bike shorts with best chamois?

Wish I could take credit for the idea of turning them into arm warmers. I read about it at Rivendell bikes website. My sister got me one of their wool jerseys for Christmas. I get to open it when it gets here :) since we're going to go home (Maine) for the holiday. I'll let you know how it works out.


Leg warmers I got at REI. They had both Pearl Izumi and Sugoi brands. I went with the Sugoi because they felt a bit lighter. It doesn't get that cold here in the Bay Area. Wore them today on our attempt at riding Diablo (we had chain issues, major bummer -but it's a long weekend!) It was great because as I warmed up I could just push the arm and leg warmers down without having to stop pedaling.

Veronica

Hi,

I'm a fairly new "serious" cyclist, having just received a nice new Terry bike for my birthday in November from my husband. I, too, have had the rubbed raw problem, I think partly because I perspire so heavily. I have the Terry T-shorts, and they are wonderfully comfy, (the chamois is seamless and very soft), but have found on rides of 30 miles or so that I build up a great deal of wetness in the chamois and get some chafing. I haven't tried chamois butter yet, and that may solve the problem.

I am trying out the Shebeest elite distance short and so far the chamois seems to wick the perspiration away really well with no chafing. The chamois in this short is seamless. That was on a 20 mile ride, so I really need to try them on a longer ride to really tell.

I tried out the Pearl Izumi 3D microsensor short and found the chamois somewhat thick and had some moisture buildup but no chafing. However, after only 2 launderings on a gentle cycle (air dry), the chamois started to delaminate. Not good. I had to return them to the bike shop and am afraid to try new ones. I live in the South, so the 3D pad would probably get too hot.

Hope this helps. Any suggestions from you experienced ladies would be much welcomed!

Daisey

Hi, i posted a reply about my chamois experiences, but somehow it got bumped into a different biking tights category here.

Daisey

Thanks, Susan, for the Sheebeest info. I must have gotten my Sheebeest shorts before or after they had a problem with the chamois, because I love them! I was dubious at first, 'cause the chamois was thicker than in any other shorts I'd tried. But I now save those shorts for my long rides. I rode 100 on them just this past Saturday. First 100 for the year, on a new bike, and I am not saddle sore. The shorts had to have had something to do with that.

I find the top-of-the line Pearl Izumi and Castelli (with the "Y" shaped chamois) to be the most comfortable and Terry shorts to be the worst. I ride off-road and the Terry chamois bunches terribly after a few miles.

I won't skimp when it comes to riding shorts - chafing ruins the best ride and can be painful for several days.

Another suggestion is to take a look at your saddle. There are saddles designed with cutouts and/or gel inserts that take much of the pressure off sensitive parts. I ride Terry's Fly (men's) saddles and like them very much. Terry's web site lists all their saddles.

Good luck,
Charley

Thanks for all of your input so far. I had considerable problems with chafing when wearing the Terry shorts also. I'm hoping they will offer their T-short with a different style chamois, as I thought they fit well and liked the driline fabric. I am a frequent customer of Terry, so I am a big fan of theirs. They are great people.

I also had problems with severe chafing with the Shebeest elite distance short, not in the crotch, but where the chamois meets the thigh. I'm told they are fixing that problem soon with a slight redesign.

So far I have had great luck with the Pearl Izumi 3D Microsensor short and also the Ultrasensor. I haven't tried the Castelli short because I felt they were too expensive for just being a 6-panel short and not flatlocked seams. I was not sure they would be comfortable on long rides. The chamois looks like it would be comfortable though.

My current seat is the Terry butterfly, and it is not ideal for me. I end up with some tailbone pain and occassional numbness in my crotch area. I've tried all sorts of adjustments, but still has not worked out great. It's not horrible, just not ideal. I tried the Butterfly gel seat and also the Liberator. They caused worse problems than the original butterfly. However, my husband has a Trico Split-rail seat on his bike and loves it. He is installing one like it on my bike tonight, so I am anxious to give it a try. The seat is split down the whole length, and has several fine tuning options to it, including width, hardness, etc. It is a slight bit longer than my Butterfly though.

Keep up the feedback! It's wonderful to get ideas from others out there.:)

I have the Castelli Y shorts. I really like those.

I have a Brooks saddle on both our tandem and my road bike. That took care of all my sit problems. They're leather and they are a bit heavier than other saddles though. I figure if weight is an issue, I should look at removing it from myself first. :)

Veronica

I second you Veronica! LOL (removing excess weight from ME! )

Ya'll might want to look at this seat:


www.ergo-theseat.com

so far, this is working out well for me, but not sure abot it with mtbing, as it is as wide as my old T. butterfly...

am likely to change over to the non-gel non-lycra soon, got the gel one only because it was the only "noseless" saddle in the store! ;o)

love that it has no "nose" though!

