Terry Bella shorts - are they supposed to look like this?

[ny biker]

I just ordered a pair of Terry Bella shorts. They have a strange ruching effect around the chamois in the front.

Are they supposed to look like this?

I ordered a size medium based on the size chart. They feel like they fit well, and are definitely not too tight.

16785

[Crankin]

I have several pairs, but they are anywhere between 2 and 5 years old. The picture is kind of hard to see, but it looks like lines are there, for sure. My shorts do not have that.
Call Terry and describe what you see, and maybe send a picture. Their customer service is like TE's... they are great and listen well. They once sent me half of my order and half of someone else's. It took awhile to figure out who had the rest of my stuff, but they were very responsive and apologetic.

[ny biker]

Thanks.

I actually bought them from TE, and I have to call them anyway to discuss the new Gore jacket I just got. I tried on two different Gore jackets at a store and the size L fit for both of them, so I ordered an L in the style that TE had that I wanted, and it's too big. But I don't know if it's worth getting it in M, since that might be too small.

I also just had to return a pair of Shebeest shorts, because I didn't like the fabric. It's a bit frustrating. I was going to try Gore shorts next...

[Wahine]

I had a pair of Terry Bella shorts. They didn't do that. But the padding on the Chamois didn't cover my sit bones when I was on the bike. I ended up giving them to a friend who loves them.

[ny biker]

Update - I exchanged the shorts for another pair, and it looks the same on me as the first pair. I think the problem is that the chamois is extremely wide in the front, and the location of the stitching just doesn't work on me.

I just tried a pair of Gore Oxygen shorts at an LBS. They also have a very wide chamois and they had the same bunching effect even though the shorts fit fine otherwise. I really don't understand the point of making the chamois so wide -- even in a time trial position, there's no way that padding in front is helping with anything.

So now I really don't know what shorts to buy. I have two pairs of LG Neo shorts and the first pair was comfortable enough, but the fabric is not holding up well over time and the chamois has become downright painful. The second pair was never good -- the chamois was slightly different from the first, and I've had lots of chafing problems as a result. The Shebeest Century shorts are see-through, which is a shame because I love their chamois. I have a pair of PI Symphony shorts, but I don't like the way they fit and the Elite chamois gets downright clammy after a while. Looking at a photo of the chamois in the PI PRO shorts, it looks to be too wide in the front, similar to the Bellas and the Gore Oxygen.

I need new shorts for long rides and I really don't know what to try next.

===

Update to the update: Just compare the Bella chamois to my old Shebeest century chamois. They're the same width at the front. I guess it's a combination of chamois width and fabric -- the old SB shorts have a thicker fabric.

I still don't know what to try next...