Diff between Mtn bike shorts and road shorts?

[roguedog]

Is there diff between mtn bike shorts and road shorts?

I prefer the styling of the mtn bike shorts but if there is a diff in protection somehow then I'll go the road style (I'm a newb to road riding).

Tks!

[Cari]

I find that road shorts tend to have a better pad than baggies do. So far the only baggies I've tried that seem truly comfy are the Shebeest Boardrider Capris (they have a shorts version which is similarly styled). The liner shorts are removable and the pad in the liner short is the same one they use in most of their other "good" shorts. Plus the capris are nice enough to wear alone!

I've tried a few baggy mtb baggies that come with an attached liner short and they chafe like crazy because the liner short just doesn't fit right or stay in place. And of course they're less versatile because I can't wear the outside part alone.

Aside from better chamois pads, road shorts tend to offer great features like compression, better fabric, and more panels (which = better fit) than what you would find in a liner short.

So if you really feel more comfortable with baggies, I'd suggest you get the ones that come with a detachable liner. Or get some good road shorts and wear them with liner-less baggies on top.

Cari

[roguedog]

oh.. damn.. was hoping it was just aesthetics..

tks for the answer

[bcipam]

I think initially it was a matter of style... MTBer just wouldn't be seen in those bright colors lycra kits. They wanted to appear to be an "alternative" culture. Their shorts were baggy and shirts were baggy just to be different from rode riders.

Of course, I now see bright colored roadie kits on lots of mountain bikers. I wear what's clean, having more road shorts than MTB baggies but I have to say there is a real functional difference. Now I do have one complaint about most women's MTB shorts - they are so short as to make no difference and offer no protection (most coming just a few inches below my hips). Because I'm tall, I buy and wear men's shorts. They usually hit me around the knee.

In California, springtime is thistle season. Those baggier, sturdier shorts difinitely protect my legs against the thistles and stinging nettles. Also, just recently I had flats on my MTB bikes. It's goathead thorn season. Had to sit in the dirt (and in the thorns or rocks) to repair the tires. Both times I was wearing Lycra. Learned a lesson; from now on I'm wearing MTB shorts. Much better protection for my bum!!!

Road shorts usually have a better chamois but that goes along with function. If road riding I sit constantly on the saddle. While MTBing I'm up
and down alot so the chamois isn't really an issue. In fact, the lighter the better.

Hope that answers your question.

[Resi]

For mountain biking you don't need a thick padding, then you are in and out of the saddle all the time... thats different on a road bike, here is the thicker padding prefered.
Also baggy pants and lose cycling close are not aerodynamic for road biking, it should fit snug on your body.

Therese

[downhilldiva]

If you've been working hard show off that great bod in some nice tight lycra. Plus you'll look like an amateur if you are wearing mtb shorts on the road.

[bcipam]

Yeah hate to say this but my group of roadie friends tend to call those roadies who wear MTB shorts while riding "freds" or "Goofy Goobers"... not that its bad to wear MTB shorts on the road... just saying there are those who think that way... and I do apologize for them!

[Nanci]

roguedog, have you ever _tried_ road shorts? I used to wear baggy MTB shorts, and then tried some road shorts, (on a MTB) and there is NO WAY I could ever wear baggy shorts again. Lycra is _so much_ better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nanci

[Kitsune06]

I tend to agree with everyone, Lycra is a LOT better... A little breezier, but overall more comfortable.
Sometimes you just don't want to show *everyone* your assets, though.
Another thing I've noticed about MTB shorts is because they're baggier, they handle crashes into sticks, etc better than lycra. Lycra can tear, leaving you *em*bareassed.
If you want the protection and breatheability of lycra shorts with the stick-shedding ability of mtb shorts, you can try wearing real road shorts under very light board shorts, but they still get caught on the saddle, sometimes.

REI also has padded underwear, that don't shift so much, but also go under whatever shorts you want.

You *will* be judged as a newbie by some, but if *you* are comfortable in what you're wearing, what does it matter to them? Just get good and smoke 'em in their lycra, then tell 'em that training with the extra weight and wind resistance has done you wonders.

[Nanci]

I don't think the Sugoi RS Flexes will ever see a MTB- I would DIE if anything happened to them. But I have a bunch of Primals that have been crashed innumerable times and don't have a mark on them.

[roguedog]

What is a FRED? Does it stand for something? I keep reading bout this reference in another forum.

Ya.. if I'm a Fred so be it whatever. Heck I'll even pull out some old knee highs crew socks .. :PPP

Seriously, thanks everyone.. looks like I might have to get some of these if I'm doing longer rides than just commuting. It's just not my style.. is all.

[Cari]

What is a FRED? Does it stand for something? I keep reading bout this reference in another forum.

A Fred (or sometimes Frieda, for females) is a newbie, but the term can be confusing because it's used to refer to two ends of the spectrum: one one end, a poseur who wears expensive uniforms with lots of logos for companies who pay him nothing for it and who has expensive equiment but can't ride and doesn't know much about cycling; on the other end, it can be a person who doesn't look the part, either because they don't know any better (white cotton socks, chainring tattoos, t-shirt tucked into bibshorts) or because they don't care (touring cyclists, for example).

I hear the term used a lot more by MTBikers than by roadies, for some reason. MTBikers tend to make fun of people who dress up too much, whereas roadies seem to tease those who don't look the part. Then again, roadies will definitely smirk at those who "overdress" in comparison to their skills or their bike. Think: short, overweight guy wearing full polka-dot Tour de France King of the Mountains Rabobank uniform while pushing his 10 year-old KMart road bike up a tiny hill. You might smirk too.

You may want to check out a column in Bicycling Magazine called "Style Man". It's pretty funny.

For reference, here's a definition of a Fred, taken from the Mountain Bike Dictionary:

Fred n. 1) a person who spends a lot of money on his bike and clothing, but still can't ride(Poser). Occasionally called a "Barney". 2) (from road riding) a person who has a mishmash of old gear, doesn't care at all about technology or fashion, didn't race or follow racing, etc. Often identified by chainring marks on white calf socks. Myth has it that "Fred" was actually a well-known grumpy old touring rider.