Originally Posted by Broctoon

It's a good question, because the time on bike makes a difference.

I once went into a Pearl Izumi store and told the employee I wanted recommendations for some padded bike shorts. He asked, "How far are you riding?" I thought for a second and said, "Usually 20 to 50 miles per week." He seemed a little confused but showed me what he had. After thinking about it later, I realized he needed to know if I spend 5 or 10 minutes at a time on the bike or if I sometimes spend six hours on it. The frequency of my rides is not very relevant.

If you're never on the bike for longer than a half hour or so, you can wear whatever. As duration increases, it gets more important to find some pants or shorts that work well for you.