Looking for bike shorts with good padding.



Jim R

New Member
Jul 26, 2004
55
0
0
I have struggled to find a saddle that I could ride for a few hours and finally settled on a Specialized Alias. I still get a sore butt but this is the best I have found so far.

I think it would help even more if I had a pair of bike shorts with more padding. I have actually been placing a piece of foam on top of my saddle while on my trainer and it works pretty well inside. I get the contour and fit of the Alias with a little extra padding.

I have a pair of relatively cheap shorts with chamois-like material in the crotch. Does anyone have any suggestions for a more heavily padded pair of shorts. My local bike store doesn't have anything much better than what I have so I will have to order online. Thanks.
 
Jim R said:
I have struggled to find a saddle that I could ride for a few hours and finally settled on a Specialized Alias. I still get a sore butt but this is the best I have found so far.

I think it would help even more if I had a pair of bike shorts with more padding. I have actually been placing a piece of foam on top of my saddle while on my trainer and it works pretty well inside. I get the contour and fit of the Alias with a little extra padding.

I have a pair of relatively cheap shorts with chamois-like material in the crotch. Does anyone have any suggestions for a more heavily padded pair of shorts. My local bike store doesn't have anything much better than what I have so I will have to order online. Thanks.
You will probably get many different opinions, but I would check out the Ultrasensors from Pearl Izumi, they come in shorts and bib shorts (which I find more comfortable for long rides). These are the most comfortable shorts I've had so far. If you want to spend even more money, go for the Microsensors.
 
Padding-Schmadding. Get off your butt and Ride! Bicycle saddles are only put there to protect the seat post from dissappearing when you hit a bump. If you want comfort try a recumbant Lazy-Boy.
 
Jim R said:
I

I have a pair of relatively cheap shorts with chamois-like material in the crotch.


You've answered your own question.....quality bike shorts aren't cheap.
 
ed073 said:
You've answered your own question.....quality bike shorts aren't cheap.
They sell $100-200 bike shorts at my local bike shop that have no better padding than what I already have. Simply spending more money won't give me what I am looking for.
 
Jim R said:
They sell $100-200 bike shorts at my local bike shop that have no better padding than what I already have. Simply spending more money won't give me what I am looking for.

If pro-quality bike shorts aren't good enough for you, then I'm not sure what you're looking for.

Decent shorts + quality chamois cream = all you should need.

If your **** is continually sore or numb, your positioning may be wrong. There may be too much pressure over the rear wheel, or your pelvic bones aren't being supported by the broad part of the saddle.
 
Jim R said:
I think it would help even more if I had a pair of bike shorts with more padding.
More padding won't necessarily help. I'm not ignoring your comment about the addition of foam improving things indoors on the trainer, but -- from somebody who spends an hour or three on a trainer every weeknight! -- you probably sit differently on the trainer in that you don't move or shift your weight around as much as you would outdoors.

For instance, my "collection" of knicks spans 6 brands: the most comfortable by far are a couple of pairs of Nalinis that actually have the thinnest padding of the whole lot. And the least comfortable pair has the thickest padding (Netti, but it's not the brand alone because I have another pair of Nettis with thinner, differently-shaped padding that are pretty comfortable). Too much padding makes me go numb initially (probably because the increased padding spreads pressure to places where I don't want it, rather than keeping it localised at the points where the saddle design intends it to be), and then generally sore.

Why not try a "better" brand, disregarding chamois/padding thickness?
 
The more expensive shorts do NOT have the same padding as your "cheap" shorts. There's a lot more design and a lot better technology involved in it all. If you were shopping for shocks on a mt bike, would you buy the walmart $20 brand, or the Manitu $400 brand, their both shocks right? Same thing with shorts. More padding doesnt mean more comfort. Couple of things you should do is check to make sure that your saddle is the correct witdth, and that your but bones are sitting on the saddle. Next, get some quality shorts. If extra padding is a must, get Exte Ondo bib shorts, their like $120, and they have a thick chamois, that is really comfortable. On that note, I have a pair of campy bibs, the padding is paper thin, but its amazing. So quality matters. When you ride your trainier, you are definatly in a different position than you are on the road, your thinking a lot more about your ass too. I'm comfy on the road, but I hate riding the trainer, I'm totally thinking about my sore ass when I'm on it. Sucks. On the road you'll be a lot better off. If your new to the sport as well,your going to hurt for the first 500 miles anyway, probably. And this applys to all new saddles, they have to be broken in, and you have to get used to it. Cyclings a pain in the ass, but we love it. :)