Touring Underwear
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I've got 1 pair padded & 1 pair unpadded Andiamo undies; I use them under touring (cargo-type) shorts & they work pretty well. Also tried SmartWool, Champion etc. In the old days I used loose cotton boxer undies with touring shorts & I'm thinking about trying that again. Tight undies all seem to bunch up somewhat even w/o seams. For long rides padded shorts w/o undies seem to work best.
#28
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By the way, I no longer wear civilian-style underwear under my Andiamo padded shorts. These forums talked me out of that. I still do take really tattered old t-shirts and socks on overnight bike trips and throw them away when I take them off. Much better than stinking up my bags with them; plus, they get one more wearing before the hotel housekeepers (hopefully) turn them into rags.
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That said, yesterday I did a 100km ride in warm temps with touring shorts & Andiamo lined undies & was quite comfy. IME some lining/padding really helps prevent the fabric from bunching up in the crotch area & causing abrasion. As to wearing unlined undies underneath padded shorts, I dunno. Maybe OK for cooler Minnesota temps but in most US areas one would need to wash both undy & shorts daily.
#31
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Makes sense I guess; less layers to trap heat & perspiration & germs. The long pants have enough weight to minimize crotch-bunching.
That said, yesterday I did a 100km ride in warm temps with touring shorts & Andiamo lined undies & was quite comfy. IME some lining/padding really helps prevent the fabric from bunching up in the crotch area & causing abrasion. As to wearing unlined undies underneath padded shorts, I dunno. Maybe OK for cooler Minnesota temps but in most US areas one would need to wash both undy & shorts daily.
That said, yesterday I did a 100km ride in warm temps with touring shorts & Andiamo lined undies & was quite comfy. IME some lining/padding really helps prevent the fabric from bunching up in the crotch area & causing abrasion. As to wearing unlined undies underneath padded shorts, I dunno. Maybe OK for cooler Minnesota temps but in most US areas one would need to wash both undy & shorts daily.
And while my leather seats fit me really well, I could not ride them day after day without padding, or simply put, I appreciate the comfort that comes from my padded shorts on my sit bones thats for sure. I ride my bikes with normal clothes sometimes, and its fine, but just not for hours and hours and hours and day after day.
and this kind of touches on your last comment too, about riding in hot weather. I clearly remember riding in France when I was using the seamless undies underneath my padded bike shorts, and I was sweaty as all get out in hot weather, and the extra layer didnt help, and they would stay damp much longer than just padded shorts.
And yes, I soon realized it was really better to wash both, not a good idea to reuse the smelly sweated on padded shorts.
Now I realize that there are all kinds of padded shorts, the ones Ive used for many years are high end ones, and breath fairly well in the pad area, and clearly air out well at riding speed. It probably helps that as a slim fellow, I generally dont sweat buckets compared to others, so this helps me I'm sure along with the padded shorts characteristics.
#32
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I have always been a fan of exofficio. But duluth trading post armachillios are now my new favorite. Expensive but have lasted years. Still wearing the same two pairs i bought for when I hiked the Florida trail. That was over 2 years ago. I've taken the same 2 pairs on all my bike trips since then as well. Probably at least 4000 miles. I wear them at least once a week. There especially great for hot weather but I wear mine year round.
#33
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I didn't read through all of these posts, so this might have already been suggested. Aerotech makes a quality 8 panel cycling short designed for recumbent riders. Long length, strong durable fabric, with leg grippers (no riding up the legs), and no seams in the sit bone areas (although one does run straight up the asscrack, so make sure you pull them up straight!) I cant stand riding with a chamois, and use these shorts both on their own in the summer, as well as under other clothing when it gets colder out, and they are comfortable in all situations. Made in the USA, they hold up well, even on my Cambium saddles, which are probably as hard as anything on the fabric of shorts. I have multiple pairs of these, and get 5000+ miles out of a pair before i even think of retiring them. Looks like they are currently selling for $45, but they run sales multiple times each year.
Aerotech Unpadded Cycling Shorts
Aerotech Unpadded Cycling Shorts
Last edited by SalsaShark; 05-27-20 at 11:38 PM.
