Another cycling short question...

[KnottedYet]

Triathlon shorts have very minimal padding.

I wear UnderArmour compression shorts (no padding) or a pair of very nice Sugoi tri shorts that I got here on TE.

The pad on the tri shorts isn't wide enough to be under my sit bones, but then I've never found any padded shorts that were. I've got monster huge wide sit bones.

[Eden]

Really "padded" shorts is a misnomer... the reason to put the "pad" (aka chamios) in shorts is to provide a seamless and soft surface for your friction prone areas rather than to protect your sitbones. Adding more padding (as you've found) usually has a negative impact on other parts of your body, not to mention makes you feel like you are wearing a diaper. Your sitbones will adapt in time and no longer feel sore after a ride, but your soft tissues never do. So go for the shorts that don't cause soft tissue pressure or chafing and don't despair, with regular riding your sitbones will toughen up.

[PinkBike]

+1 eden.
excellent reply.

[tzvia]

It never ceases to amaze me every time I shop for cycling shorts, the amount of padding some have. Eden is right; I think the clothing designers forgot the reason why the pad is there. Padded shorts were basically a strip of chamois for your skin to slide on before the marketing department turned them into pillows for the beach cruiser croud. Big thick globs of gel- I avoid those like the plague. Unfortunately, many of the nicest looking high quality shorts have that padding and I find I have to hunt for good lightly padded shorts. I found some Specialized ones last year on sale for $50 bucks with thin smooth padding that is wide enough in back to cover my wide sit bones, but nice and soft so it conforms to my body shape. I should have bought more than two, because they are 90 bucks now . Castelli makes some nice shorts with soft thin flexible padding that almost goes unnoticed as I ride. They also make the thick crap too and that is what I usually find on the rack at the LBS. Pearl Isumi is out- their stuff is horrible, which is sad because their better shorts are really nicely made- but the padding is over the top.

So take a look at the Specialized shorts; they are not as fancy as some others out there but they get the job done wihout feeling like you are wearing your Tempur-pedic pillow. And if you can find the thinly padded Castelli check them out. They are excellent shorts.

[abejita]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies!!

[OakLeaf]

And if you can find the thinly padded Castelli check them out. They are excellent shorts.

Do you know the model name of those shorts? Does TE carry them?

[VeloVT]

I haven't seen THICKLY padded Castelli shorts . I haven't seen the Free in person, but I've seen all of the other shorts and the chamois styles I've seen are all pretty thin (and comfortable, imo). The lowest end chamois, the Kiss, is the most flexible.

[roadie gal]

2+ on tri shorts. Zoot brand tri shorts have only a piece of fleece for the padding. DeSoto have a different kind of fleece, but still are nice and thin. Pearl Izumi makes a tri short as well. I don't know much about the PI shorts. But any tri shorts will have a much less bulky pad than regular bike shorts.

I've found that I use my tri shorts more and more and the "padded" stuff less and less. It's just more comfortable for me.

[tctrek]

I haven't seen THICKLY padded Castelli shorts . I haven't seen the Free in person, but I've seen all of the other shorts and the chamois styles I've seen are all pretty thin (and comfortable, imo). The lowest end chamois, the Kiss, is the most flexible.

I think the Kiss chamois is in all Castelli shorts. I have a pair of Free and a pair of Cocoon and the both have the Kiss chamois even though their costs were quite different.

I also have LG, Sheebeast, Zoots and Sugoi's and I find the Castelli to be the most comfortable on longer rides. I like my Zoot and Sugoi tri shorts for shorter rides.