More attention being given to saddles issues for women

[Melalvai]

question: how long does a ride need to be before you decide to put on the padded cycle shorts? I never thought I'd need a pair.

I agree that it's individual, but knowing what others' limits are is helpful in making an estimate of what your own limit might be. For me it's an hour. Any ride under an hour I'm fine without bike shorts. On days when I accumulate 10 miles or more in errands, I notice it at the end of the day.

On the other hand I biked for a few years before I even tried on a pair of bike shorts. I biked all the way to Omaha, NE and back (744 miles over 10 days) with regular shorts. If you have a perfect, comfortable saddle, bike shorts aren't as critical. (There was some chaffing, which was getting uncomfortable by the end of that trip.)

Then I discovered bike shorts and never looked back.