Okay, I loved all of the responses and advice...I have one question:

If the point of chamois is to keep you dry, and chamois butter is so fantastic.......how does this work? What about yeast infections!!!!! Is this an issue at all? What have I missed? My logic is apparently not working on this one:( HORROR

expChick,

Chamois butter helps prevent chafing by reducing friction. Chamois is not just to keep you dry. For one thing, I don't think there is any short or any fabric out there that will truly keep you dry, unless you never sweat. And how many of us can say that? Yes, some shorts are better at wicking than others but if you ride hard, you will sweat and you will be have a damp chamois. The best thing thing you can do is get out of the shorts as soon as possible after riding and clean off. I can't speak for the problem of yeast infections, rarely suffer from it but I'm sure you'll hear from someone with experience. :rolleyes:

You shouldn't put the chamois butter in the area where you would get a yeast infection, i.e., close to the vagina. It should only be used in the area in the crease between your leg and crotch and back a bit towards your butt - but on either side - NOT in the middle directly on your genitals. Hard to describe. Anyway, this is how I do it, and it works great for me - no yeasties! :)

Emily

Emily said:

Quote:

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You shouldn't put the chamois butter in the area where you would get a yeast infection, i.e., close to the vagina. It should only be used in the area in the crease between your leg and crotch and back a bit towards your butt - but on either side - NOT in the middle directly on your genitals.

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No you shouldn't! The chamois butter goes ON THE CHAMOIS! This is a mistake many make, even with Butter Butt, it goes on the chamois! You can also use Vaseline it's cheaper.

I always work it into my chamois and rarely have problems. If you are experiencing yeast infections it could be because you don't take your bike shorts off immediately after riding. Really this is the best advise I got early on in my cycling, take your bike shorts off and always, always, always wash them before you wear them again. I know it's a pain, it was a short ride and really they "seem" clean, but you will avoid infections if you follow those simple suggestions.

Yeast infections aren't the only concern, sometimes you may develope blistering, chafing, raw sore spots or carbuncles, these can get infected by poor hygine. BTW if you have developed any of these things use a topical anti bacterial ointment and keep the area, shorts ect clean.

Hope this helps.

Kate

I rode across the country twice (averaging about 75-80 miles a day) and I had Cannondale (Vortex and the cheaper version), SheBeest and Pearl Izumi Shorts. I love my Cannondale Vortex (Vertex??), especially because they're a hot shiny blue, and have a line of reflectors down the leg. They're super comfortable, especially the leg elastic.

What I've found, is that, on centuries, no short is really comfortable. Once I started wearing 2 pairs of shorts on really long days (up to 122 miles) I had a happy butt for the whole time! As long as the first pair has a non-chafing chamois, you're set!

A quote from http://www.pacelineproducts.com/products/chamois.htm, the manufacturer of Chamois Butt'r:

To apply Chamois BUTT'r: Put 1/6 to 1/3 ounce of Chamois BUTT'r either on your skin, or on the pad of your shorts, before you put your shorts on. It's your preference, the Chamois BUTT'r ends up in the same place either way!

I place it liberally on my genitals and have for years. I go on 6 day mtb tours where showers are few and far between. The lubricant is water-disoluble so you are not left feeling icky and it washes out of your shorts easily. I take babywipes to use morning and night for these tours and have NEVER had a problem with infections. However, I get out of damp shorts immediately and rotate shorts through the tour if I can't have clean shorts for every day.

Cannibal and Body Torque have the best knicks that I have ever worn. Cannibal have a really nice comfortable chamois, but Body Torque have a chamois that is designed for the female anatomy. Both are really comfortable on long rides and both have leg grippers. Here is the Body Torque website: http://www.bodytorque.com.au/indexhome.html

I learned the (very) hard way... do NOT use liquid soap when washing your bike shorts. The soap does not rinse out completely, especially in the thicker pads/gel pads. I was always so chaffed until I figured out what was causing it. We go on Mtn Biking vacations every year to a different place and am on the bike everyday for hours. Currently, I have PI Micro shorts which I love and they are extremely comfortable. They have the grey, ribbed pad and supposedly it add some ventilation. Now I'm in the market for another pair of shorts and will definitely check out some of your suggestions.
Happy biking!