Shorts - buy to fit waist or hips?

[OakLeaf]

One thing I highly recommend when trying on new shorts, is to sit on your saddle. If you're trying them on at a LBS and don't have your bike with you, ask to sit on a bike on the floor that has a similar shaped saddle and riding position. A few pedal strokes on the trainer, or leaning up against the wall, will be enough to tell you if the chamois is COMPLETELY wrong (too thick, too stiff, wrong placement, etc.).

[junetvee]

I will be calling TE as soon as they open - another hour or so.

By the way, I see some of your signatures say "measure your sit bones". How do you do that?

[sarahspins]

You can do the play-dough method, which is probably the easiest if you're doing it yourself, or you can go to a shop and have them measured.

I measured mine with the play-dough method and then later was able to measure directly off a pelvic x-ray and got pretty much the same number.

I think the point of the sit bone measurements is that quite a few of us on this forum do have sit bones far outside of the range most bike manufacturers reference when making "women's" saddles. Our saddle options are therefore very limited.

If you are having saddle issues, it's important to have your sit bone measurement to help you choose a saddle that will work for you (and there are a lot out there, so knowing what size you need helps narrow that down). More than just the width, the "shape" of a saddle matters quite a lot too, and different things work for different people.