#34
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I have always been a fan of exofficio. But duluth trading post armachillios are now my new favorite. Expensive but have lasted years. Still wearing the same two pairs i bought for when I hiked the Florida trail. That was over 2 years ago. I've taken the same 2 pairs on all my bike trips since then as well. Probably at least 4000 miles. I wear them at least once a week. There especially great for hot weather but I wear mine year round.
From your username I gather you do a lot of backpacking.
When I was in college I started backapcking and was taught the ABC's (Anything But Cotton). I got on to Exofficio boxer briefs (space like boxers, tighter leg holes like briefs) for hiking in. When I started cycling in 2014 I wore the same and had no trouble with the fit of them, or positioning. Saddle is a Brooks Flyer Special, not padded but sprung. I let the saddle break in without padded shorts. I spent most of my first year cycling hammering out things to dial in and tune with my bike fitment, posture, etc. At one point as my fitness improved and I was going out further and further one of the limitations I hit was my ability to sit on the saddle for the time it took to ride the longer distances (north of 60 miles at that point). So that is when I decided to make the jump to padded bike shorts.
I have 2 bikes that I ride distance - my Disk Trucker with the Brooks on it and a stock Dahon Mariner D8. The saddle on the Dahon is comfortable for me - padded. If I am riding 10 miles or under I don't put padded shorts on. I'll ride it in normal casual clothes. I have done the same on the Disk Trucker but if I am in a position to ride a bike casually its usually not the bike that is with me - its the folding Dahon.
I have 3 pairs of Canari cycling shorts now. I got 2 more pairs of the same ones I got a few years back (or closest redesign of them) last year in preparation for a tour that fizzled. I took a few people's advice and didn't go "cheap". The pair I got worked well so I figured they were worth getting more of. Maybe I'll try some others just to try them going forward, but if something works already why change it up?
I have since added chamois cream to my arsenal as well. If I am riding back-to-back days I'll use it. On some longer day trips I may also, but not generally unless I am hitting miles on consecutive days. If I'm doing shorter rides (under 30mi or so) back-to-back I may not.
https://www.chamoisbuttr.com/
#35
Banned
Me, Bike shorts while riding Underwear for off the bike sightseeing off the bike, walking & trousers too..
so, I bring underwear in my panniers , but for riding my base layer is bike shorts.
...
so, I bring underwear in my panniers , but for riding my base layer is bike shorts.
...
Last edited by fietsbob; 06-14-20 at 09:47 PM.
#36
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Hello,
Yes, I do do a lot of hiking when I can. Im doing less hiking and more bike touring now though. I cover more ground with less aches and pains.
As for coming across this thread? It is the 3rd one down when I click on touring. I am completely new to this sight or any forum for that matter. I look through it mostly on my phone. Since you pointed it out I've been looking and a lot of what I'm reading is a year old. I dont know if theres something I need to change in settings? Also I can only view about 1 out of 10 pics that people have posted. I just get a square that says image. I use a pretty cheap samsung android phone.
Yes, I do do a lot of hiking when I can. Im doing less hiking and more bike touring now though. I cover more ground with less aches and pains.
As for coming across this thread? It is the 3rd one down when I click on touring. I am completely new to this sight or any forum for that matter. I look through it mostly on my phone. Since you pointed it out I've been looking and a lot of what I'm reading is a year old. I dont know if theres something I need to change in settings? Also I can only view about 1 out of 10 pics that people have posted. I just get a square that says image. I use a pretty cheap samsung android phone.
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On a lot of older threads, there are missing images because they were removed, it depends in part on where people initially posted their photos. They may have been initially posted to a photo sharing site that now charges a fee to maintain them.
#38
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As for coming across this thread? It is the 3rd one down when I click on touring. I am completely new to this sight or any forum for that matter. I look through it mostly on my phone. Since you pointed it out I've been looking and a lot of what I'm reading is a year old. I dont know if theres something I need to change in settings? Also I can only view about 1 out of 10 pics that people have posted. I just get a square that says image. I use a pretty cheap samsung android phone.
It is commonly recommended to search if people have questions to see what there is existing in the forum database already on particular subjects. You weren't seemingly asking a question for more information on the same subject, rather you were answering what was already there - that happened to be over a year old. So your explanation makes some sense as to how that came to be - the "odd" post for those of us not lost in the matrix.
