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forum
Bib Shorts
This is probably a daft question but as a beginner am I correct in thinking that even for short rides you shouldnt be wearing anything under your shorts?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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16 comments
Thanks all. I thought that was correct but just wanted to check.
The chamois or pad is worn against the skin to reduce abrasion and remove moisture. Both these can cause painful soars if cycling in standard underwear with raised seams.
All next to skin garments should be washed after each spin, especially shorts.
If you don't want to use cycling shorts on their own, most brands have 'liner shorts" which can be worn under shorts or a tracksuit where the lycra is relaxed with a mesh.
Cycling bottoms are designed on the expectation of riding with no underwear. The thinking is about avoiding rubbing and underwear can get rucked up depending on style.
Having said that, it may take a while to settle on a pad design that suits which will vary from person to person because we are all different shapes. For example, I've had to abandon using one set of longs because the seam for the bib happens to coincide with where my todger likes to live, and 80 miles of rasping on a seam just doesn't do it for me!
If you are new to riding with a pad, the other issue is saddle design and fit. People tend to look for a soft saddle when riding without pads, but when riding in padded bottoms, excessive softness of the saddle combined with a pad both increases the chance of too much friction and also can cause pressure in the wrong places (ahem!) for all genders as you tend to bear weight through the cheeks which on a soft seat allows the saddle and pad to deform at the sides putting pressure in the centre as both pad and saddle compress at the edges leaving the couple of thick layers of foam able to push up in the middle. Cutouts are highly popular these days and are very effective for avoiding the most undesirable effects on your procreative fittings.
I had a lady customer who found riding most uncomfortable. She was riding with a soft saddle, two(!) padded covers and cycling shorts. Got rid of the two covers and things massively improved.
Never wear anything under cycling shorts with a pad.
I don't bother with them for short rides (under 40 miles / 65 km) though. Mostly because I'm usually cycling to somewhere and don't want to either change or wear cycling shorts for hours while not cycling.
They are designed to be worn next to the skin, although it's not a hard-and-fast rule. In winter I often wear underwear for a bit of extra warmth and don't have any problems (provided you use proper sports underwear and not standard cotton underwear).
You can wear what you want, how you want to. But I think bibshorts are designed to be worn next to the skin, irrespective of ride length.
This may be a longshot, but due to family committments i am struggling to fit in sessions during the day on my turbo. I was wondering if I could remove the hurdle of having to “get dressed” for training and use a slightly padded saddle and no padded shorts.
Anyone have experience or tips?
My tip would be don't risk significant discomfort that will possibly end up keeping you off the bike for the sake of saving thirty seconds changing clothes! For cycling for any significant distance/effort nothing can compete with proper padded cycling shorts, definitely worth the inconvenience of changing.
Changing into cycling shorts shouldn't take very long at all, so unless you're doing very short trainer sessions you might as well get changed as you'll be likely sweating into your clothes anyway.
Personally I don't like saddles with lots of padding as they initially seem comfy, but can apply pressure in the wrong places as the padding gets squeezed. However, people have different size and shapes of their sitting anatomy so the chances are that you'll just have to go with testing out saddles until you find one that works for you.
No more than 2 minutes to put bibshorts and cycling shoes on for the trainer. No time lost afterwards as (I hope) you'll be showering anyway.
No time lost afterwards as (I hope) you'll be showering anyway
Oh dear! Unwonted interference in personal preferences
feeling sorry for the family he spending all this time with if he does a hard session on the trainer and then just goes about his day.
feeling sorry for the family he spending all this time with if he does a hard session on the trainer and then just goes about his day
This seems to be a common delusion, presumably carefully fostered by the deodorant and laundry products industries- most of the smell is on the clothes. Indoor training = sweat pouring out like rain, which is a wash in itself. Personally, I wouldn't be online telling strangers how to accomplish 'personal hygiene'
Genetics can also affect whether sweat is smelly or not, so it's quite possible to be drenched with sweat and yet not have an offensive odour.
Thanks all. I have my answer.
I was forgetting how sweaty I would get after each session so will need to factor in time for a shower prior to changing back into the clothes I was wearing pre training session. Your right comfort is key, especially if I am going to stick to a training program, so wearing decent padded shorts without underwear is key.