Tell me what kind of shorts you wear!

[Becky]

Terry Bella and Sugoi Evolution. The Bellas are my favorites.

[SadieKate]

Assos F.1 lady short. Want to try the Giordana Tenax when I need a new pair. The hubby thinks his men's Giordana bibs compare pretty much on par with his Assos. I can't remember the model, but the chamois are very similar.

[bluebug32]

I really really love Gore for road and mountain biking. I also have a pair of Sheila Moon lycra shorts and she makes a great chamois and the shorts aren't too tight in the legs and have a yoga style waistband to eliminate any muffin topping.

[Crankin]

Terry Bellas 4 pair, plus one pair of knickers
Shebeest Double Ds (1)
Shebeest SSS (1)

a couple of pair of Shebeest board shorts with separate liners; I wear them as regular shorts or with the liners for short errand rides/mtb
one pair of baggies
I wear unpadded tights (Hind) over my bike shorts in cold weather

[Thorn]

Boure Elite shorts. 8" inseam and a thin chamois wide enough for my sit bones to get releif.

For me, the chamois in most popular shorts are just a teensy bit narrower than my sit bones and they hurt. Disappointing, because I absolutely loved the Terry T-short's fabric.

[kermit]

For long rides I like Louis Garneau shorts with the airated chamois(ergozone I think), great for the heat. I have velowear bibs that rock, just sucks when you have to pee. I am also riding Zoot tri shorts, depending on the distance. I started doing sprints and the less padding is nice. It depends on the mood I'm in and the saddle of the week. Right now SI SLR gel flow, very flat and nice. We'll see.

[bounceswoosh]

I have fallen in love with the best shorts in the entire universe. The Sugoi Lucky.

http://sugoi.com/item/86973/SUG38103F

The number one thing that makes them so great is their waistband, or rather, the lack thereof. I have GI issues, and the band of elastic on most shorts can ruin my day quickly; it causes deep, painful cramps that don't go away after the ride. These shorts are built differently; they are moderately elastic all around, but don't have that tight line of pressure.

Additionally, they have a moderate chamois; not tiny like a tri short, but not fluffy like a PI short. Just right.

They also have a very small mesh pocket on the hip, perfect for lip balm or an unadorned key.

[TrekTheKaty]

Well, you guys are all over the place! I know it's a personal decision, but also an expensive experiment. The women's Assos are $180--my husband didn't pay that much for his (NOT FAIR!)--so I had to start from scratch. I was also hoping for a shorter inseam for next year (too late for this year's tan line).

I'm not really interested in a bib. My dh LOVES his, but dealing with a sports bra is enough, for now.

Here goes nothing--looks like the Terry Bella's are popular AND the least expensive. I'll jump to the SheBeest Ultra D from there. If anybody see's those 08 Assos go on clearance, let me know!

Ditto for the Hind tights over bike shorts for winter--I stumbled onto that last winter when I forgot to wash my capris.

[Southside Sally]

Gore Lady Ozon for long rides. They feel kinda like ya have a Depends on, but man, does my bootie feel much better with them.

Sally

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My favorite shorts for longer rides (over 25 miles) are SheBeest Ultra D.

[Madride]

My favorite are the giordana bib shorts. They are really comfortable and have a thinner chamois that I really like. They also wear better than my PI shorts. My PI shorts are getting worn out after just one season, but my giordana bibs still seem the same as the first day I wore them. My PI shorts tend to chafe on longer rides as well. I really love bibs over regular shorts though, they are just so much more comfortable! Although they can be a hassle if you have to stop for a bathroom break.

[MauiRockHopper]

I just got serious about biking (both road and mtb) and dreaded being seen in padded bike shorts. I thought the chamois made you look like you crapped in your pants or had huge camel toe. So I bought a pair of $70 skorts thinking it would be great if I wanted to pop into a store or cafe. I also bought a cheap ($25) pair of Canari padded biking shorts, with low expectations.

Between the two, I prefer the Canari shorts because the skort can be hot in Hawaii's climate. It kinda bothers me after awhile to have the skirt fabric on my legs as I ride too. Depends where I'm going, but if I have a serious ride I rather not use a skort. For rides less than 10 miles I wear plain jogging shorts because padding doesn't seem an issue until after 20 miles.

I now don't care how I look because you are wearing so much bicycling gear everyone knows you are a cyclist and it's ok to be seen wearing those funny shorts. If you ride in a group it's even more ok.

I read that bibs prevent the "spill over" effect from a traditional waistband cutting. But I wonder what you do about a bra if you wear suspender type bibs, if the straps chafe or cut in. And then having to use the bathroom, it seems humbug just like a one piece bathingsuit.

[aicabsolut]

I read that bibs prevent the "spill over" effect from a traditional waistband cutting. But I wonder what you do about a bra if you wear suspender type bibs, if the straps chafe or cut in. And then having to use the bathroom, it seems humbug just like a one piece bathingsuit.

Bibs are much better at the waistband in terms of comfort and appearance. There's no squishing flesh. No exposed backsides if your jersey is too short. They are quite comfortable. The straps should not be uncomfortably tight, though they may not be 100% comfy when you stand completely upright. A lot of them stretch over time, so even that shouldn't be much of a worry.

The order of clothing with bibs is: sports bra, base layer (if desired), bibs, jersey. So, if you do have to stop for a bathroom break, you just remove your jersey enough to get the straps down. The material is different than a bathing suit and not as tight (bathing suits have to be tighter to be sure everything stays covered, right?). It's easy enough to get them off and on. Plus, a lot of them are pretty wide suspenders out at the sides. Some women's bibs have a T strap thing. I don't know how hard it is to get in and out of those. Some have suspenders you can unclip (and then you don't have to remove the jersey). I don't have large breasts, but the suspenders have never bothered me. I've heard some people say that they have nipple chafing (even guys), but I haven't encountered bib straps that come in that far. The straps are soft and when you're in the riding position, they shouldn't be taut over your breasts anyway. Plus, you have your sports bra on. I have never had any problems with the straps. I forget they're even there. The best part about bibs is feeling free of an uncomfortable waistband.

As far as looking silly, who cares?

[Jallora]

I bought mine from Nashbar, and I love them! I always wear sleeveless jersey's, so I just do the bra strap trick and pull the straps out the arm holes. It drives my husband crazy that I can have the straps off me and be ready to hop off the bike and into the bathroom as soon we pull up.

[TrekTheKaty]

I've never been good at the arm hole/strap thing--and you can do it on a bike?! I bow to the master :-)