Sixties....no padding....now padded saddles and shorts....why?

[The Path Racer]

Stopping quickly is largely a modern thing, it's really designed to prevent highly expensive overpriced tat (carbon frames) from ending up in landfill.
We took on the spirit of the early pioneers, the fearless Victorian riders of the penny farthing. We had brakes but only in a technical sense. The brake blocks had worn down to nothing some years previously, in fact most kids had never seen brake blocks on their bikes, bikes were largely acquired as a hand-me-down, found abandoned in the street or nicked from the back of a horse 'n cart that was collecting scrap.
My family weren't rich enough to afford me leather soled shoes but at least mine were made of rubber. The slowing down power was pretty decent, much better than the really poor kids who often had some sort of plastic soled footwear.
Don't know about Dundee but that was '60's cycling in W.York's. Some good 'ol hills to have lots of fun. Leeds was flat as a pancake. Bradford was half decent but Calderdale is where the real fun was.

[Pebble]

In all my 74,000 mile of cycling I have never worn or even owned padded cycling trunks, however I was thinking of trying some for this winter- (stop certain bits getting too cold) Is there different thickness of padding available ? obviously it will be, but is it graded in any way.

[nosmarbaj]

In all my 74,000 mile of cycling I have never worn or even owned padded cycling trunks, however I was thinking of trying some for this winter- (stop certain bits getting too cold) Is there different thickness of padding available ? obviously it will be, but is it graded in any way.

For protection from cold without padding, I have some undershorts with the front made of windproof material, which are pretty effective at preventing frozen bits in any normal British winter weather. The design I have was made by Gore and doesn't seem to be available any more, but if you Google 'windproof shorts' you'll find a selction, from Gore and others.

[horizon]

I've seen the light, I think. (BTW there are two threads here, one on padding, the other on Lycra - somehow Lycra and padding appear to be contemporaneous).

I came across a pair of good cotton shorts, fairly close fitting and long in leg that looked the part. I ditched the Lycra and headed off for a long train journey bracketed and interrupted by short cycle stages. I never noticed the lack of padding (Brooks? Short cycle rides?) except inasmuch as it made the train sections much more comfortable. I was thinking I would change back to the Lycra if it rained, but it didn't. The great thing in fact was not needing to change at all.

I do like Lycra for its ability to shed the rain. I'm going to keep both items handy and see what works. I might even try some unpadded Lycra for comparison (not sure how to pad the shorts). I do tend to don cycling gear when I cycle and put on the ordinary clothing when I stop but this might persuade me to be less rigid in the distinction. We shall see.

[jimlews]

I'm not a padded short wearer. I don't generally suffer from discomfort, but on the rare occasions when I do, it has more to do with the underpants I happen to be wearing. Flat seams are essential and seams so placed as to avoid contact areas.

[pjclinch]

I came across a pair of good cotton shorts, fairly close fitting and long in leg that looked the part. I ditched the Lycra and headed off for a long train journey bracketed and interrupted by short cycle stages. I never noticed the lack of padding (Brooks? Short cycle rides?) except inasmuch as it made the train sections much more comfortable. I was thinking I would change back to the Lycra if it rained, but it didn't. The great thing in fact was not needing to change at all.

I do like Lycra for its ability to shed the rain. I'm going to keep both items handy and see what works.

I like Rohan's Stretch Bags Shorts for riding (and walking, or just slounging about). They have a "dynamic moisture control" coating which acts to spread moisture for easy evaporation (the opposite of a water repellent coating), so they certainly don't shed rain, but they dry very fast and being stretchy don't get too unpleasant when wet.

They also do a design called the Vista. I have the full trousers version and those are excellent for warm but damp use. They're light, fairly minimal and have a water repellent coat. There's a shorts version too.

Pete.

[Scratcher]

I know your post was some while ago but thought i would reply as it might be of interest.I brought my first bike in 1966 falcon club special when I was 16 and padded shorts were unheard of .I bought my first pair of shorts from holdsworth a pair of terelyne touring shorts joined a ctc club and cycled all over Great Britain without as I can remember no problems .The only time we wore chamois leather padded shorts was when we’re racing .We must have been made different in those days!

[MikeF]

In the 1950s when many of us chose or had to cycle to school no-one wore padded shorts. Cycling then was much more a means of transport than it seems to be today and everyday clothes were worn.