As to why your browser glitched and reshuffled threads - that would be interesting to know. As far as I know the sorting convention is done chronologically based on the last post to a thread - freshest on top. The exception are posts that are set as "stickies" - they "stick" to the top of the list so they are easy to find at the top.
#40
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I tried several sports underwear in the past 2 years while searching for one that was truly seamless on the sit area. The best one out of the ones I tried was Craft active Comfort Boxers. Back and underside has no seams. A regular continuous seam in between the inner thigh which crosses over behind the crotch and perineum but in front and between the sit bones by about 3cm distance away. Flat seam on the front crotch panel. Elastic band on the legs with flat seam. Elastic waist band with normal seam. Material is very soft and stretchy. No itchy or scratchy. A little warm on greater than 25 Celsius days. The long leg version is identical in construction and comfortable on colder days as base layer under trousers.
The fuseknit version is more scratchy, although seems to be more breathable.
They're usually $20 a pair but I bought them when sometimes Amazon had it at $12. Usually the swedish blue version. I wear medium with a 37 inch waist. The elastic bands on waist and legs so stretch a little after several wash cycles. Oh the Craft website doesn't list the active comfort Boxers anymore. I think they're replaced by the fuseknit version. But you can still find them on various retailers.
The fuseknit version is more scratchy, although seems to be more breathable.
They're usually $20 a pair but I bought them when sometimes Amazon had it at $12. Usually the swedish blue version. I wear medium with a 37 inch waist. The elastic bands on waist and legs so stretch a little after several wash cycles. Oh the Craft website doesn't list the active comfort Boxers anymore. I think they're replaced by the fuseknit version. But you can still find them on various retailers.
Last edited by tomtomtom123; 06-04-20 at 08:35 PM.
#41
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You can also buy bicycling specific undershorts with a chamois, and those can be worn under almost any garment.
Example. Unfortunately like so many items MEC used to sell these are no longer available. However they are available elsewhere. You just have to search for them.
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5035-5...g-Liner-Shorts
Cheers
Example. Unfortunately like so many items MEC used to sell these are no longer available. However they are available elsewhere. You just have to search for them.
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5035-5...g-Liner-Shorts
Description
ShowDescriptionDon't keep this Ace up your sleeve, but under your favourite shorts or pants. The moisture-wicking, stretchy fabric, flat-locked seams and chamois will enhance your riding comfort when worn under mountain bike shorts, jeans or commuting trousers.- Made of polyester jersey with 15% spandex for great stretch and excellent memory.
- Durable wicking finish has a smooth surface and manages moisture for a comfortable ride.
- Chamois uses 2D category pads rated for medium distance rides. Centre is 3mm open-cell foam, the perimeter is 2mm, and the whole things has an antimicrobial finish.
- 4-panel construction for a good, sleek fit.
- Low-profile elastic waist reduces bulk.
- Flat-locked seams eliminate chafing.
- Gripper elastic in legs keeps them from rolling up
Cheers
#42
Senior Member
I wear padded shorts, because I have an hard arsed seat, that only annoys me when riding it, not enjoyable to ride with, but no side effects from it. But if I just wear normal shorts or long pants, I go commando, and have done since 1975, after the first 12 months in the Armed forces, and I would sweat and chafe, after long marches. In 75' I just stopped wearing underwear. The only downside to this is when you have an accident, and they have to cut your pants away, everybody can see your privates, but other than that, I enjoy not wearing underclothes..
Last edited by ricrunner; 06-09-20 at 01:56 AM. Reason: Spelling
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#45
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That's Where Underwear Comes In
My bike shorts have never been padded,, ever since the wool & sheepskin chamois era .. early 70's ..
but have had a liner panel of what is now a quick drying synthetic .. but no padding behind it...
the saddle may be leather.. its not padded either..
I did bring underwear on my bike tours.... and regular pants, for sightseeing & hanging out all day ..
..
but have had a liner panel of what is now a quick drying synthetic .. but no padding behind it...
the saddle may be leather.. its not padded either..
I did bring underwear on my bike tours.... and regular pants, for sightseeing & hanging out all day ..
..
#46
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I wear my Highland clan's tartan kilt then ..
..
..
