Originally Posted by
non-fixie
Many riders were using some sort of padding in those days. If you look closely at pictures from the fifties and early sixties you'll notice that the single layer of cotton wasn't very popular, especially in the drops.
TdF riders, 1951:
Jacques Anquetil, 1959 and 1961:
Interesting. I wonder if that's just built up cotton wrap or they had some other material they used for the padding?