lots of short advice out there but...

[michelem]

For me, I didn't need bike shorts until I was riding over 20 miles at a time. I started with the Cannondale Domestiques (not sure they still make them - got them on closeout through REI Outlet). These were good to about 40 miles, but not so good for longer rides. I recently got a pair of Shebeest Ultra D's. These work well for me on longer rides. The only thing I don't like is the drawstring - it cuts in if I leave it tucked into the shorts, but flaps in the breeze if I leave it out. Luckily my jerseys are long enough, but there is a mesh portion to the shorts at the small of the back and someone here got sunburned through the mesh. The Ultra D's are quite pricey (almost $100 at 25% off plus tax), so I hope they last a long time! I handwash my shorts in Woolite and line dry.

Oh, PI stands for Pearl Izumi - the designer of the shorts.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If you are doing 10 mile rides and wanting to do 15 milers soon, or even 20 milers, then you really don't need a $100 short designed for doing centuries. Maybe later you'll need those! You can save some money by buying mid-range shorts for now. Look at TE's SALE shorts. You are not going to need heavy duty chamois for 20 mile rides, but *some* chamois would be nice.

Also as you get into longer rides, don't overlook the possibility of your SADDLE being the culprit of causing discomfort. If decent chamois don't solve it, it could be you'll need a different saddle. Some saddles are comfy enough for the first hour or so but become uncomfortable on longer rides. You won't know whether yours is like that until you start doing longer rides of 2 hours or more.

[madscot13]

yeah 10 miles is my minimum, but now that school is over (someone's graduated from college) I have a lot more time on my hands (even more so because I am unemployed). I think I will try and train for longer distances. I want to be able to do the st. paul classic with ease and I think it would be fabulous to bike to Duluth at the end of the summer or in the early fall. So I definitely have longer distances in the future and I want to be comfortable when I do them.

[KnottedYet]

I started off the shorts adventure by buying pairs that were on sale (TE has some VERY nice Terry on clearance right now in smaller sizes). Some I liked, some I didn't, but it gave me the chance to experiment and figure out what shorts/chamois worked for me without spending a lot of money.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

yeah 10 miles is my minimum, but now that school is over (someone's graduated from college) I have a lot more time on my hands (even more so because I am unemployed). I think I will try and train for longer distances. I want to be able to do the st. paul classic with ease and I think it would be fabulous to bike to Duluth at the end of the summer or in the early fall. So I definitely have longer distances in the future and I want to be comfortable when I do them.

Even in the future as you ride a lot, you will still be doing plenty of short rides too, so the mid-range shorts will never lose their usefullness.

[madscot13]

what are the differences between midrange and $90 shorts?

[teigyr]

For me, the difference is chamois and cut. My midrange shorts have a generic blob of padding on them (out of a lack of a better term) where the higher range ones are very contoured. The higher range ones also fit better. I actually have some older Performance shorts (lower than midrange) that have a seam in the chamois

Check out the TE shorts selection because you can click on the chamois and it'll pop up with a picture. It's pretty darned cool, actually.

The best thing is just to get advice then see what works for you. I have some not-quite-high-range shorts that are really surprisingly comfy though I haven't gone over 30 miles in them.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

what are the differences between midrange and $90 shorts?

Aside from chamois differences, the higher priced shorts often have 6-8 panels of material around the hips and legs, making a really nice contoured fit which feels good and is very supportive for long hours in the saddle. Cheaper shorts might only be 4 panel construction, for example. But they might be perfectly fine for 1 or 2 hour rides.
Sometimes expensive shorts go on sale simply because they are last year's model- always good to look for!