Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Mountain Biking
Reload this Page >

Going from Roadbiking to MTB--shorts?

Notices
Mountain Biking Mountain biking is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Check out this forum to discuss the latest tips, tricks, gear and equipment in the world of mountain biking.

Going from Roadbiking to MTB--shorts?

Old 04-09-20, 03:25 PM
  #1  
Swede1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 34

Bikes: 2016 Ghost Panamao X3 Hybrid 2017 Specialized Roubaix Comp

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 2 Posts
Going from Roadbiking to MTB--shorts?

Hi all,

Now that I settled on a MTB (thanks for the input) I need to figure out the "what to wear" question. I got into cycling (started with my hybrid) as a form of exercise that I really enjoyed, and still today the best advice from this forum was in the importance of picking the right bike shorts. My first few weeks was marred by chafing etc., and I still remember the bliss on going on my first long ride, and the only pain was the burning quads.

Ok, I have noted that folks wear different stuff on the trails. Makes sense from a protection stand-point. Do standard MTB shorts come with chamois and material to prevent chafing, or do you actually wear (road) bike shorts/ bibs underneath? Or is this built in? Is there a brand that can't fail?

Silly question perhaps......
Swede1 is offline  
Old 04-09-20, 03:55 PM
  #2  
2cam16
Senior Member
 
2cam16's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: San Mateo,Ca.
Posts: 4,350

Bikes: TRIMMED DOWN THE HERD

Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1089 Post(s)
Liked 928 Times in 594 Posts
All my mtb shorts come with built-in chamois.
2cam16 is offline  
Old 04-09-20, 05:09 PM
  #3  
bikeme
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Sunny so. cal.
Posts: 904
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 136 Post(s)
Liked 57 Times in 31 Posts
When I train or race XC, I wear what would considered a roadie kit. When I'm fun riding my mtb and want extra pocket storage, I just wear mtb baggie shorts over a pair of roadie shorts or bibs. I find that quality bike shorts/bibs are so much more comfortable than liners sold with most baggies. For instance, I buy Troy Lee Designs shorts as a "shell" (w/o their liner) and wear my road ones under instead.
bikeme is offline  
Old 04-09-20, 06:12 PM
  #4  
bikeaddiction1
Full Member
 
bikeaddiction1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Calgary Alberta
Posts: 345

Bikes: Many

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 114 Post(s)
Liked 80 Times in 50 Posts
Most mountain bike shorts, whether the have their own padded liner, or if you wear them over a liner or road shorts, are abrasion resistant, where road spandex will easily snag on racks and branches.
bikeaddiction1 is offline  
Old 04-09-20, 07:25 PM
  #5  
Kapusta
Advanced Slacker
 
Kapusta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6,187

Bikes: Soma Fog Cutter, Surly Wednesday, Canfielld Tilt

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2749 Post(s)
Liked 2,516 Times in 1,422 Posts
Functionally, your road shorts are perfectly fine for MTB.

Baggies (chamois liner with a baggie shell) are mostly a fashion thing. And that’s fine - I tend to wear them for MTB myself. But in my experience there is zero functional benefit.

Baggies have pockets, which can be nice.

in theory they might give some more protection, but in practice I’ve used both for almost 20 years and have not noticed a difference in this regard.
Kapusta is offline  
Old 04-09-20, 08:35 PM
  #6  
Russ Roth
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: South Shore of Long Island
Posts: 2,762

Bikes: 2010 Carrera Volans, 2015 C-Dale Trail 2sl, 2017 Raleigh Rush Hour, 2017 Blue Proseccio, 1992 Giant Perigee, 80s Gitane Rallye Tandem

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1073 Post(s)
Liked 999 Times in 710 Posts
Road shorts with my regular cargo shorts over top for me. I like the pockets that button so I don't lose keys or phone and the comfort they have. I find mtb specific shorts are expensive while only being a little lighter while cargo shorts cost 20-25 at Kohls, Sears, etc and last a long time.
Russ Roth is offline  
Old 04-09-20, 10:17 PM
  #7  
Happy Feet
Senior Member
 
Happy Feet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Left Coast, Canada
Posts: 5,126
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2236 Post(s)
Liked 1,313 Times in 706 Posts
Originally Posted by bikeaddiction1
Most mountain bike shorts, whether the have their own padded liner, or if you wear them over a liner or road shorts, are abrasion resistant, where road spandex will easily snag on racks and branches.
I'll second that. You can definitely wear bib type shorts but if they are expensive you may want to protect the thin spandex they are usually made of.

Sort of depends on how long you are riding too. If it's short duration you don't really need padding but it's nice if you put in a lot of time, just like a road bike.

