Importance of chamois padded shorts
- Thread starter carsnoceans
- Start date
alienator said:
Im going through the same situation here, my butt is killing me 8(
The funny part is the I been riding for about 5 months and why does it start now? the only thing that I can think is that my shorts are old?? maybe the padding is not as good?? or maybe I need a new/better saddle??
So, I stopped at my bike shop and told them what was going on and they said it could b many reasons: saddle, shorts, position, weight, frame of the bike, distance, and weather .... which it did not help 8/
Well, I decided to start by replacing my shorts. The shorts that started riding w/ were from DICKS, regular price was $49.00 but I had a coupon and I paed $30.00. So I guess the material is not the best, now I got the lg women neo power cycling shorts: WOMEN NEO POWER SHORTS :: Louis Garneau
haven't try them yet, but I will keep you posted. Hopefully the problem solves because my next stop will be a new saddle ...
http://www.bayviewcycle.com/NewFiles/Acc_pages/Clothing_P2.html
I finally picked a pair from Performance bikes (their own brand). It does roll up sometimes but thats okay... it was made riding a lot better!! Especially that I just purchased a new brooks saddle the padding doesnt make the break-in period rough.
Might go with a bib next just to try one.... but +1 for proper apparel.
Might go with a bib next just to try one.... but +1 for proper apparel.
I had that same problem with the shorts rolling up and tried a pair of bibs from performance. Boy what a difference, bibs are the greatest, even when I loose weight I intend to keep wearing bibs.
do all bikers wear padded shorts? I heard too much padding in the seat can actually be bad if it's too soft because the divot in the seat is no longer a divot and your sensitive parts are now pushed up against the seat. Is that the same for padded shorts? I tried on a pair here for the first time and it seemed like there was so much padding there it would negate the divot meant to protect the sensitive parts in the middle of the seat.
I think you get what you pay for in shorts. I, too, wear the MTB shorts from PI. Not a fan of bulge displays. But I also feel the perfect saddle can make these shorts unnecessary. I have ridden my Brooks without padding and was fine. Not a great distance ride but I was comfy. But good luck finding the perfect saddle.
Don't skimp on shorts, right now there are a lot of closeouts going on, so just browse the big internet stores. If you find a short that interest you, do a net search for reviews and see what others think of it or others. Also if buying MTB shorts make sure the short comes with a padded liner, some do not.
I am just over 6'00" and tip the scales at around 260lbs. I am at my most comfortable wearing padded lycra shorts, particularly bibs as they have no waistband - if you have no waist, you don't need shorts with a waistband
I have quite a few pairs and find that expensive isn't always the most comfortable, because of the place in which the pad is positioned. My favorite shorts cost under £20.
In order to prevent people from having to bleach their eyeballs, I wear basketball shorts over my lycra.
I also recently bought a used bike that had an elderly Brooks saddle on it, and it is the best saddle I have experienced. I have never managed to get a Brooks to this comfortable state though; this was someone else's labour.
I have quite a few pairs and find that expensive isn't always the most comfortable, because of the place in which the pad is positioned. My favorite shorts cost under £20.
In order to prevent people from having to bleach their eyeballs, I wear basketball shorts over my lycra.
I also recently bought a used bike that had an elderly Brooks saddle on it, and it is the best saddle I have experienced. I have never managed to get a Brooks to this comfortable state though; this was someone else's labour.
When I started, I made the mistake of getting an overly wide and overly padded "comfort" saddle and it caused me more problems than it solved. I now ride on a well designed road saddle with minimal padding and a much narrower design. The important part, at least for me, was to find a saddle that hit my sit bones just right while keeping the pressure off other regions. It makes sense that a bigger butt needs a bigger seat, but really, your sit bones (the bottom of your pelvis) doesn't get any wider when you get heavier, and that is where you want to bear the weight.
Seat height and position are also important, as is overall bike fit. Depending on the frame geometry and the desired riding style, you want to divide your weight bearing between your feet, your butt and your arms. If you ride a bike like you sit on a bar stool, all of the weight is on your backside which isn't going to help pressure problems.
Padded shorts are great, invest in good ones, but don't expect a magic fix-all.
Of course, losing weight and building muscle in your thighs and backside will help a lot.
Seat height and position are also important, as is overall bike fit. Depending on the frame geometry and the desired riding style, you want to divide your weight bearing between your feet, your butt and your arms. If you ride a bike like you sit on a bar stool, all of the weight is on your backside which isn't going to help pressure problems.
Padded shorts are great, invest in good ones, but don't expect a magic fix-all.
Of course, losing weight and building muscle in your thighs and backside will help a lot.
