Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

Purpose of shorts chamois

Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

Purpose of shorts chamois

Old 10-02-14, 07:25 AM
  #1  
jrickards
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
jrickards's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sudbury, ON, CA
Posts: 2,647

Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 133 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
Purpose of shorts chamois

Is the chamois for padding or sweat absorption?
jrickards is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 07:28 AM
  #2  
RISKDR1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 510
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 5 Posts
it keeps your "arss" from being abraded. It also provides some padding. I suppose it absorbs all kinds of things. Thats why you need to wash your shorts before they become a science project.
RISKDR1 is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 08:19 AM
  #3  
jrickards
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
jrickards's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sudbury, ON, CA
Posts: 2,647

Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 133 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by RISKDR1
it keeps your "arss" from being abraded. It also provides some padding. I suppose it absorbs all kinds of things. Thats why you need to wash your shorts before they become a science project.
Oh, sorry son, we'll have to think of something else.
jrickards is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 08:42 AM
  #4  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Originally Posted by jrickards
Is the chamois for padding or sweat absorption?
Sweat absorption was the original purpose.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 08:48 AM
  #5  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
& to do so It doesn't have to be a thick pad . thin without seams is sufficient.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 08:52 AM
  #6  
bbbean 
Senior Member
 
bbbean's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Missouri
Posts: 2,689

Bikes: Giant Propel, Cannondale SuperX, Univega Alpina Ultima

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 672 Post(s)
Liked 413 Times in 246 Posts
Originally Posted by jrickards
Is the chamois for padding or sweat absorption?
Both, but mainly to keep your butt dry. FWIW, modern "chamois" is greatly superior to the actual chamois we used to use when I first started riding back in the 70s. I recently found an old pair of bike shorts from the early 80s and wore them on the trainer for an hour. While they were still more comfortable than wearing normal street shorts with underwear, the differences between them and my modern bibs were VERY noticeable.
__________________

Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton

bbbean is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 09:04 AM
  #7  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,691

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 510 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7287 Post(s)
Liked 2,362 Times in 1,381 Posts
Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
Sweat absorption was the original purpose.
Yes! It's a good thing you asked. Nowadays, people want padding. Seems to me that it makes more sense to put padding in the seat if you need it. It also seems to me that the market demands padded shorts because so many misconstrued what the chamois was there for in the first place.

If the padding adds comfort for you, that's fine, but if you need it, then you'll need padded shorts every time you ride, no? Remember that you can condition your butt, with practice, to require little or no padding in your shorts OR on your saddle.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 09:06 AM
  #8  
cycle_maven
Collector of Useless Info
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,407
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Dang! Wish I had known what it was for. All this time I've been wearing mine as a muzzle.
cycle_maven is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 09:08 AM
  #9  
jrickards
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
jrickards's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sudbury, ON, CA
Posts: 2,647

Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 133 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by cycle_maven
Dang! Wish I had known what it was for. All this time I've been wearing mine as a muzzle.
... which probably explains why you don't get no kisses any more.
jrickards is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 09:20 AM
  #10  
jrickards
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
jrickards's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sudbury, ON, CA
Posts: 2,647

Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 133 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by noglider
Yes! It's a good thing you asked. Nowadays, people want padding. Seems to me that it makes more sense to put padding in the seat if you need it. It also seems to me that the market demands padded shorts because so many misconstrued what the chamois was there for in the first place.

If the padding adds comfort for you, that's fine, but if you need it, then you'll need padded shorts every time you ride, no? Remember that you can condition your butt, with practice, to require little or no padding in your shorts OR on your saddle.
I have a few different pair (pairs?) from different manufacturers with different thicknesses and, from the padding perspective, I don't feel the difference so it isn't for padding that I need it. However, they not only have different thicknesses but also different widths.

