gugie 

I go into a store for lycra cycling shorts. Everything I find is thick as a diaper down under. I can find real chamois shorts online, but it's too much work to keep the chamois soft after washing. When they came out with synthetic chamois in the 70's I was happy. Now everything is some sort of engineered shock absorber, which does nothing for comfort, and makes me feel like a non-potty trained toddler when I walk in them.

I have a couple of pair of "touring" shorts that come with diapers. I chuck the diapers and keep the shorts for the convenience of pockets, and to look normal when I walk in to a store. The lycra shorts underneath are to keep my bits tucked up. The synthetic chamois gives a smooth surface so as not to rub me raw.

My current supply is about all worn out.

Kucharik only has padding and real chamois now.

And yes, I've tried the "new and improved" ones with various types of padding. No more comfort, too much useless padding.

steelbikeguy

I completely agree! Give me a pair of shorts with a thin synthetic chamois and I'm happy. The trend towards thick pads just drives me nuts.... although I find that it's not a problem while riding.

My preferred shorts, until a year or two ago, was a pair of triathlon shorts from Voler. Many tri-shorts have thin pads, presumably in order to dry out faster and not be a problem while running. Tri-shorts often have shorter legs, but Voler sold a version with "normal" length legs, and these were great! Naturally, they quit selling them.

Since then, the best I can find is a pair from Aerotech Designs. The padding is pretty thin, which is good. The material used in the rest of the shorts is also pretty thin, which I'm not as fond of. They feel like they fit loose and the elastic in the lycra is old and weak. I can live with it, though.

I've bought the latest tri-shorts from Voler, and my main complaint is that the back of the shorts is cut low. Weird. Haven't tried them in warm weather yet. Maybe my jerseys are long enough to avoid plumber's crack syndrome? For now, they work okay under tights.

I've also purchased a nice pair of tri-shorts from Sugoi. The legs seemed long enough in the store, but I find that they ride up a lot while cycling. I'm gonna need some extra sunscreen on the legs when I wear these.

So, all in all, I'd still love to find a decent pair of shorts with a thin pad that doesn't suffer from some other annoying flaw.


Steve in Peoria, feeling more and more like a grumpy old man.

The Golden Boy 

Sshh, dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it.

degan

Its funny, the same people will laugh at someone with a big comfy seat on their bike while they have enough padding in their shorts to make them look like they're diapers are full.

gugie 

+1

Exactly!

Salamandrine 

I hear you on that. I don't need no stupid padding in my shorts either. It is ridiculous and counterproductive. It must be good for marketing to cycling newbies. I the good old days, only fairly dedicated cyclists would bother with actual cycle clothing, and they rode enough to toughen up the rear.

I'd halfway considered getting some Kuchariks with real chamois too. The main trick with old chamois shorts was people simply didn't wash them that often. Gross I know. Usually you had a couple pairs that rotated and aired out between use. Aloe vera and sunlight helped to keep the bacteria count down.

gugie 

I found these at the Voler site. They have less Spam (3mm) than others. I'll give 'em a tri.

Get off of my lawn!

squirtdad

link to voler pad tech details.....I have had good luck with voler products https://www.voler.com/browse/tech?t=Pad

and link to their tri pad details https://www.voler.com/browse/tech?k=PAD-SYNC

Salamandrine 

Voler look interesting, but no bib version rules it out for me. What exactly are they talking about when they say "ride time"? If I wanted to ride say, 12 hours, it's not allowed??? Is it simply a cynical ploy to get people to buy several pairs of shorts?

steelbikeguy

Those have the same chamois as the pair that I purchased, and it's not bad at all.

The shorts that were/are too low in the back are the "Elite" model, which I don't see on the Voler site now. Let us know how the "Propel" model compares.

BTW, I'm going to have to ask the moderators to keep an eye on you after that "I'll give 'em a tri" pun!


Steve in Peoria

masi61

The synthetic pad in these says it is only good for 1.5 hours of comfort. If you go back to the Voler site and look for shorts with the “Orion” pad you will see that it says it provides comfort for 6 hours (check for specific shorts that use this pad). They are padded yes but it is fairly thin and well engineered with different densities underneath a smooth, 4 way stretch top. It is also a bit larger than your standard pad so that there is less risk of pinching or chafing in the front. Call it a diaper if it makes you feel better, but really your diaper argument is about 20 years too late - sorry. Yes, better shorts are going to cost more but once you find which ones work for you then you’re there.

gugie 

Marketing gobbledygook. Longest I've ever been sat on a saddle is ~15 hrs. The marketing guys would tell me I'd be ripped to shreds with the shorts I wore at the time.