Another thing to consider is choosing a well fitted pair of shorts/bibs. You tend to come off the seat and position behind the saddle more often during a ride and a loose crotch can snag annoyingly on the saddle.
Happy Feet is offline  
Old 04-10-20, 08:11 AM
  #8  
bikeaddiction1
Full Member
 
bikeaddiction1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Calgary Alberta
Posts: 345

Bikes: Many

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 114 Post(s)
Liked 80 Times in 50 Posts
Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Another thing to consider is choosing a well fitted pair of shorts/bibs. You tend to come off the seat and position behind the saddle more often during a ride and a loose crotch can snag annoyingly on the saddle.
This is an important point. I have been with riders who used gym shorts or hiking shorts who snag the crotch on the seat as you point out. I have even seen a wipe out caused by this. It is a helpless feeling to try to move forward onto your seat and your shorts are hooked under the back of the seat. Over shorts designed for biking are cut so this does not happen. They are actually designed and cut for a riding position.
bikeaddiction1 is offline  
Old 04-10-20, 09:07 AM
  #9  
prj71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: North Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,601
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2965 Post(s)
Liked 1,167 Times in 763 Posts
Wear mountain bike shorts over your spandex type bike shorts. Offers a little more protection if you happen to take a fall or branch reaches out and catches them. Good chance a fall could rip the spandex bike shorts to the point where they won't stay on. Plus you don't want to look like a roadie on the trail.

Also baggy shorts around the bottom are a bad idea. Can get caught on things on the bike or trail. Best to get a little tighter form fitting mountain bike short.


https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mountain+...f=nb_sb_noss_2
prj71 is offline  
Old 04-10-20, 10:23 AM
  #10  
Canker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,743
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 329 Post(s)
Liked 209 Times in 133 Posts
The only real rule is if you are wearing knee pads YOU HAVE TO WEAR BAGGIE SHORTS .

If it is really hot out I don't even mind breaking that rule. I pretty much only wear roadie jerseys, they breath better.
Canker is offline  
Old 04-10-20, 12:39 PM
  #11  
ZIPP2001
Life Is Good
 
ZIPP2001's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Central Massachusetts
Posts: 1,695

Bikes: Zipp2001 Carbon Belt Drive SS, Kestrel RT900SL, Kestrel KM40 Airfoil 1x10, Orbea Occam H30, Trek Stache 5 29 Plus, Giant Yukon 2 Fat Bike

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 277 Post(s)
Liked 867 Times in 443 Posts
Sill wearing my road kit when I hit the woods.
ZIPP2001 is offline  
Old 04-13-20, 07:58 PM
  #12  
frankenmike 
mechanically sound
 
frankenmike's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Dover, NH
Posts: 1,606

Bikes: Indy Fab steel deluxe, Aventon cordoba, S-works stumpy fsr, Masi vincere, Dahon mu uno, Outcast 29 commuter

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 100 Post(s)
Liked 84 Times in 53 Posts
I wear the same stuff road and mtb. Only difference is the camelbak and shoes.
__________________
frankenmike is offline  
Likes For frankenmike:
Old 04-13-20, 08:39 PM
  #13  
big john
Senior Member
 
big john's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: In the foothills of Los Angeles County
Posts: 25,107
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8191 Post(s)
Liked 8,851 Times in 4,396 Posts
Originally Posted by frankenmike
I wear the same stuff road and mtb. Only difference is the camelbak and shoes.
Me too.
big john is offline  
Likes For big john:
Old 04-14-20, 12:53 PM
  #14  
Swede1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 34

Bikes: 2016 Ghost Panamao X3 Hybrid 2017 Specialized Roubaix Comp

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 2 Posts
Thank you all...ordered a pair of MTB shorts too feel it out.
Swede1 is offline  
Old 04-14-20, 02:33 PM
  #15  
davei1980
Very Slow Rider
 
davei1980's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: E Wa
Posts: 1,274

Bikes: Jones Plus LWB, 1983 Centurion Japanese CrMo bike

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 500 Post(s)
Liked 132 Times in 101 Posts
Originally Posted by bikeaddiction1
This is an important point. I have been with riders who used gym shorts or hiking shorts who snag the crotch on the seat as you point out. I have even seen a wipe out caused by this. It is a helpless feeling to try to move forward onto your seat and your shorts are hooked under the back of the seat. Over shorts designed for biking are cut so this does not happen. They are actually designed and cut for a riding position.
This is a really good point, but I ride with road bibs only or, when it's cold, with a pair of tights underneath. They're form-fitting so nothing to snag. Would not dream of wearing my normal weekend shorts even for a just for fun ride
davei1980 is offline  
Old 04-17-20, 12:22 PM
  #16  
VS3
Senior Member
 
