Bike seat comfort

[RebaW]

 having trouble with sore seat bones. Thinking of buying the padded shorts.  Do these actually help?!
Thanks

[paddleboy17]

The pad in the shorts is more for wicking moisture away than for comfort.  Wicking is important, otherwise you might chafe and grow pennicillen, add insult (or an infection) to injury.

A saddle upgrade might better address your seat bone issue.  A leather saddle is the classic answer to seat bone issues.  Search this web site for leather saddle and you should find lots of good material to read.

[staehpj1]

The pad in the shorts is more for wicking moisture away than for comfort.

Wicking is one reason, but I do not believe that it is the primary one and it certainly isn't the only one.  I tend to think that most folks wear them more for the padding than anything else.  I know that I do.

Just for fun I googled "why bike shorts".  The resources I found mentioned padding far more often than wicking.  Quite a few did mention chaffing, but to me that benefit is probably the result of a mix of wicking and padding.

[FredHiltz]

A related issue is where the sliding occurs as your legs move up and down against the seat. The shorts should stick to your legs and slide against the seat. Not the opposite. Form-fitting shorts (or inner shorts in the baggy style) made of nylon and a slippery saddle material like leather or smooth plastic will do nicely.

The absolute worst is the common beginner's combination of cotton shorts and a sheepskin saddle cover. Chafing guaranteed!

This gets little attention because it usually takes care of itself with typical wardrobes. But how many beginners have quit before spending $$ on those beautiful Lycra shorts?

Fred

[Old Guy New Hobby]

A related issue is where the sliding occurs as your legs move up and down against the seat. The shorts should stick to your legs and slide against the seat. Not the opposite. Form-fitting shorts (or inner shorts in the baggy style) made of nylon and a slippery saddle material like leather or smooth plastic will do nicely.

+1

Preventing chaffing is the biggest issue for me. I actually had one instance where the edge of the padding was chaffing against my leg. Unfortunately, I didn't feel discomfort until considerable damage was done. I don't like the look of bike shorts (too public for my tastes), but I've always worn them because that's how things seem to be done. Recently I've been experimenting with other options. One option I tried is compression shorts and regular gym shorts (using synthetic materials -- I chose Under Armor brand). On 60 to 65 mile rides, I can barely tell the difference between this and bike shorts. That confirmed a suspicion that padding just doesn't make that much difference. Of course, that's with 10,000 miles of riding, most of it in a Brooks saddle. My sitz bones are well-adapted to spending hours in the saddle.

I predict that the next post will be in favor of a recumbent

I noticed that also. Recumbents aren't for everybody, but they seem to be a great solution for some.

[DaveB]

Good bike shorts provide wicking, padding and a seamless no-slide fit.  All of which are major contributors to comfort on the bike.  They are worn WITHOUT undewear, an idea which takes some getting used to but it is an important point.   

If the appearance of standard bike shorts is too much for you there are MTB shorts with a form fitting padded undershort and a loose fitting overshort as a single unit.  These are still comfortable as the overshort has no irritating seams in the wrong places.

[dbbcpa]

I have been wearing standard bike shorts for some time. About 5 months ago I purchased the DeSoto 400 Mile short and they are awesome. They are the best I have worn. However, I am going on an ACA MT Divide trip in about 10 days so I purchased some Mountain Bike Shorts with the liner inside. These were made by Cannondale and were purchased from my LBS for about $60.00. The liner is mesh with the chamois padding.  I used them on a 34 mile ride and my bottom end was torn up. They did not feel good on the ride. It felt like I could feel every pice of mesh in the short. I was a hot and humid ride. When I got home to shower, I had a ring imprinted on my butt where the outside of the padding was.

Has anyone else had this issue? I like the lycra and would buy a lucra liner but cant find one. All the liner seem to be made of this mesh. Anyone have any ideas?

dbbcpa

[Old Guy New Hobby]

Check out http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ELBQUY/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00 Pearl Izumi

[bogiesan]

having trouble with sore seat bones. Thinking of buying the padded shorts.  Do these actually help?!
Thanks

One word, three syllables: recumbent. All of your comfort issues disappear like magic and touring becomes a heads-up, 180 degree, high definition experience.

I strongly disaggree with the statement that bike shorts padding is for wicking but provides no cushion. I remember my first pair of real bike shorts. Instantly I could ride for many more hours. Wicking helps but the pad is far more important.

The discussion about the variables in quality and features can be found on any racing or cyclocross or even some mTB sites. Research the reviews carefully. If you look at any of the major retailers' sites you will see there are dozens of shorts that run from $20 to $200. How does one choose from a price range of 10 to 1? I don't know. I don't need padded shorts on my recumbent; the seat is thrree inches thick!