lots of short advice out there but...

...I just can't decide what to buy. I am just starting out in biking. I have a really sweet set up: trek 520, terry saddle, tubus rack, bike computer, and those crazy bike computer things. It is pretty fun. I regularly ride 10 miles 5 times a week. I am looking at increasing the distance, but I can't seem to do more than 15 miles without feeling uncomfortable down there... I think bike shorts would help me out. But I am jsut beginning and I don't know whethor to invest in shorts that those who do centuries wear or if a lower cost short would just make things worse.

my list (so far):
PI ultrasensor
PI short attack
PI sugar short

I am not sure why they are all PI's but it is what REI had.

I enjoyed the fit of all three but other than that i don't know what to look for in a short. Would you all reccomend going for the more expensive short because it would be worth it in the long run. Or go for a cheaper short for a rookie.

For me, I didn't need bike shorts until I was riding over 20 miles at a time. I started with the Cannondale Domestiques (not sure they still make them - got them on closeout through REI Outlet). These were good to about 40 miles, but not so good for longer rides. I recently got a pair of Shebeest Ultra D's. These work well for me on longer rides. The only thing I don't like is the drawstring - it cuts in if I leave it tucked into the shorts, but flaps in the breeze if I leave it out. Luckily my jerseys are long enough, but there is a mesh portion to the shorts at the small of the back and someone here got sunburned through the mesh. The Ultra D's are quite pricey (almost $100 at 25% off plus tax), so I hope they last a long time! I handwash my shorts in Woolite and line dry.

Oh, PI stands for Pearl Izumi - the designer of the shorts.

If you are doing 10 mile rides and wanting to do 15 milers soon, or even 20 milers, then you really don't need a $100 short designed for doing centuries. Maybe later you'll need those! ;) You can save some money by buying mid-range shorts for now. Look at TE's SALE shorts. You are not going to need heavy duty chamois for 20 mile rides, but *some* chamois would be nice.

Also as you get into longer rides, don't overlook the possibility of your SADDLE being the culprit of causing discomfort. If decent chamois don't solve it, it could be you'll need a different saddle. Some saddles are comfy enough for the first hour or so but become uncomfortable on longer rides. You won't know whether yours is like that until you start doing longer rides of 2 hours or more.

yeah 10 miles is my minimum, but now that school is over (someone's graduated from college) I have a lot more time on my hands (even more so because I am unemployed). I think I will try and train for longer distances. I want to be able to do the st. paul classic with ease and I think it would be fabulous to bike to Duluth at the end of the summer or in the early fall. So I definitely have longer distances in the future and I want to be comfortable when I do them.

I started off the shorts adventure by buying pairs that were on sale (TE has some VERY nice Terry on clearance right now in smaller sizes). Some I liked, some I didn't, but it gave me the chance to experiment and figure out what shorts/chamois worked for me without spending a lot of money.

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Originally Posted by madscot13

yeah 10 miles is my minimum, but now that school is over (someone's graduated from college) I have a lot more time on my hands (even more so because I am unemployed). I think I will try and train for longer distances. I want to be able to do the st. paul classic with ease and I think it would be fabulous to bike to Duluth at the end of the summer or in the early fall. So I definitely have longer distances in the future and I want to be comfortable when I do them.

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Even in the future as you ride a lot, you will still be doing plenty of short rides too, so the mid-range shorts will never lose their usefullness. :)

what are the differences between midrange and $90 shorts?

For me, the difference is chamois and cut. My midrange shorts have a generic blob of padding on them (out of a lack of a better term) where the higher range ones are very contoured. The higher range ones also fit better. I actually have some older Performance shorts (lower than midrange) that have a seam in the chamois :eek:

Check out the TE shorts selection because you can click on the chamois and it'll pop up with a picture. It's pretty darned cool, actually.

The best thing is just to get advice then see what works for you. I have some not-quite-high-range shorts that are really surprisingly comfy though I haven't gone over 30 miles in them.

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Originally Posted by madscot13

what are the differences between midrange and $90 shorts?

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Aside from chamois differences, the higher priced shorts often have 6-8 panels of material around the hips and legs, making a really nice contoured fit which feels good and is very supportive for long hours in the saddle. Cheaper shorts might only be 4 panel construction, for example. But they might be perfectly fine for 1 or 2 hour rides.
Sometimes expensive shorts go on sale simply because they are last year's model- always good to look for!

Hi.

I had a Terry saddle. Like you, anything over 15-20 miles felt pretty uncomfortable.

I tried a million different kinds of shorts. Some were better than others, but none of them were great.

Then I switched out the Terry saddle and bought something called Selle San Marcos Lady Tri Stryke. It made such a great difference. With the new saddle, I can bike in almost any shorts. For 20-25 mile rides I will even bike in running shorts with no padding sometimes, and it is not a problem.

For longer rides I like the various Shebeest shorts the best. The mid-price SSS are a favorite. PI shorts feel a little bulky.

Sometimes the *saddle* is the problem.

Good luck!

thanks for all of the info! I found a pair of PI ultrasensors onsale at REI outlet for $67. I think that is a good enough deal to pick them up. I really want to get this cycling thing right.

I found a store with PI and Craft - on my 5"1" frame the Medium PI were way too long, and oddly baggy in the back of the thigh. I think if you are around 5"4" or taller, you will be OK in PI. (Now someone 5' tall will tell you they love PI in the next post, so watch out!) The Craft were a perfect fit for me.

There is no way around this trial and error shorts thing - there are just too many factors to rely on someone else's experience completely. I have a few clunker pairs that weren't cheap:( .