Padded Bottoms - Necessary?

[mariacycle]

I know I'm going to get some answers along the lines of "it's up to your preference" for this kind of question, but are padded bottoms necessary for cycling? What's the worst that could happen, you bruise your butt? What works best for you?

[Cataboo]

I know I'm going to get some answers along the lines of "it's up to your preference" for this kind of question, but are padded bottoms necessary for cycling? What's the worst that could happen, you bruise your butt? What works best for you?

Oh dear me. I'm laughing.

You clearly do not have very much imagination. I suggest you not use padded bottoms and do some long rides and maybe you'll figure out the worst that can happen

[mariacycle]

Yeah my longest is still 10 miles. Another question is why is a padded saddle a no-no but everyone wears padded shorts? I also don't find the padded shorts particularly comfortable :/

[indysteel]

Yeah my longest is still 10 miles. Another question is why is a padded saddle a no-no but everyone wears padded shorts? I also don't find the padded shorts particularly comfortable :/

What brand/style shorts have you tried?

[KnottedYet]

I despise "padded bottoms."

After about 10 years of wearing them, I finally realized that they just don't work for me, especially on longer rides (50-60 miles).

I've got a lovely collection of good ones, and cheap ones, tri-chamois, sculpted chamois, etc and so on.

The best thing for me is just plain ol' UnderArmour 7 inch inseam compression shorts. $27. No chamois.

Generally I have either a skirt or capris/shants over them.

Whatever works for you is good. Some folks (and there are a few out there) will freak and go into apoplexy if they discover you don't use chamois shorts, or you wear underwear under your shorts, or you ride on platform pedals, or you prefer steel, or you like downtube shifters, or are happiest with upright bars. That's only their binary thinking and insecurity coming to the fore - if you are different, then maybe THEY are wrong, so you MUST change and do everything just like them so they can feel good about themselves. Don't sweat it. Try everything. Then do what works for you.

ETA: here's a link to the compression shorts: http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/e...rt/1001226-001

[indysteel]

Yes, by all means do what's right for you, but I'd still venture I guess--and I apologize if my alleged insecurity is coming through--that Knotted is in the minority in terms of not preferring padded shorts. I'd at least try out some decent pairs before concluding they don't work for you.

[mariacycle]

thank you all very much for your advice, I really appreciate it =]

I despise "padded bottoms." The best thing for me is just plain ol' UnderArmour 7 inch inseam compression shorts. $27. No chamois.

Thanks for linking! This is what is most comfortable for me too, but I have also been chewed out/treated like a moron because of it. Glad to hear someone else goes down this route...

What brand/style shorts have you tried?

I have several types (all from Performance) from the Performance brand to Pearl Izumi. I do feel like the padding is both too big and too thick. Also, the actual shorts are not comfortable compared to Underarmor compression shorts or other spandex shorts I have.

I'd venture to say at least a plurality need (or at least strongly prefer) a seamless, soft chamois to prevent chafing, but do NOT want any padding. For me, padding = chafing. The longer the ride, the more important it is for me to have a very minimal chamois.

hey oak! that would be really nice... what do you use?

[soprano]

I hate padded cycling shorts. The make my soft tissues feel like they are on fire. I have a Brooks saddle with a cut-out, and I add a little BodyGlide if I'm going over 20 miles.

I despise "padded bottoms."
The best thing for me is just plain ol' UnderArmour 7 inch inseam compression shorts. $27. No chamois.

I'm going to have to try these.

[OakLeaf]

The best thing for me is just plain ol' UnderArmour 7 inch inseam compression shorts. $27.

Y'know, I'd forgotten that I have a pair of their 5" shorts at the bottom of my gear drawer. When I pulled them out this morning to run in, I remembered why they were at the bottom.

Just another illustration about how everyone is shaped differently. Yep, these shorts have a nice big gusset ... which not to put too fine a point on it, is centered on my anus, so you can imagine what equally sensitive parts are directly underneath the front of the gusset where the three seams join, and then directly under the front center seam. The gusset creeps into my crack - putting the rest of the seams in uncomfortable places, too. And if that weren't enough, the legs ride up and I have to keep pulling them down. I don't even like these shorts for the gym.

I'm glad they work for Knott!! For my big butt (9" bigger around than my waist), these are not the shorts...

[malkin]

Just ride.
When it feels good you'll probably be thinking about something more interesting (the road, the birds, the trees, dinner, boys, girls, sugar, spice, etc.)
when it feels not good---you will be thinking mainly of getting out of the saddle.


The solution (for me anyway) was that old Harry Truman thing, "Well, we'll try something, and if it doesn't work, we'll try something else."

[Tand-Rand]

After years of trying every padded crotch out there I have reached the same conclusion as a few others here. Padded crotches just squish into my girly bits (makes me feel like I'm in 7th grade to say that) and cause chafing, boils and swelling. Angelina Jolie ring a bell? I certainly agree that it is counter-productive to put a padded crotch over a saddle cut-out that is designed to give your soft tissues somewhere to go. When I first realized this, I cut out the center of all my pads. That caused some serious problems and I do not recommend it at all. Fail! Then, a few months later I started spinning. After a month of spinning with plain compression shorts, I wore padded shorts one morning. Immediate problems. I literally split open the skin on my labia and dealt with the accompanying boil for weeks. The lights came on.

Now I ride without a pad at all and have a much more comfortable ride. I have invested in some very expensive seats that serve me well- a Selle Italia Diva and a Terry ti. Generous cut-out without pressure ridges on each and the padded nose on the Diva for time trials. I do wish I could find padding just for my sit-bones. But I'll live with this over the alternatives. I do think that it may take some conditioning to get comfortable like this but no amount of conditioning ever got me comfortable with a padded crotch.

Ultimately, all you can do is ride and find out. Before you invest a lot of money, perhaps you have friends that aren't squeamish about these things that would loan you some to try. I have a stack of padded shorts you could have.

[mariacycle]

Haha Tand-rand!! I unfortunately bought about five pairs of padded shorts when I started out so I've already come to the conclusion that they are not for me. I'm going to buy a pair of tri shorts (thinking about these, which were linked earlier) and look into buying a cutout saddle.

I'm really glad to hear I'm not the only one that isn't a big fan of the thick chamois.

[indysteel]

I'm a big fan of padded shorts. Let me put it this way: Would all of us willingly make our butts look big or bigger if we didn't derive a benefit from them? You don't want bruised sit bones or genitals that have been rubbed raw. Really, you don't.

The trick is finding shorts that work for you. It's a very individual thing. As Muirenn said, buy the best shorts you can afford in the smallest size you can comfortably wear. TE has lots to choose from.