Bike shorts question

[greengirl]

My husband, who is a seasoned biker, insists that I should not wear any underwear under my shorts. Is that something only men do, or do women do that too? I have never biked before, so I have NO clue. Thanks for any input.

[carback]

You'll find lots of discussion on these forums about this topic.

Your husband is correct.
Absolutely, no underwear. Go commando!

The issue with underwear is the chafing from the seams, the wicking and absorption qualities of underwear and worse, the unsightly visible panty lines.

Your tush will thank you!

[Yasmin]

My husband, who is a seasoned biker, insists that I should not wear any underwear under my shorts. Is that something only men do, or do women do that too? I have never biked before, so I have NO clue. Thanks for any input.

Your husband is right, you know (ditto carback). Due to my bashfulness, it took me 2 yrs before I left the undies behind. Then lo & behold, the sweating, rubbing & associated pinching all disappeared. The chamois & seams in the shorts are designed to be next to skin. Also on long rides (100km/62.5miles) it's blissful not having the perspiration build up. Go fot it. Cheers, Yasmin.

[greengirl]

Thanks for the reply...What about chamois cream??? Is that necessary to prevent saddle sores? I feel so...vulnerable putting menthol cream in my shorts.

[Irulan]

menthol? whoo-eeee! I know some people use noxzema, but menthol...? I personally never use chamois cream but ymmv...

[DeniseGoldberg]

No underwear under my bike shorts, and no chamois cream either. The clean chamois in my bike shorts is quite enough without adding cream of any sort - no matter how far I ride. Just the shorts!

--- Denise

[shewhobikes]

just the shorts. It's OK, trust us on this one.

[bluerider]

When I started I didn't really listen to anyone and wore underwear anyway thiking that was for "real' cyclists. Lesson learned pretty quickly. You can try it and you'll know why after 10 minutes!!!

[HipGnosis6]

I wear underwear under my bike shorts for my commute, but it's quite short - and I want to expidite changing. The ride only takes 15 minutes, and once I get there, I want to get into my "street clothes" ASAP. The funny thing is, I work for a kilt manufacturer, and you're not supposed to wear underwear under them, either!

On longer rides, I skip the panties.

[crazycanuck]

Way cool..i went commando tonight and think it's great. No undie problems..

Thanks for the advice ladies...now i need a few more pairs of bike shorts...At least they'll dry quickly with the temps heating up here...

c

[helga]

I wear underwear under my bike shorts for my commute, but it's quite short - and I want to expidite changing. The ride only takes 15 minutes, and once I get there, I want to get into my "street clothes" ASAP. The funny thing is, I work for a kilt manufacturer, and you're not supposed to wear underwear under them, either!

On longer rides, I skip the panties.

Before taking up biking, I was a piper in a band that was originally called, "The Flashers". Definitely a "going commando" reference and something some of the pipers (myself not included) took as being a dress code. However, with regard to wearing anything under biking shorts, just say, "NO"!

[greengirl]

Thank you for all the advice...now I know what to do :-)

[Pedal Wench]

Card carrying member of The Anti-Panty Party!

[bikerchick68]

greenrider... you have the input on the commando... yup, the only way to go... also as mentioned, after a ride get outta those damp shorts asap... same as a swimsuit... you just don't sit around in a wet one!

the chamois cream is NOT needed for every ride, but is useful for long rides... I don't use it for any ride under 50 miles... but anything over that and I am on the saddle long enough that I want it to help reduce friction... I always use Chamois Cream for century rides... there are different brands (Chamois But'r, Aessos etc) and some with the menthol and some without... I have never used or needed the menthol or numbing stuff... I think that would be helpful if you are prone to saddle sores... I have a friend who used it for riding when he had a saddle sore and was already registered for a ride... numbing the area allowed him to complete the ride in comfort...

anyway, use the chamois cream as needed... as you ride more and more you'll figure out at what point YOU need it... it's different for every rider!

[Grog]

Commando of course.

And some chamois cream only if multi-day ride in hot weather, like 3 days X 100 km.

Clean, clean, clean shorts, always.