Originally Posted by
Co1Ev
Make sure you get bibbed shorts - it's a nightmare having to pull your shorts up every ten minutes.
Also you don't really want to be wearing anything with padded shorts, both underneath or over (particularly on long rides!). They're designed to be in contact with the wearer's skin and as such any layers on top or below the shorts will bunch up and cause chafing. So it's commando every time, without question. Of course though, if it's just for a short commute and you have no changing facilities at work it might be a good idea to just not wear padded lycra. If it is only 13.5 km then I'd warrant that it's not really worth busting out the chamois, but it's up to you whether it's worth the hassle or not!
I don't usually wear padded on my commutes - today was just to test the new ones. I never wear anything underneath, but these I just got are boxers with padding, not shorts per se. So they need an outer layer.
Hmm, I'll need to find a solution to the outer layer then. I'm a baggy person (no puns...) and really hate/loathe to get of my bike for a quick pitstop and look like someone from Tour de France just made a wrong turn. My bike-shoes are also relaxed SPD compatible shoes that I can walk normally in and that doesn't look like bike-shoes at all. My preferable upper body outer layer is a cotton hoodie
I know.. I fall out of category, but that's just me
I say the above in general. For this metric century milestone I don't have larger issues with "full commando" - function over form. But for everything else I do prefer to look casual and not like someone "suited up".