StephD99

This past weekend my girlfriend and I did our first long distance ride. 200km over two days, camping.

All went well.. except.. well.. our bums are SOOOOOOO SORE. That last 50km yesterday was brutal. We basically just wore normal sport shorts. Our seats are a local Montreal brand. Normally very comfortable. 150km later, I didn't want to even bike to work this morning.

We balked on spending money on cycling shorts, but I think we were wrong. Very wrong.

A friend who does some long distance cycling said we were crazy no to have biking shorts. And we need to wear them without underwear.

But.. and this is the awkward part, does that mean we need a pair for every day we ride? We are heading on a 4 day trip in September, and 4 x biking shorts = $$$$$$$

What do most ladies do? Same shorts, day in, day out, and just deal?

deapee

Yes you should wear cycling shorts and a clean pair each time you get on the bike.
Wearing nothing is probably better than wearing dirty cycling shorts.

That being said, there is a super secret, ladies-only top secret secret compartmentalized information forum that you can get access to. But I don't know how, I'm a guy.

MixedRider

If you don't ride a lot, the bike seat will hurt after riding distance. Regardless if man or woman, wearing padded shorts or not.

Correct, no underwear while wearing padded shorts will reduce shafing.

As a male, I do ride with some padding in my shorts if over 15 miles. I do ride over 20miles per day on average just for training purposes, so my tolerance of being on a bike seat is pretty high.

Four days of riding, you could get by with less pairs if you wash a couple after two days on the road. Go to your local store and shop online. Some good deals are to be found if you know what works for you.

pdlamb

In reverse order, you don't need four pairs of cycling shorts apiece to ride four days. Two apiece will let you wash them out after each day's ride and let them dry overnight or the next day.


Now, are cycling shorts NECESSARY? Probably not, although they are very nice. Going from a commute distance (10-30 km per day?) to 100 km each of two successive days is a shock to the tush. You'll do well to work your way up to perhaps 75 km rides every week (Saturday or Sunday) between now and this fall. You may still be stiff, but you can do it!

Steve0000

If the soreness was from chafing, then cycling shorts should help if you don't wear underwear as well (no seams to chafe). Two pairs should be enough if you wash the shorts at the end of the day. They may be dry by the next day or you can dry them on the bike as you cycle. At worst, I have worn damp shorts but at least they were clean.

If the soreness is from bruising from the seats, then a combination of different seats and wearing shorts may be the solution. We suffered from sore rears until we changed seats to Brooks saddles. Problem gone. Some of the problem may also be that you are not used to cycling such distances and your rears have not aclimatised to the seats. Shorter distances and time on the bike solves this.

momsonherbike

Doing a search of the Women's Forum, the answer is all over the map. Seems like every woman's comfort level in shorts is different, as is the type of seat to prevent a sore rear over long distances.

What was agreed upon for a multiday trip is this: have two to three pairs of shorts, change out each day, and on long century days change midday to a clean pair. Wash the used pair every night. No underwear for padded shorts.

I have padded but find I prefer simple jogging shorts. Time off the bike at rest stops really does help significantly.

Squeezebox

male here. I've never used chamois cream. Any comments about said product.
I agree 2 pr of shorts. wear damp if necc. Diaper rash cream of some sort for chaffing. on and off the bicycle maybe. People's sit bones are different, get a seat fitting when you think you need it.

StephD99

Thanks everyone. Helpful to know what others do. I like the 2 pairs idea, and wash one every night. We are camping, but if we can wash dishes, we can wash a pair of shorts.

As for distance riding, guilty as charged. I'm a city biker and commuter. I bike about 20km - 30km every day in commuting, but three 10 km rides was very different then 2-days at 100km each. We learned our lesson and will be trying to do a few 50-75 km rides before our big trip, literally to only build up bum resistance!

I was most nervous about exhaustion and not being able to peddle that long.. never even occurred to me that my failing point would be my tush.

Thanks for your tips!

indyfabz

Did numerous tours with the now ex-GF. She would bring two pair of shorts and two short sleeve jerseys. (So did I.) If there is a shower, you can wash them out while you shower and hang them to dry. I typically shower right after setting up the tent. That provides more drying time than waiting until later. If things don't dry out over night, you can lash damp clothing somewhere on the bike outside the panniers (assuming it's not raining). You might be surprised how fast the air flow from riding will dry things. My first set of panniers had large, mesh outer pockets that were great for drying clothes.

fietsbob

I Rotated thru 3 pair on bike tours that lasted Months.. to have a clean dry pair every Morning.

djb

using two bike shorts and washing them every day either in the shower or in a sink or whatever is the time honoured way of taking care of your nether regions. Some people do not think its a priority, but my experience of 25+ years touring and daily commuting in Montreal, puts a real priority of taking the time to wash them every day at the end of the riding day. My wife agrees on this, and I do know that keeping your bike shorts clean is not only good from a common sense side for not getting saddle sores (basically using your shorts without washing will mean bacteria etc is there for the next day) but also for reducing the chances of yeast infections, which while I can't claim experience with, my wife and other women riders have made this rather clear to me.

washing tip, we wash our bike shorts with the shampoo or whatever we have in the shower, but the trick of wringing them out by hand as well as you can, and then rolling them in a towel and standing on the towel with bare feel really does a lot more water out , and decreases the drying time. Obviously easier in hotels with available towels, but sparing a part of your camp towel and at least using it for the chammy part of the bike shorts does get more water out. In this vein, I like to finish a day not too late, put tent up, shower right away and take advantage as much as possible of sun and air to dry my washed stuff. Don't leave them out overnight as dew will make them wetter than if you put them in your tent. And yes, bungee cord on your rear rack or panniers makes a dandy "air dry" spot if still damp in the morning (rain excluded).

all the best

also, as its your first time doing longer days, be very observant of what your nether parts are telling you vis-a-vis your seat position. Sometimes a very small saddle angle or position change can make all the difference for improving comfort--but yes, even if all is well, it does take a bit of longer riding to get used to things (that said, take breaks regularly , and do listen to what you are feeling and make adjustments if necessary, just do small adjustments, not big ones)