lycra shorts and pads

[tatanab]

For underwear without pads I recommend these from Planet X. http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLOOPEFITS ... ithout-pad The seams are in the right places for cycling, unlike conventional underwear.

[JohnW]

I'm not going to tell other people what to do - I'm not even going to recommend anything, but.............the only time I've ever had real discomfort in the saddle-zone area was when I wore padded shorts - they were recommended and expensive - I wore them once - for 90 miles, and the aftermath was with me for months. The problem for me was that they were hot, unventilated and appallingly sweaty. The sweat dried, the salt crystallized and the continuing movement broke the skin and developed sores which I couldn't believe. I attended to my hygiene conscientiously and diligently, but still became subject to fungus, and suffered for weeks, despite the attention of the doctor. I can't remember the make of the shorts, but they were advertised and marketed as being absolutely perfect for long-distance cyclists (and very expensive). My attitude to padding and padded shorts now is that you know just where you can shove the padding! These shorts were semi-baggy 'touring shorts', with an inner 'support' short of a synthetic aertex material and the shaped padding stitched in a little envelope formed of a soft black cloth. The inner shorts were removable for washing. The whole ensemble was torture, and motorists would have been proud of the manufacturer for the pain and suffering inflicted upon a cyclist.

I now wear Corrinne Dennis Men's Touring Shorts in late spring/summer/early autumn - they have a double seat and they wash and wash and wash. I wear 100% cotton underpants under them - sort of jockey-shorts pattern but the seams are more sensibly located. That way, I get ventilation blowing up where I need it. As the day warms up, I remove the underpants and wear just the shorts - and then, as the ride goes on and the temperature drops back a bit, I put the underpants back on.

In winter I wear Tudor sports plusses (double seat) with the same underpants or Altura Cruisers (double seat, but no padding) with (wait for it) M&S aertex Y-Front underpants. I've never had trouble with either. When the weather gets below freezing I wear Altura Cruisers (the pre-lycra ones - I don't know whether they're are still available) with thermal longs underneath.

For me, padding is really bad news, but for others it's the answer to the maiden's (or your own) prayer. We're all different.
Does all that help?

[hondated]

I remember a similar discussion on here some time ago and not to steal their thunder someone pointed out that the real issue was getting a saddle that suited you rather than a padded pair if shorts. That takes us then to a whole new thread that has been hi lighted so many times.

[mjr]

Maybe that's me - I'm now a firm believer that you buy the right padding once for each bike on a saddle, not repeatedly on every paid of pants.

I'm another who seems unable to wear padded shorts without the seams rubbing lines into me, the seams around the pads are often in very bad places (if you know what I mean ) and most are far too hot for me, which seems to trigger eczema flare-ups just where I don't want it! So I gave up pads a while ago. I remembered that I didn't wear them when I rode in the 1990s so I've switched most of my bikes to classic saddle designs - if I'd known I'd spend a while in pain, I'd never have donated my 1990s saddle with the broken bike it was on!

For underwear without pads I recommend these from Planet X. http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLOOPEFITS ... ithout-pad The seams are in the right places for cycling, unlike conventional underwear.

I bought a pair of those, possibly following your advice. They have two inverted-U-shaped seams just in front and behind of halfway - basically the bit between the thighs is one piece and the rest is another. The rear seam is too far forward on me for how I sit on most of my bikes and only really wearable on my road bike. They're also pretty warm.

Conversely, the M+S flat seam posh ones ("Autograph") mentioned on here have one seam directly on the halfway, plus one seam up the crack of the bum and three seams forming a bulge at the front (acknowledging that men may have a bulge there - Jockey would do well to learn that!). They're just about usable on the road bike (mainly because the seams are very flat and not under the sit bones) but OK otherwise. Again, rather warm.

Australian brand Obviously make a longer-legged "Comfort" range from something soft called "Bamboo Rayon" which have seams just in front of halfway and accommodating some bulge (but rather strange - are Australians different shapes?), but absolutely no seams on the backside.

I feel it's rather annoying for cyclists that so many shops seem to think the backside of underwear often isn't worth showing in their online galleries when it's vital to check for seam placements... and pulling open multipacks in the major stores so you can look gets boring fast. A bit of consistency in style naming wouldn't go amiss either!