Last edited by fietsbob; 06-14-20 at 10:38 PM.
#47
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I tried several sports underwear in the past 2 years while searching for one that was truly seamless on the sit area. The best one out of the ones I tried was Craft active Comfort Boxers. Back and underside has no seams. A regular continuous seam in between the inner thigh which crosses over behind the crotch and perineum but in front and between the sit bones by about 3cm distance away. Flat seam on the front crotch panel. Elastic band on the legs with flat seam. Elastic waist band with normal seam. Material is very soft and stretchy. No itchy or scratchy. A little warm on greater than 25 Celsius days. The long leg version is identical in construction and comfortable on colder days as base layer under trousers.
The fuseknit version is more scratchy, although seems to be more breathable.
They're usually $20 a pair but I bought them when sometimes Amazon had it at $12. Usually the swedish blue version. I wear medium with a 37 inch waist. The elastic bands on waist and legs so stretch a little after several wash cycles. Oh the Craft website doesn't list the active comfort Boxers anymore. I think they're replaced by the fuseknit version. But you can still find them on various retailers.
The fuseknit version is more scratchy, although seems to be more breathable.
They're usually $20 a pair but I bought them when sometimes Amazon had it at $12. Usually the swedish blue version. I wear medium with a 37 inch waist. The elastic bands on waist and legs so stretch a little after several wash cycles. Oh the Craft website doesn't list the active comfort Boxers anymore. I think they're replaced by the fuseknit version. But you can still find them on various retailers.
#48
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Thanks, looking to try those--I see both the fuseknit & Active Comfort on the Craft site. I've tried several brands of undies that look OK for cycling but they either bunch up or have uncomfortable seams. Also, I see Craft has bike (padded) versions of the the fuseknit & Active Comfort.
I also tried many padded shorts and had difficulty finding one that worked for me. The best I could find for me was the assos equipe s7 and s9, but I cut something like 7 to 9cm of the tip of the inner foam padding because I need less material and more loose space in the crotch area. I thought I made a post about it but I can't find it. S7 has bigger crotch space but the fabric in front is thicker and bunches a little. S9 is thinner in front so is a little cooler but the space is a little smaller. I also tried the centos version and it is much cooler because of the thin breathable material in front but the front is too tight for me when walking or sitting up, especially with the extra stitch seams. In general the assos will feel warmer for me because of the multiple layers.
#49
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I did try the padded version of the active comfort but I don't remember how it was because it was a long time ago. But I think it wasn't a good fit for me because padding causes a completely different set of requirements, although everyone will be different.
I also tried many padded shorts and had difficulty finding one that worked for me. The best I could find for me was the assos equipe s7 and s9, but I cut something like 7 to 9cm of the tip of the inner foam padding because I need less material and more loose space in the crotch area. I thought I made a post about it but I can't find it. S7 has bigger crotch space but the fabric in front is thicker and bunches a little. S9 is thinner in front so is a little cooler but the space is a little smaller. I also tried the centos version and it is much cooler because of the thin breathable material in front but the front is too tight for me when walking or sitting up, especially with the extra stitch seams. In general the assos will feel warmer for me because of the multiple layers.
I also tried many padded shorts and had difficulty finding one that worked for me. The best I could find for me was the assos equipe s7 and s9, but I cut something like 7 to 9cm of the tip of the inner foam padding because I need less material and more loose space in the crotch area. I thought I made a post about it but I can't find it. S7 has bigger crotch space but the fabric in front is thicker and bunches a little. S9 is thinner in front so is a little cooler but the space is a little smaller. I also tried the centos version and it is much cooler because of the thin breathable material in front but the front is too tight for me when walking or sitting up, especially with the extra stitch seams. In general the assos will feel warmer for me because of the multiple layers.
assos stuff is pretty pricey, but they certainly are really well m made and have stayed in great shape after mucho mucho washings. I nearly always gently hand wash them to take the best care of them.
#50
Senior Member
When a local bike shop went out of business last year, I impulsively bought a case of twelve sets of my favorite Andiamo biking undershorts (Size L/White) during their Going Out Of Business sale. I'll never use them all, so if anybody is interested in five pairs for $50 + shipping (they are marked $23.99 each and I have paid as much as $27), let me know.