padded shorts vs. padded seat



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Eric Gleason

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I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears padded
shorts. What's the difference?
 
"eric gleason" <[email protected]> wrote in message .com...
> I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears padded
> shorts. What's the difference?
>

About how many head concussions can you remember having in the last two years?

No hurry for an answer. Thanks
 
To all in the newsgroup, forgive me, I'm new to cycling and read this newsgroup relatively
infrequently. But is Fabrizio always such an asshole?

No recent concussions, I got me one of them helmet things I see all the professional cyclists
wearing and that seems to have cut down the brain trauma quite a bit.

> From: "Fabrizio Mazzoleni" <[email protected]> Organization: Shaw Residential Internet
> Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.misc Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 02:57:43 GMT Subject: Re: padded shorts vs.
> padded seat
>
>
> "eric gleason" <[email protected]> wrote in message .com...
>> I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears
>> padded shorts. What's the difference?
>>
>
> About how many head concussions can you remember having in the last two years?
>
> No hurry for an answer. Thanks
 
"eric gleason" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:BA9EAC07.10143%[email protected]...
> To all in the newsgroup, forgive me, I'm new to cycling and read this newsgroup relatively
> infrequently. But is Fabrizio always such an
asshole?

Just pretend he's a comedian, an entertainer. Do not take anything he says seriously. That said, I
hope he doesn't go away. It's nice to have the levity.

FWIW, top-posting (posting your response on top of the quotes) is considered bad form.

>
> No recent concussions, I got me one of them helmet things I see all the professional cyclists
> wearing and that seems to have cut down the brain trauma quite a bit.
>
>
>
> > From: "Fabrizio Mazzoleni" <[email protected]> Organization: Shaw Residential Internet
> > Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.misc Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 02:57:43 GMT Subject: Re: padded shorts vs.
> > padded seat
> >
> >
> > "eric gleason" <[email protected]> wrote in message .com...
> >> I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears
> >> padded shorts. What's the difference?
> > About how many head concussions can you remember having in the last two years?
> >
> > No hurry for an answer. Thanks
> >

Robin Hubert
 
>To all in the newsgroup, forgive me, I'm new to cycling and read this newsgroup relatively
>infrequently. But is Fabrizio always such an asshole?

Pretty much. However in this case I think all this war hysteria has unbalanced him, he's probably
watching too much CNN and eating cheese doodles, not paying enough attention to his elders and
fantasizing about yet another aluminum frame experience.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------
__________306.350.357.38>>[email protected]__________
 
In article <BA9EAC07.10143%[email protected]>, eric gleason <[email protected]> wrote:

> To all in the newsgroup, forgive me, I'm new to cycling and read this newsgroup relatively
> infrequently. But is Fabrizio always such an asshole?

The "Fabrizio" persona is invariably an asshole but is not meant to represent reality.
 
padded shorts & not padded seats don't weight as much... Typical padded riding shorts are tight to
prevent chafing. Monty

"eric gleason" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:BA9E94C1.1012B%[email protected]...
> I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears padded
> shorts. What's the difference?
 
Michael MacClancy <[email protected]> wrote:
: Top-posting doesn't make sense. I mean, if I were having a conversation with you I wouldn't say my
: response before you had made your point, would I? ?I do ,backwards sentences write don't I And

then think of it as a foot-note. it's far less annoying to me than someone who fails to edit their
quote (ahem).

: Bottom posting, like language rules, is a widely followed convention that most people believe
: improves clarity and understanding.

except that, like you, a great deal of them fail to trim their quotes which is considerably more
important as well as being a convention.
--
david reuteler [email protected]
 
"eric gleason" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:BA9E94C1.1012B%[email protected]...
> I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears padded
> shorts. What's the difference?

The purpose of the pad in the shorts is not to provide cushioning, but to protect the skin at the
contact points with the saddle. This is done by both absorbing moisture and reducing friction. Any
movement of a rough surfaced fabric on skin, especially on damp skin, will quickly abrade it. You
want a pad to lie flat against the skin and not move while pedaling, and not have any folds or
seams. Some shorts have thick pads made of foam and/or gel, I wouldn't recommend them, they are
ill-conceived.
 
>I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears padded
>shorts. What's the difference?

An interesting question.

Padded shorts put the padding where you need it and as you move about the seat, it stays were
it belongs.

Almost all seats are padded, just not heavily padded.

Seats that are "soft" and mushy do not support the riders sit bones, but rather allow the rider
to sink and so the riders weight is now bearing on softer, more gentle regions. These sort of
seats are comfortable for a few miles but for normal rides, discomfort and certain sorts of
numbness can result.

To support the rider properly on their sit bones so that they can rider long distance comfortably,
the padding needs to be in the right place anatomically, shorts keep the padding where it belongs.