I know that the padded shorts won't hurt while I'm riding. I just don't see the point in them. If padding were the thing that made us more comfortable, Brooks would be out of the saddle business.

Chafing, that's what hurts me. Smooth surface near the tender bits, no seams on them, and some Bag Balm strategically placed has gotten me through the last 4+ decades of riding, and amazingly, without any super engineered, padded shorts to help out.

It's right up there with "stiffer frames are better" and "skinnier tires are faster". It sounds right, seems right intuitively, but just doesn't pan out in the real world.

gugie 

My favorite riding pants were some bib shorts (with a synthetic chamois, no padding!) that have mysteriously disappeared. The only down side is more difficult bathroom breaks.

non-fixie 

I have two pairs of classic wool shorts with real chamois for C&V events (which are quite comfortable, BTW) and stopped bothering with modern cycling gear. In most cases I'll just wear whatever I'm wearing that day, as long as nothing gets in the way of my chain. Which mostly means jeans in winter and shorts in summer.

I just hope that bell bottoms don't become fashionable again.

cdmurphy

I'm right there with you regarding the padded shorts. With a good Brooks saddle, you don't really need any padding, just abrasion protection.

I've tried the Aerotech Pro shorts, and have been reasonably satisfied with them. Their chamois is only about 3/16" thick, and doesn't seem to add much bulk. They XL size doesn't fit me all that well though. (I may need a smaller pair.) I'm 5'11, 190lbs. They're pretty tight, but the crotch seems too low. Maybe I just need a higher waist??

I've recently picked up two pairs of Boure Elite bibs. (Their bib shorts, and their thermal bib knickers) I'm really impressed -- their large fits me very well, and the fabric seems to be tougher than that on the Aerotech shorts. Their Elite chamois is very similar to the Aerotech Pro's - maybe a touch thinner, and seems to offer more coverage up front. I like the slightly improved padding they offer over boxer briefs and nylon shorts, without any of the diaper feeling off the bike, or pressure on non-contact areas. They're definitely a bit retro looking in terms of design and materials, but by all accounts are very durable. They're not cheap, but not up there with the Raphas and Assos' of the world either. It's too early to tell how durable they will be, but I have high hopes. (Their design is pretty much unchanged from the late 90's, and others have reported very good life from theirs.) I would imagine their shorts would be similar, other than the shorts vs. bibs aspect of waist elastic.

cdmurphy

Generally, "Ride Time" equals pad thickness, or in some cases cost. It's the manufacturers opinion as to how long an average rider with a bottom coddled by modern shorts on an uncomfortable saddle would want to ride. Think of it as a relative padding scale, for whatever that is worth.

gugie 

Good knowledge, I'll add them to my list.

Edit: I ordered a pair!

Salamandrine 

OK. Thanks. Suspected that must be the thinking, but wasn't sure.

IME the longer the ride, the more thick padding becomes annoying, which basically is the opposite of what they are saying. Therefore I was confused.

Shimagnolo

Another vote for Aerotech Pro: https://www.aerotechdesigns.com/mens...ike-short.html

noglider 

And for me, the "diaper" does fill up with sweat. It's so misguided when people refer to the crotch as padding. That's not how it originated.

TiHabanero

I still use a pair of Boure bibs I bought in 1997. The chamois is synthetic, very thin and is now worn almost all the way through. The legs no long hold tight, but the things are really comfy. I am very interested in another pair, but the new chamois are much different. Can you take a picture of the the chamois in your Elite shorts and put it up so we can see it?

gugie 

TMI guys!

79pmooney

Actually the shorts manufacturers are just a small step ahead of us. They are readying us for the next stage in life when we will be wearing the real thing.

I've ridden the WNBR. I know the amount of padding I need is - zero.

Ben

davester

When did this whole "padded shorts" thing start, anyway? None of the shorts I've bought in the past have padding and I recently had to buy some new bike shorts and all I could find was heavily padded diaperized versions. Since that was all that was available I bought them...and hate them. With a Brooks or similar high quality saddles they are totally unnecessary. I think this stems from most new bikes these days coming with horribly uncomfortable saddles. My biking friends with fancy lightweight carbon bikes all have very high-tech-looking but horribly uncomfortable hard plastic seats with minimal padding. They look cool, they weigh very little, and are inexpensive but as things to sit on they are all fails.

Andy_K 

So you're worried about how your butt looks when you get off the bike?