[pwa]

In the 1950s when many of us chose or had to cycle to school no-one wore padded shorts. Cycling then was much more a means of transport than it seems to be today and everyday clothes were worn.

As a teenager I wore jeans when I cycled. And because they weren't really suitable for the job, they wore thin in the saddle contact area. That is what finished off my jeans in those days. I've not had that problem with jeans since I stopped wearing them on the bike. Wrong garment for the job. They didn't feel great on the bike either. I reckon my purpose-made cycle shorts and trousers have given me a more comfortable ride than the "everyday" clothes I used to cycle with.

[MikeF]

In the 1950s when many of us chose or had to cycle to school no-one wore padded shorts. Cycling then was much more a means of transport than it seems to be today and everyday clothes were worn.

As a teenager I wore jeans when I cycled. And because they weren't really suitable for the job, they wore thin in the saddle contact area. That is what finished off my jeans in those days. I've not had that problem with jeans since I stopped wearing them on the bike. Wrong garment for the job. They didn't feel great on the bike either. I reckon my purpose-made cycle shorts and trousers have given me a more comfortable ride than the "everyday" clothes I used to cycle with.

But do you use them for everyday use? For example what do you use if you cycle say to shops?
We had to wear school uniform for school and jeans were definitely not allowed. However I think the materials had more wool content which may have made them more comfortable, but I don't recall saddle sorenes being a problem but that was a long time ago now!

[JohnR]

The bike I used for my school commute was leather and always felt hard at the start of each term but saddle and backside became friends again after a few days. With hindsight some Dubbin or similar on the saddle might have helped but it was only 5 miles each way.

[Mike Sales]

The bike I used for my school commute was leather and always felt hard at the start of each term but saddle and backside became friends again after a few days. With hindsight some Dubbin or similar on the saddle might have helped but it was only 5 miles each way.

I cannot remember any saddle pain on my five mile ride to school in the early sixties, in my school uniform, nor any fear of traffic, on an A road which would nowadays be looked upon by many adults as iintimidating. My parents expressed no worries.

[pwa]

In the 1950s when many of us chose or had to cycle to school no-one wore padded shorts. Cycling then was much more a means of transport than it seems to be today and everyday clothes were worn.

As a teenager I wore jeans when I cycled. And because they weren't really suitable for the job, they wore thin in the saddle contact area. That is what finished off my jeans in those days. I've not had that problem with jeans since I stopped wearing them on the bike. Wrong garment for the job. They didn't feel great on the bike either. I reckon my purpose-made cycle shorts and trousers have given me a more comfortable ride than the "everyday" clothes I used to cycle with.

But do you use them for everyday use? For example what do you use if you cycle say to shops?
We had to wear school uniform for school and jeans were definitely not allowed. However I think the materials had more wool content which may have made them more comfortable, but I don't recall saddle sorenes being a problem but that was a long time ago now!

I recall unsuitable clothing that was okay for for very local journeys but rubbish for a long day out. Shirts and trousers that were fine off the bike, but soon left a gap at the base of the spine when cycling. Materials that held onto any moisture from a shower, or sweat. Trousers that chafed if a bit damp. Yes, I could and did put up with it locally, but I'm glad I got to have cycling specific clothing later on. And yes, back in the 1970s when, apparently, sore bottoms didn't happen, I was enduring a sore bottom on my long ride from Bolton to Southport and back. If someone back then had offered me a discrete pad to insert in my pants I'd have given it a try.

[Nearholmer]

But do you use them for everyday use? For example what do you use if you cycle say to shops?

It depends a lot on what cycling specific stuff you use. In summer, I wear the same, nominally cycling specific, shorts for “everything”, just put padded-bum unders on for longer rides, I’ve recently got a pair of MTB long trousers that work fine as semi-ordinary wear, and have a quilted cycling jacket that is so practical for “everything” that it is going to get worn out from “ordinary” use, I think. I was wearing “cycling gear” while putting up Christmas lights in the rain yesterday!

I guess it also depends on the shops, but certainly hereabouts most people don’t dress formally to do their shopping. If I need to pick up something from the supermarket on the way back from a longer ride, I sometimes shop in very overtly ‘cycling’ togs, and nobody bats an eyelid, the other customers range from guys popping in during their break from a building site, to people wearing very smart business attire.

[Bmblbzzz]

And "cycling specific" doesn't only mean "skin tight lycra" and "baggy MTB clothing with garish logos". There's a whole range.