Jon Isaacs
 
In article <BA9E94C1.1012B%[email protected]>, [email protected] says...

>I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears padded
>shorts. What's the difference?

With few exceptions, all seats are padded. I think what you are calling padded seats are the
oversized padded seats. Those seats are very uncomfortable due to their size. It is not a matter of
padding, but too much padding that is bad. The same thing can occur with shorts. If they have too
much padding, they feel like you are wearing a loaded diaper.
-----------------
Alex __O _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)
 
eric gleason wrote:
>
> I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears padded
> shorts. What's the difference?

As others have said, if the seat has _too much_ padding, you sink deeply into it, and it cuts off
circulation to the tissues in contact. This leads to aching sensations (which you can also get
sitting in a car seat for long trips). Also, the excessive seat-to-butt contact promotes sweating,
chafing, etc. That said, if you're just riding around the block, it doesn't matter much. You'll
probably do better with a softer saddle.

Personally, I think the most important aspect of "padded" shorts is not to provide padding, but to
prevent wrinkling. If you ride in, say, a pair of denim shorts, you'll be likely to have a fold or
wrinkle in the denim right under your sit bones. This will concentrate pressure, and chafe your skin
in short order.

Lycra helps for much the same reason. It's tight and stretchy enough that its unlikely to have a
wrinkle where you're sitting on it, and it helps to keep the padding stretched out in one layer,
without wrinkles.

--
Frank Krygowski [email protected]
 
"Alex Rodriguez" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <BA9E94C1.1012B%[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> >I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears
> >padded shorts. What's the difference?
>
> With few exceptions, all seats are padded. I think what you are calling padded seats are the
> oversized padded seats. Those seats are very uncomfortable due to their size. It is not a matter
> of padding, but too much padding that is bad. The same thing can occur with shorts. If they have
> too much padding, they feel like you are wearing a loaded diaper.

So it would feel like you had poo-pooed your shorts ?
 
"eric gleason" <[email protected]>
> To all in the newsgroup, forgive me, I'm new to cycling and read this newsgroup relatively
> infrequently. But is Fabrizio always such an
asshole?

Yes...
 
Actually some people consider top-posting good form. Quote pasting is a greater concern.

"Robin Hubert" <[email protected]>
> FWIW, top-posting (posting your response on top of the quotes) is
considered
> bad form.

Actually some people consider top-posting good form. Quote pasting is a greater concern.
 
"Jon Isaacs" <[email protected]> wrote in message ...

> Yes, but don't let it bother you, he is not a ficticious person who may or may not ride a bike.

Good advice Jon, but if you read my first post in this thread you will see that all I was trying to
do was steer the thread back on topic which is head concussions.

Speaking of which, most serious roadies look at head concussions as rights of passage to being
classed as elite road riders. In fact I once had a 17 month period where I picked up three nice
concussions by making road contact first with my cotton team Mercatone Uno/ Magniflex cap. This year
I notice my favorite Biemme team Gewiss/Ballan polyester winter cap has signs of having made very
heavy road contact, but I can't find any mention of this in my training dairy.
 
"F. Golightly" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...
>
> "eric gleason" <[email protected]>
> > To all in the newsgroup, forgive me, I'm new to cycling and read this newsgroup relatively
> > infrequently. But is Fabrizio always such an
> asshole?
>
>
> Yes...

Why do you always show up in brain concussion threads? Anyway, I don't talk with recreational rider
'types' like you.
 
eric gleason <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<BA9E94C1.1012B%[email protected]>...
> I've seen lots of talk poo-pooing padded seats, but nearly every semi-serious cyclist wears padded
> shorts. What's the difference?

I have a different opinion from most cyclists. I wear light cotton shorts, the kind you buy at Kmart
for $7 and have moderate padding in the saddle.

I spend a lot of time in the saddle. I do ultra-marathon cycling. That is, 100 miles is a short
ride for me. A half dozen times a year I will do an event that will require me to ride for 24
hours or more.

I never have crotch rot or any such thing and I never have to use any of those strange cremes to
keep things lubricated down there. I believe it is because light cotton shorts allow those nether
regions to breathe more that regular cycling shorts.

The biggest advantage to regular cycling shorts is that they don't ride up into your crotch. My
events are not super intense so its not an issue for me. That is, I can afford to stand and pedal
and let my cotton shorts fall back to their normal position.

Tom
 
"Fabrizio Mazzoleni" <[email protected]> wrote
> In fact I once had a 17 month period where I picked up three nice concussions by making road
> contact first with my cotton team Mercatone Uno/ Magniflex cap.

So THAT'S what happened. We were wondering.

Pete
 
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