Kinda personal but underwear???

[Starfish]

I totally agree with you on this one with the following exception - please, o please, dear women, wear underwear when you are going to the fitting room to try on pants, shorts, etc.

Although I agree with the above (!), I find the less I wear underwear, the more comfortable I am in almost all situations!

Interestingly, I was talking recently with a cyclist friend (a very experienced cyclist), and she always wears underwear with her bike shorts! I was astounded. She says she has taken to wearing thongs so that her cyclist friends can't tell and don't razz her!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Interestingly, I was talking recently with a cyclist friend (a very experienced cyclist), and she always wears underwear with her bike shorts! I was astounded. She says she has taken to wearing thongs so that her cyclist friends can't tell and don't razz her!

OK, I'll confess....
I ride over 100 miles a week, my longest rides are 60 and 70 miles....and I always wear panties under my biking shorts!

I put a big glob of regular old unscented hand cream on my girly area and then wear plain old cotton Fruit of the Looms low rise. Never have a problem.
(I did try thongs once and simply could not get used to them.)

After spending over $100 per pair of shorts or knickers, there's no way I want to put them through the washer after every ride- man, that would wear them out right quick! So if I haven't sweated too much I only need to wash them every 4-6 rides. I just toss the panties in the wash instead- the panties only cost about a dollar fifty a piece!

I know- many of you will say "how can you stand it?!"- but honestly it doesn't bother me a bit. My chamois are all really good ones for long distance riding, I ride on a Brooks (unpadded) saddle, and my bike has a slight touring geometry which means I am not bent forward too drastically and most of my weight is on my sitbones and not on my front girly bits.

Go ahead, scoff all you want....but I'm perfectly comfy and my shorts are going to last a LONG time!

[kayandallie]

Yup, I've heard many times that I shouldn't wear underwear but I'm not about to stop. Any problems I ever have, I can't attribute to underwear. Along with clips for my pedals, I'll have underwear on when I go to my final resting ground.

[Tuckervill]

Solved the problem of the washer wearing out the clothes by buying a front loader with no agitator. My undies seem to last much longer now, and I don't have a problem putting my shorts in them every time I wear them. Besides, there's no way I'm wearing those stinky shorts a second time without washing them. I sweat clean through the chamois almost every time I ride.

Karen

[SheFly]

After spending over $100 per pair of shorts or knickers, there's no way I want to put them through the washer after every ride- man, that would wear them out right quick! So if I haven't sweated too much I only need to wash them every 4-6 rides. I just toss the panties in the wash instead- the panties only cost about a dollar fifty a piece!

Hey Lisa - I don't wear undies under my shorts (too uncomfortable for me, personally) and wash my shorts after each wearing. I am on year 3 of the same shorts, and they have lots of life left in them! (Oh, and yes, I DO put them in the dryer, which is supposed to also reduce their lifespan).

SheFly

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I guess we all have our favorite ways....

[Aggie_Ama]

Watch it... This thread is getting a bit heated! And now we all no Lisa is an underwear under her short gal- how FRED!

Seriously, with the amount of salt I lose through my sweating I can't wear my shorts more than once but I try to wash them gentle and always hang to dry. They are holding up pretty good and I right now I am rotating three pairs because I am just not happy with my others.

[Zen]

I have had a low tolerance for underwear for twenty five years, at least.
I have yet to encounter a pair of womens underwear that don't want to retreat into my butt cleavage. If I have to wear a skirt without pantyhose there will be jockey briefs or Underarmor shorts beneath it.

Is there some secret brand of underwear that I don't know about?

[Aggie_Ama]

I am a boyshort fan. Relatively low visibility of panty line and no wedgie to annoy me.

[KnottedYet]

I have had a low tolerance for underwear for twenty five years, at least.
I have yet to encounter a pair of womens underwear that don't want to retreat into my butt cleavage. If I have to wear a skirt without pantyhose there will be jockey briefs or Underarmor shorts beneath it.

Is there some secret brand of underwear that I don't know about?

I wear UnderArmor shorts, Smartwool shorts, Ibex shorts, Jockey shorts, New Balance shorts. Mighty fine underwear. Soon I'll branch out into Champion's cotton women's undershorts. As soon as I can find a store that carries them. Ibex is going to have a lightweight women's undershort starting this fall.

"Boycut" briefs do NOT work for me, they end up creeping up my butt and wadding up at the tops of my thighs.

Patagonia's women's briefs are my favorite "traditional" underwear. http://www.rei.com/product/742857?vc...S_CLOTHING_TOC Otherwise I much prefer long-legged undershorts. Thank goodness so many other women do, too; so all sorts of companies are making women's undershorts now.

[sandra]

Is there some secret brand of underwear that I don't know about?

Soma (by Chicos) high leg brief for me. First underwear I don't tug at.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Watch it... This thread is getting a bit heated! And now we all no Lisa is an underwear under her short gal- how FRED!

Yep, that's me....Fred!

I guess we are all different when it comes to how underwear fits us. FWIW, I myself have a pear shape. I must say I have never had any wedgie problems with ANY brand I've ever worn (except thongs of course, which literally ARE wedgies!)
I have nicer panties i like for everyday wear, but for riding i'll just throw on some cotton low-rise FruitoftheLooms cheapies and then toss them in the laundry after the ride. I buy them in 3-packs for $3.99 so it's no big deal when they wear out. I don't sweat much in the shorts area when I ride unless it's over 90 degrees, so sweaty/salty shorts aren't a big issue for me.

To be honest, if my biking shorts only cost me $20 or so I'd probably be wearing them without panties too and tossing them in the wash after every ride. But I see what frequent washing does to my other good clothes and I want to avoid that since it's rather difficult and expensive to get biking shorts that are just perfect. It's way worse than shopping for jeans!

[SouthernBelle]

BTW, I'm in the camp that throws shorts in the dryer too!

[sandra]

I think Lisa's solution is a good one considering how much these riding shorts cost. I paid more for my riding shorts than I pay for some of my best clothes. Considering the cost, they do need special treatment.

My problem is that where I live in the deep south, in the summer we are riding most days in heat from 95 degrees and up. I don't get that hot when I'm riding, but when I stop to take a break it is humid and muggy and HOT.

I never put mine in the dryer and in the fall and winter I'll try wearing panties and give them a rest and not wash them so much.

[Grog]

I also ride more than 3000km with every single pair of short, washing them after every ride. However, in the summer, they get washed by hand because I do laundry only once a week but ride more than four times a week (the number of pairs I own). I wash it before jumping in the shower with a bit of soap, wring well, hang to dry and voila! they are dry by the next ride.

I agree that regular washing machines are terrible with clothes, I can't wait for our laundry provider to install front-loaders.