Given that the sweat produced in the region is primarily central, I wonder why manufacturers haven't produced any that are similar in shape to some women's menstrual pads. Without "padding" for seasoned butts, chamois "with wings" may be sufficient for people who only need sweat absorption.
jrickards is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 09:26 AM
  #11  
Walter S
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Atlanta, GA. USA
Posts: 3,804

Bikes: Surly Long Haul Disc Trucker

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1015 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by bbbean
Both, but mainly to keep your butt dry.
Not good for that purpose. The pad absorbs your sweat and then sits there wet with sweat right against your skin. Not very dry. Thin quick drying fabric would keep your butt dryer than a pad will.

I wear the padding for comfort on long rides. For less than about 10 miles I often just wear some thin shorts.
Walter S is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 09:29 AM
  #12  
alan s 
Senior Member
 
alan s's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 6,977
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1496 Post(s)
Liked 189 Times in 128 Posts
Contrary to popular belief, it's there primarily to keep bulging to a minimum. Sort of smooths out the package, if you know what I mean.
alan s is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 10:11 AM
  #13  
Booger1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Gaseous Cloud around Uranus
Posts: 3,741
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 11 Times in 7 Posts
Wipe down your bike after a sweaty ride for a streak free shine?....

Remember,original cycling shorts were wool.....

Last edited by Booger1; 10-02-14 at 10:20 AM.
Booger1 is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 10:22 AM
  #14  
bbbean 
Senior Member
 
bbbean's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Missouri
Posts: 2,689

Bikes: Giant Propel, Cannondale SuperX, Univega Alpina Ultima

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 672 Post(s)
Liked 413 Times in 246 Posts
Originally Posted by Walter S
Not good for that purpose. The pad absorbs your sweat and then sits there wet with sweat right against your skin. Not very dry. Thin quick drying fabric would keep your butt dryer than a pad will.

I wear the padding for comfort on long rides. For less than about 10 miles I often just wear some thin shorts.
If your chamois aren't keeping your butt dry, you need new chamois!
__________________

Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton

bbbean is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 10:22 AM
  #15  
bbbean 
Senior Member
 
bbbean's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Missouri
Posts: 2,689

Bikes: Giant Propel, Cannondale SuperX, Univega Alpina Ultima

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 672 Post(s)
Liked 413 Times in 246 Posts
Originally Posted by alan s
Contrary to popular belief, it's there primarily to keep bulging to a minimum. Sort of smooths out the package, if you know what I mean.
You think people have a problem with butt bulge (where most of the padding is)?
__________________

Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton


Last edited by bbbean; 10-02-14 at 12:34 PM.
bbbean is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 11:06 AM
  #16  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,691

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 510 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7287 Post(s)
Liked 2,362 Times in 1,381 Posts
Originally Posted by bbbean
You think people have a probolem with butt bulge (where most of the padding is)?
No, I'm sure that's not what he is saying.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 07:01 PM
  #17  
tsl
Plays in traffic
 
tsl's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 6,971

Bikes: 1996 Litespeed Classic, 2006 Trek Portland, 2013 Ribble Winter/Audax, 2016 Giant Talon 4

Mentioned: 21 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 76 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 14 Times in 9 Posts
Originally Posted by Walter S
Not good for that purpose. The pad absorbs your sweat and then sits there wet with sweat right against your skin. Not very dry. Thin quick drying fabric would keep your butt dryer than a pad will.
I agree with this. Those thick puffy pads soak up sweat rather than wick it away. Which explains why I like the thin, flexible, fabric pads in Aerotech's Pro Bike Short.
tsl is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 08:16 PM
  #18  
JanMM
rebmeM roineS
 
JanMM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Metro Indy, IN
Posts: 16,216

Bikes: Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 653 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times in 225 Posts
Originally Posted by bbbean
Both, but mainly to keep your butt dry. FWIW, modern "chamois" is greatly superior to the actual chamois we used to use when I first started riding back in the 70s. I recently found an old pair of bike shorts from the early 80s and wore them on the trainer for an hour. While they were still more comfortable than wearing normal street shorts with underwear, the differences between them and my modern bibs were VERY noticeable.
To clarify for the youngsters......"chamois" used to be chamois leather but as the leather got replaced by synthetic materials in bike shorts the chamois name stuck, which of course is a perversion of language but what can you do?
Chamois leather - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Don't need no padded shorts to ride recumbent bikes.)
__________________
Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer
JanMM is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 08:21 PM
  #19  
Marcus_Ti
FLIR Kitten to 0.05C
 
