Knickers, Anyone?

[SandyLS]

I finally tried a pair of knickers this year. I have the Terry Bella knickers and like them a lot. They worked very well in 50-60 degree weather. Today it was well into the mid-seventies and I did think they were a little too warm.

[Bike Goddess]

I have a pair of Sheebest knickers as well. I had to get a larger size because I am so long in the legs, but I've enjoyed wearing them.

I've looked at other brands of knickers but haven't liked the design of the chamois as well.

[KnottedYet]

Yeah, me too! I pulled on an old blue Hawaiin flowerdy skort the other day and rode my mtb in it. Ahhhhhh.

sounds like we have the same skort. (blue and flowerdy and has little surfboards on it?)

the old skorts had a full double-flap kilt style front. I like that, too.

[sundial]

sounds like we have the same skort. (blue and flowerdy and has little surfboards on it?)

Yep! And when I got the LL Bean blue/white long sleeve jersey, the light blue matched perfectly with the light blue in the skort. I still have the skort from the first year Terry offered it. It's bright yellow--my favorite.

[corey]

This was my first experience with posting something on any kind of forum and, I have to say, BIKER CHICKS ROCK! You ladies answered all of my questions & then some.

I have soooo much new information that I am going to have to consider each and every person's response & make a decision about my knickers tonight. I'm leaning toward Shebeest - that seems to be the most popular brand, as far as comfort & chamois is concerned (except in a few cases). If I had $140to drop, I'd get something really snazzy but, as I am a beginner, I really don't need anything like that quite yet.

I will keep you updated on my final decision.
Thanks, again, for all of the great, detailed responses!!!

Corey

[Kano]

Okay, so I tried knickers first time this spring now too. Shebeest Shindiggers -- length, love it, even though it kinda bunches behind my knees as I'm riding. It's not like there's much fabric there (they hit just below the knee) and it's not a tight bunching, since they have that cute little vented hem. Longer knickers will likely hit at or just below the widest part of my calf, I'm not sure how that will stay put. I liked this length for that reason.

The padding was good for our 18+ mile ride yesterday. I look forward to seeing how they do on longer rides.

Temperature was good for the extra length.

Total vanity thing: Smoothed out my "baggy" inner thighs! Been losing weight, and there's still too much excess on the thighs, but there's this interesting hollow-thing going on just above my knees on the inside, with extra something AT the knees. The coverage of the shindiggers was PERFECT to make this interesting conformation look much more presentable! (I'm wondering how this area will continue to evolve as my fitness level increases!)

If I find that the padding's not sufficient for longer rides, I'll try some longer knickers, but maybe as the summer progresses, I'll be happier in shorter shorts, and the vanity issue will disappear again?

Karen in Boise

[corey]

I have been wearing shorts exclusively since I started biking, but this spring, I've decided to try knickers. I've gained some weight, so my shorts look extra sausage-y and unflattering, so I figure I'll try knickers. I don't do well with heat, so I'm not sure how much I'll wear them over the summer, but I used to see plenty of women wearing them year round in North Carolina (where I lived last summer).

I just ordered the Sugar Knicker from TE and I'm picking them up at lunch today, so I'll let you know what I think when I have more info. I picked these because the chamois looks to be a good shape and thickness for me and they were relatively inexpensive. I don't want to spend a lot of money in case I end up not liking knickers.

Came back to add:
Got the knickers - they are similar or same fabric as my PI shorts, so that part is good. They will probably be cool enough in summer (at least in the PNW, anyway). The chamois is the right shape and it's a good thickness...but man, it's HUGE in size! I'm not sure how I feel about it...it might be too diaper-y for me. I'll wear them for a ride this weekend (if I can sneak one in amongst the rain) and report back.

Looking forward to hearing how they ride! Keep me posted!
I just saw the Shebeest Shindiggers recently were placed on sale for $64.95- down from $84.95, I think.. so that is yet another motivating factor in my decision!!

Oops! Nevermind about that price thing! I was mistaken. I have looked at so many knickers I can't keep them straight.
I ordered the Shindiggers anyway... I'll post what I think about them when I get them!
Thanks again for all of the advice!

[tulip]

I've only ridden with shorts (and tights when it's colder) in my 25 years of cycling, but just yesterday I bought some PI Versa Capris from TE. They are for an upcoming trip to Europe, and I wanted something that would be a bit more modest/urban for my biking. I'll still wear my regular cycling shorts (I like PI so that's the only brand I even consider) on longer rides, but there will be shorter rides exploring Paris, and the Versa capris ought to be fine for that.

One thing, though, I really don't like buying clothes online because I can't try them on. Sizes seem to be so all over the map (depending on the item, I'll wear a 4, a 6, or sometimes an 8--and my body stays the same!). Hopefully these capris will fit just fine, as I waited until the last minute and will not have time to exchange them!

Oh, and don't feel like you have to go with skin tight lycra if you are not comfortable in it. Baggy bike shorts (sometimes called mountain bike shorts) are perfectly acceptable on a road bike!