My shorts gave my friend a good laugh today ... and she's STILL laughing!

[Jiffer]

I went on a ride today with my usual riding buddy. She was drafting me. The sun was shining. We were going a pretty decent speed on a nice flat road. All was well.

All of a sudden she starts to giggle. I'm like, "What?" She starts to say something, but then just giggles again. "What?!" Then she says, "Just keep riding, it's okay." Still giggling. So, then I'm reaching around to my back feeling my shorts and jersey and wondering what the heck. Did I get a hole somewhere? Is something hanging out of my pocket or my bike bag? What's up?! I slowed as I did this and she passes me and says something about my butt crack. :eek: Okay, now I HAVE to stop. I keep feeling around, not feeling any hole when she explains that there's no hole. My shorts have just worn thin and she could see my butt crack through the fabric! :o

I was never going to be one of those people!!!! I see guys with this issue from time to time (cause I ride with more guys than girls probably). And I was never going to be one of those people who's butt crack showed through their shorts! I told my friend it wouldn't be obvious when we were going a different direction and the sun was shining on me differently ... and she pointed out this was true when we turned.

Luckily those are my oldest and least expensive shorts. My nicer shorts are thicker, I don't even know if they will even get thin enough to see my butt crack ever, but you can be sure I'll be checking! :D

My friend just sent me an email wondering if I threw away my shorts yet and letting me know she was still getting a chuckle out of it. What a friend. Glad I could entertain her for the entire day.

[Tri Girl]

That's funny! It had to happen some time, eh?
Thankfully (or not, I don't know) I don't ride with people who will tell me my butt crack is showing. :rolleyes: I don't ride with people at all, so if a stranger ever gets enough gumption to tell me they see my butt crack, I'll know it's REALLY bad. Otherwise I'll just keep wearing my shorts until my big ol' butt wears a hole through them. I'll likely have someone telling this same story to a friend of theirs and making the both of them laugh. :p

[Fredwina]

The "full moon" brand, eh ? :p

[sundial]

Fredwina--:D :D

[Trekhawk]

Snort!!:D

Now you have me worried about those old shorts of mine.:eek:

[Zen]

I know I've got at least one pair like that.I wear them under unpadded knickers when the need arises.
I've taken to writing the year they were bought on the size tag:o

[Aggie_Ama]

This is why I ride with my husband. Hopefully he will tell me. I would say she is a good friend for telling you. I have a pair of bibs I love that got a tear so I wear them under tights or a wrap for commuting.

[Jiffer]

I've taken to writing the year they were bought on the size tag:o

Good idea. However, I'm wondering if this still happens to even nicer shorts that have thicker fabric to begin with. Is it inevitable no matter what the quality is? Or does it depend more on how they are taken care of, washed, etc.?

[Bluetree]

My favorite pair of Assos is going on three years, thousands of miles + a crash that sent me across an intersection.

They still look almost new. My elbows? Not so much.

[tctrek]

This is why I ride with my husband. My husband wouldn't tell me, he'd just draft me and enjoy the view. :mad:

[OakLeaf]

:D:D

I have a riding buddy whose wife gave him new Livestrong kit for Christmas. It's not even the end of March and he doesn't ride THAT many miles. I don't know how to break it to him....

[Aggie_Ama]

My husband wouldn't tell me, he'd just draft me and enjoy the view. :mad:


I say mine would but the man rarely notices if I put on makeup so would he notice? :confused: He did notice I lost weight before I told him so I guess he has his moments but mostly he is in his world.

[wildeny]

What a story.

That reminds me of my experience, thought it's not about cycling short. It's my friend's pants that was suddenly tore apart :eek: when we walked around in the garden of Versailles (France). We (a bunch of five girls) had to lend HIM a shirt to wear over the waist to cover it up. :D He was actually quite thin, but sometimes things just happen. (glad that it's not me ;) )

[Biciclista]

note to self; continually check shorts for signs of thinning.

[gnarwhal]

And this is one of the many reasons i wear baggies :D:p

[Crankin]

Last summer my friend was wearing a new, very expensive Assos matching pair of shorts and tank top. They had been a birthday present from her husband, the previous winter.
Usually, I am leading when we ride, but a very bad thunderstorm was threatening, so she got her butt in gear and started to pull. I was in shock when I realized that I could see through the entire top part of her shorts, skin and crack area. I knew they were brand new, but they were made of that material that is sort of vented for cooling air flow. I have one pair of Shebeest shorts that have the same thing, but in a smaller area, just above the crack area.
I had to tell her. I don't think you could see this if you looked at it yourself, off of your body. Most disturbing!

[OakLeaf]

The thing is... I think if you line the seam up with your crack, it's impossible to tell. It may just be that thin fabric stretched tight is going to be translucent in certain light conditions.

You have a lot of time to think about this stuff in a paceline behind a guy with 2-month-old translucent shorts. :p

Now if I could only figure out how to be sure the seam is lined up. :cool:

[SheFly]

Our club has red (yes - red) shorts. They are also, until our most recent order from teh manufacturer where we dictated a change, thin. The big joke for oer a year has been about the butt crack visibility, as well as, um, personal hygiene...

Thank goodness the material this year is thicker! I've decided not to care though - it IS just butt crack. Plumbers and teenage girls show this all the time :D

SheFly

[papaver]

this thread could be so much more fun with pics... :D

[Aggie_Ama]

Admins nightmare with pics. :p

[tantrumbean]

My friend's got a pair of cheap shorts that always had the transparency problem. Like someone else said, you don't notice if you manage to line the seam up perfectly, but it never happens. If she had a spot on her backside, I'd probably be able to tell! Not really a good look but I suppose sometimes you just have to live with it - she says they are her most comfy shorts...

[Jiffer]

this thread could be so much more fun with pics... :D

You're horrible. I am NOT displaying a picture of my butt crack on the internet!

[ny biker]

Hmmm. I sometimes will look at my bent-over butt in the mirror while I'm in bike clothes, but that's to gauge how giant it looks. So I'm not usually standing very close to the mirror.

I guess I'd better check out the view from a well-lit, closer perspective, just to make sure my shorts are okay.

[papaver]

You're horrible. I am NOT displaying a picture of my butt crack on the internet!

http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/midi/engel/d040.gif It's just to understand your situation better. :p

[Jiffer]

http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/midi/engel/d040.gif It's just to understand your situation better. :p

I know. You're just trying to be helpful. That's it.;)

[Mr. Bloom]

I see guys with this issue from time to time

Yuck!