Marcus_Ti's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Posts: 5,331

Bikes: Roadie: Seven Axiom Race Ti w/Chorus 11s. CX/Adventure: Carver Gravel Grinder w/ Di2

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2349 Post(s)
Liked 406 Times in 254 Posts
Originally Posted by bbbean
If your chamois aren't keeping your butt dry, you need new chamois!
...Or it is 40C and 95% humidity with a 27C dewpoint
Marcus_Ti is offline  
Old 10-02-14, 10:04 PM
  #20  
CharlyAlfaRomeo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 616
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by jrickards
Given that the sweat produced in the region is primarily central, I wonder why manufacturers haven't produced any that are similar in shape to some women's menstrual pads.
I think that would just put the edges and seams in the worst possible location.
CharlyAlfaRomeo is offline  
Old 10-03-14, 05:01 AM
  #21  
Thulsadoom
Senior Member
 
Thulsadoom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Cape Vincent, NY
Posts: 1,386

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac Expert, 2002 TREK 520, Schwinn Mesa WINTER BIKE, Huffy Rock Creek 29er, 1970s-era Ross ten speed. All my bikes are highly modified(except the Tarmac) yet functional, and generally look beat to ****. .

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 65 Post(s)
Liked 84 Times in 49 Posts
Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
Sweat absorption was the original purpose.
I thought that the original purpose of a chamois was to cut down on the amount of chaffing from the old wool shorts.
Thulsadoom is offline  
Old 10-03-14, 05:10 AM
  #22  
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
rhm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 339 Posts
Originally Posted by Thulsadoom
I thought that the original purpose of a chamois was to cut down on the amount of chaffing from the old wool shorts.
Yes, exactly. It's not for sweat absorption. It should wick sweat away, not soak it up. It's not for padding. It should be too thin to provide any padding.

I agree with Alan that it's there to smooth out the area, but we're not talking about hiding your genitals. The point is that there are no bulky seams between your body and the saddle.

More important, I think, the chamois provides a non-slip layer between the outer clothing and the body, so there is no chafing on the skin. If there's any rubbing, it's between the outer clothing and the saddle. You should be able to wear a hole through your shorts without getting saddle sores.

I can't believe this thread is in the commuting forum. Does anyone really commute on a chamois?
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
rhm is offline  
Old 10-03-14, 05:44 AM
  #23  
gregjones
Senior Member
 
gregjones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: West Georgia
Posts: 2,828

Bikes: K2 Mod 5.0 Roadie, Fuji Commuter

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by rhm
I can't believe this thread is in the commuting forum. Does anyone really commute on a chamois?
When it's 85 with 90% humidity I wear them everywhere, regardless of what I indend to do at the destination. When it's 65 & 30% running shorts are just fine.

My tights and winter garb has none.
gregjones is offline  
Old 10-03-14, 06:21 AM
  #24  
GeneO 
Senior Member
 
GeneO's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: midwest
Posts: 2,528

Bikes: 2018 Roubaix Expert Di2, 2016 Diverge Expert X1

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 482 Post(s)
Liked 151 Times in 105 Posts
Yes, I commute in chamois. It is usually a 30+ mi RT, asymmetric.

Last edited by GeneO; 10-03-14 at 06:42 AM.
GeneO is offline  
Old 10-03-14, 06:38 AM
  #25  
jrickards
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
jrickards's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sudbury, ON, CA
Posts: 2,647

Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 133 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by rhm
I can't believe this thread is in the commuting forum. Does anyone really commute on a chamois?
Yes, I think that there are a lot of MAMILs (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) in this forum (but not everyone).
jrickards 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.