Question on tights
 

Are they supposed to come with a chamois or do you wear them over your shorts?

You can get either or, I like the PI ones with chamois.

If you have big legs, get the chamois. If you have skinny legs you can get away with wearing shorts under the tights.

Why not just wear sweat pants?

I really like wearing my padded shorts underneath. I have skinny legs, and so the shorts underneath not only keep me warmer in very cold weather, but all my tights do not have a chamois, which I like the look of. So, for padding I just wear my shorts underneath.
Plus, on the days when the weather is weird and it suddenly gets warmer, I can take off my tights on the go, roll them up tightly and tuck in my jersey pocket if needed.

You can. But tights are generally more wind proof than sweat pants. They're made of wicking material. And generally they fit tightly around your legs so they're more aerodynamic (and no I don't have any wind tunnel studies to back this up :D)

And you lose serious OCP points for going with sweat pants. This, however, is not of vital importance to everyone.

Tights with padding need to be washed after every ride. The unpadded ones, worn over shorts can be worn multiple times between washes.

Woohooo, made that decision easy. Excellent point. I have to hand wash all my cycling stuff in Woolite.

Sweat pants are generally made of cotton and it holds water (sweat) like a sponge. The pants will feel heavy as you ride and you'll be very uncomfortable. And if the pants do get wet with sweat, you will get cold on cool/cold rides.
Cold legs (muscles) are a definite no-no for cyclists. Cold legs cramp easily.

Sweat pants bunch up around your crotch on long rides.

unpadded tights over shorts work well as Michael W says, and the second layer around the hips and crotch are nice for extra warmth. I have both and even will wear padded tights over shorts on cold days. Believe it or not, I have a pair of 25 year old wool tights that still get worn on occation.

And respectfully I have to disagree with late. Leg size is absolutely irrelevant. That's why shorts and tights come in different sizes to begin with.

Sweat pants just feel terrible on a bike, period. More material, more friction, less comfort.

"And respectfully I have to disagree with late. Leg size is absolutely irrelevant. That's why shorts and tights come in different sizes to begin with."

My legs pumped up are almost as big as my wife's waist. I used to hike, backpack, and lift weights. Maybe that works for you, but
I can guarantee you it didn't work for me.

Here's an alternative to traditional tights made by PI. I like 'em a lot, because they're so very comfortable. I realize they won't be everyone's cup of tea, but could be an alternative:
http://www.pearlizumi.com/product.ph...color_code=021

PS. I found them on sale at Performance awhile back. I'm sure you can get them lower than list.

Are these semi-tight? Not really loose but not skin tight? if so, I have a pair of Nike Dri-fit pants left over from my running days that are like these and I use them on the bike also. I like them. They are terrific and on REALLY cold days because you can wear regular tights or knee/leg warmers under them without feeling like you are being swallowed by a python.

Nice thing with non-chamois tights is you can use them for other things - running, hiking, xc-skiing. Amd you have a double layer on the top part.

The bad thing is that you get two waist bands on top of each other, which can be unconfortable - unless you use bib shorts.

i prefer non-padded tights, with my shorts over the top. just tobe different lol

(team kit)

One of the best investments I have made were some Pearl Izumi bib tights with a chamois. They don't slide down my butt. They truly are tight. And frankly, they are friendlier (in a supportive kind of way!) to my male parts (a.k.a. "the boys")

Interesting - never tried bib tights (though I want to get a pair), but I found in general shorts were more 'boy friendly' than bib shorts....but now that i've tried bibs in the last few years, I'll likely stick with them. Apart from the trouble down below, they work pretty well once you get used to the shoulder straps.

Actually, I understand your perspective. The bib tights tend to divide things down the middle, and that is a bit weird. But for me at least things aren't flopping all over the place. Just a matter of taste and comfort, I guess.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<I agree!!