VS3's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Colorado
Posts: 68

Bikes: Medici Pro Strada, Aventon Cordoba, Trek Verve2, State Bicycle Pardi Boi

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 15 Post(s)
Liked 8 Times in 7 Posts
Some good advice here. Thank you OP for posting. I too am thinking about going from road to mountain.
VS3 is offline  
Old 04-23-20, 02:24 PM
  #17  
c_m_shooter
Senior Member
 
c_m_shooter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Paradise, TX
Posts: 2,087

Bikes: Soma Pescadero, Surly Pugsley, Salsa Fargo, Schwinn Klunker, Gravity SS 27.5, Monocog 29er

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 186 Post(s)
Liked 234 Times in 166 Posts
Road shorts are fine until you take spill or snag some barbwire and have to ride home show more of you anatomy than some people want to see. Just throw some cheap box store cargo shorts over them.
c_m_shooter is offline  
Old 04-23-20, 03:26 PM
  #18  
rosefarts
With a mighty wind
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 2,555
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1073 Post(s)
Liked 841 Times in 475 Posts
I'm in the same boat as you. I actually just got my first real mountain bike in 20 years.

I only have bibs. I did order some sale baggies but the bibs with plain ol shorts seem fine.

I think the dropper may have been invented partially to allow one to wear casual looking clothes. When I'm way behind my seat, there is a little fear I'll get stuck there. Less fear though when I'm dressed like a roadie.
rosefarts is offline  
Old 04-23-20, 07:01 PM
  #19  
commo_soulja
Senior Member
 
commo_soulja's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: C-Ville
Posts: 1,250

Bikes: are fun to ride

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 33 Post(s)
Liked 34 Times in 22 Posts
Just get some MTB shell baggy shorts and wear them over your roadie shorts/bibs. When I ride to the local brewery, I wear bibs under regular cotton cargo shorts so I don't look like a bike geek.
commo_soulja is offline  
Old 04-24-20, 07:45 AM
  #20  
Sertsa
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 174
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 61 Post(s)
Liked 164 Times in 67 Posts
I'm new to riding again after a long layoff, but I've been using padded liners. As most days are still very cool where I live--it still snows often--I've been using them with track pants tucked into my socks. For me the liners have been very helpful while allowing flexibility for wearing other clothes. (I'm also somewhat hesitant to go the shorts route when it does warm up, as I'm self-conscious about scars and the need to wear a compression sock on one leg).
Sertsa is offline  
Old 04-26-20, 10:45 PM
  #21  
Swede1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 34

Bikes: 2016 Ghost Panamao X3 Hybrid 2017 Specialized Roubaix Comp

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 2 Posts
Definitely good advice here. I noticed immediately that having loose stuff around the crotch area is not good, definitely snagged a few times.

I purchased shorts that came with a liner, but realized that the fit for the liner is much looser than my regular shorts, so now I have been wearing the regular bib underneath.
Swede1 is offline  
Old 04-27-20, 01:02 PM
  #22  
Daspydyr 
Pedals, Paddles and Poles
 
Daspydyr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Vegas Valley, NV
Posts: 5,495

Bikes: Santa Cruz Tallboy, Ridley Noah, Scott Spark 20

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1233 Post(s)
Liked 69 Times in 58 Posts
I ride both fat and skinny tires. Riding is great all the way around.

I use my road shorts under a pair of cargo shorts. I buy most of them from Costco. Its important to get flat sewn seams so they don't run you raw. Between Cargo shorts and my camelback, I can carry all kinds of junk with me. My motto is "It's better the have and not need, than to need and not have it." Plus I am always find tools and crap on rides.
__________________
I think its disgusting and terrible how people treat Lance Armstrong, especially after winning 7 Tour de France Titles while on drugs!

I can't even find my bike when I'm on drugs. -Willie N.
Daspydyr is offline  
Old 05-01-20, 08:12 AM
  #23  
prj71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: North Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,601
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2965 Post(s)
Liked 1,167 Times in 763 Posts
Originally Posted by ZIPP2001
Sill wearing my road kit when I hit the woods.
And you look like a dork doing it.
prj71 is offline  
Old 05-02-20, 06:34 AM
  #24  
marcw
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 59
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
it might be me, i do not like seeing skin tight clothing on the trails.
marcw is offline  
Old 05-05-20, 12:57 PM
  #25  
prj71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: North Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,601
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2965 Post(s)
Liked 1,167 Times in 763 Posts
Originally Posted by marcw
it might be me, i do not like seeing skin tight clothing on the trails.
Trust me. It's not you. We call those people dirt roadies.
prj71 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.