Hincapie Power Lycra shorts - good or bad?

[Eden]

In Hincapie shorts
Grey chamios = just fine
Red chamios = evil butt eating stitching....

post a pic of the chamios in the shorts you want to buy and I can tell you if its the one that I would never wish on anyone...

[Misandal]

LOL! That doesn't sound good at all!

Here's a pic from the TE website:

[SadieKate]

Hmm, I must have a butt of steel.

I truly think that some problems are caused by a mismatch in saddle and chamois. I have a PI chamois that is horrible on my road bikes but great on my mountain bikes. Same chamois, same butt, different saddle.

[Misandal]

Dear "Buns of Steel" (SadieKate),

I think you're right about the saddle/short combination. My Glamour is a wider saddle, which is why I was concerned about where the stitching would fall. Or gouge.

I love the wide rear platform for climbing but I do have to be mindful of chamois that are too narrow or stitching where there shouldn't be stitching.

[SadieKate]

Dear "Buns of Steel" (SadieKate),

Butt of Steel and Buns of Steel - two different things.

Think steel enclosed cottage cheese.

[Misandal]

Eden, thanks for the warning. That's exactly what my hesitation was when I saw the chamois.

I had a pair of Adidas Response Race shorts and the leg grippers didn't really grip so the shorts would ride up and there was a killer seam that would eat into my rear. I know all about the little shark bites you described!

Sounds like either the Shebeest Ultra Ds or SSS would be a better choice for me.

[Misandal]

SadieKate, you're cracking me up! Point taken.

[OakLeaf]

Another one for the Shebeest SSS. I'm on a Specialized Lithia 155.

[Eden]

That's the evil backside eating chamios .

To be a bit more fair - I did not have problems with it on shorter rides - but there were several times (and I think it was only one of my two pairs of shorts that had a rough seam) on longer rides and once when it had been very wet and gritty that I took those shorts off and had what could be described as a small shark bite on my heinie... a lovely crescent shaped gouge in my backside from the stitching on that chamios - not, I think, from contact between the seam and the saddle, but more from the sawing action of the seam against my backside - it was up further on my rear than the saddle contact area. Slathering up the seam with chamois butter had a minimal relieving effect. I have other Hincapie shorts with a grey chamios and those are just fine, but I don't recommend risking the red one.