Cycling Shorts vs. Padded Liners?

[bogiesan]

Not sure if you are implying that more expensive is automatically better, but if so I'll voice a differing opinion... Don't assume that the most expensive and the best are necessarily the same thing.  I have found mid range priced shorts to be excellent and some pretty cheap ones to be adequate.  My advice is to find some shorts that work for you and stick with them.

ONe spends the amount of money one wishes to on bicycle clothing. As we have seen here, an acceptable bike short can obtained anywhere from $10 to $120; that's a huge range. Besides finding super discounts on old inventory, what could possibly explain that difference? It's not all hype or branding. There are tangible differences begtween materials and construction techniques. Cinelli TdF bibs aren't necessary but they have certain advantages for a certain type of rider on a specific bike. Most of us who are riding self-contined aren't on a carbon wannabe time trial rig so the bibs become a statement that goes beyond purpose. (Performance happens to have an unofficial policy against working on recumbents in their stores' shops so I don't spend a dime there.) Some of us prefer to support on-shore manufacturers and are willing to pay 10-20% premium for those products.
But mostly, (before I was riding a recumbent) I considered my bike shorts as carefully as chain lube, helmets and brake pads because the parts they protect are just as important.

Personal hygiene is a different topic. Ancient social norms are as irrelevant as the beliefs they once rationalized.

[onebikeoneworld]

Merino boxers for me and my Brooks saddle. No comfort issues and much easier to keep clean than a pair of cycling shorts.

[CyclesafeSr]

I'd challenge whether one needs bicycle shorts at all.

I've found that coolmax briefs under lycra running shorts give one coverage/support without seams in a system that is easily rinsed out every evening and usually dry by morning.  A couple of extra pairs of each are very lightweight and take up very little space in one's panniers.  For me a chamois is unnecessary.

[hem]

Has anyone used liners on tours? If so, were they successful? I realize, also, that comfort will depend not only on shorts but also on my saddle and distance, but I thought I'd ask, at least.

I did a 5 week tour in Europe wearing Dockers and http://www.andiamounderwear.com/mens/briefs.php padded briefs without any issues. I was on a Brooks Conquest saddle. But not all padded briefs are equal. Doing it again I probably would have brought some Tilly shorts.

Last October I did a tour along the Big Sur area using J&G touring shorts and coolmax briefs riding a B17 saddle. No issues either.

Sunday,however, I missed a powering up clip in and as I skated across the intersection riding the top tube of my Scattante carbon fiber road bike wearing my Performance Elite bibs I was very grateful for the chamois

[jrswenberger]

For me, the padding is irrelevant. My comfort is dictated by the elimination of seams along the inner thigh. Lycra bike shorts are designed this way, with or without padding. There are also a number of manufactures these days making shorts with a gusseted crotch that also removes the seams.

As always, YMMV.

Jay

[Pat Lamb]

I'd challenge whether one needs bicycle shorts at all.

I've found that coolmax briefs under lycra running shorts give one coverage/support without seams in a system that is easily rinsed out every evening and usually dry by morning.  A couple of extra pairs of each are very lightweight and take up very little space in one's panniers.  For me a chamois is unnecessary.

I won't quibble with "needs", as it's possible to ride a bike with rat-trap pedals, sneakers, and gym shorts.  However, I'm more comfortable in one-piece bike shorts (with chamois) than anything else I've tried.

[tonupgilly]

Coming from a background of 30 years or more of cycle racing (I am still Secretary of our local club), I wouldn't even consider riding in anything but a decent (not necessarily expensive) pair of cycling shorts with a good synthetic chamois.  The things to look for are flush seams at the edges of the chamois - no bits of stitiching that are likely to chafe.  Most good shorts now have shaped chamois depending on whether you are male or female (I am female).  I don't recommend gel - as this tends to be too thick and can get very hot and uncomfortable on long rides - it feels like a nappy (UK) (or diaper I think you call it).  The chamois needs to have reasonable padding but not too much.  You want to avoid sore "seat" bones - hence the need for the padding - and NEVER wear underwear under chamois shorts.  Make sure too that the leg grippers are not too tight and I can recommend panelled shorts (four, six or eight) rather than tubular legs, they fit better and stretch in the right direction.  Look for a high back - the fashionable trend now is for short backs - but these always feel as if they are falling down and will irritate enormously - don't go with fashion, go with tradition.  As for washing, I would always try to wash them daily, or at least every other day if possible.  It's not necessarily the bacteria that will cause you a problem, but the build up of salt from your sweat - this can cause very nasty chafing which can then become infected by the bacteria and give you saddle boils which will leave you unable to sit for a week.  Even the friendly bacteria on your skin's surface will rejoice and happily infect a sore patch of skin that gives them access to nutrient. I am interested to read people's thoughts on shorts for touring because I am fairly new to touring myself, but have ridden very long distances in both training and racing on a daily basis for years - so perhaps it is my race-biased conditioning that is talking here.  However, I personally would be scared to death to go without proper padded shorts.