padded' shorts is not to provide any cushioning effect. It's purely to provide a comfortable seamless interface between crotch and saddle and to wick away sweat ...
Well, I wear chamois-padded bib shorts only to provide a cushioning effect, and they are undoubtedly more sweaty because there are more layers and no ventilation.