Long shorts or short shorts?

[Nanci]

It's the new "Touring Chamois" (I was hoping to get a pair of 2005's with the 3D Race chamois but can't locate them) which is some powder blue XL soft dealy. Not my thing.

Nanci

[Dianyla]

Yeah, the Sugar Knickers I just bought are the 2006 ones with the beefy chamois.


Somehow the term "beefy chamois" sounds so wrong, but I'm leaving it.

[Nanci]

You know before "real" chamois were invented, riders in Tour de France used to sit on raw beef steaks, right?

I wouldn't call that beefy, I'd call it foamy but soft.

Nanci

[Dianyla]

You know before "real" chamois were invented, riders in Tour de France used to sit on raw beef steaks, right?

That's hysterical!

"No thanks, I brought my own beef curtains."

[Nanci]

"Before shorts had chamois inserts, the early riders of the Tour de France improvised. Legend has it that they would buy a cheap cut of steak from a local butcher in the morning. Ready for the off, they'd stick the slab of beef down their shorts and sit on it like a cushion. They'd ride like that all day -- tenderising the meat with their motion, marinading it in their sweat -- then hand it to the hotel chef in the evening with the instruction that it needed only a minute on each side."

[CorsairMac]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll alrighty then! I'm a-thinking that may qualify as TMI! ROFL


as for shorts: I wear longer shorts in the winter coz I Hate that gap between my leg warmers and the bottom of my shorts. I wear short shorts in the summer coz I'm short and short shorts seems to hit me right about wear long shorts hit taller ppl!

As for shorts: I have the Performance Century Shorts and the Century Gel Short Shorts and love them both.

[Nanci]

Please describe the chamois in the Performance Gels in great detail!

Thanks,

Nanci

[Blueberry]

As for shorts: I have the Performance Century Shorts and the Century Gel Short Shorts and love them both.

I have the Century Gel Shorts (regular length) and loved them last year - Tried the this year and had a very odd thing happen - I got back from a 20 mile ride and had striped bruises near where the back sides of the chamois would hit. Hubby's theory was stitching from the shorts. Odd, I know. I'll get up the nerve to try them again, as I love the fabric and the chamois loves my rear end, but I don't want stripes *there* again...

[Blueberry]

Please describe the chamois in the Performance Gels in great detail!

I posted my last reply before I saw yours (gotta love simultaneous typing). Mine is brown and "furry." Seriously, it's fuzzy. The edges have no gel, and then the gel is, oh, about 1/4" thick with little dimples where there is no gel. Make sense? (probably not...)

I can't figure out how to copy the pic from Performance's website, but if you search for gel short, and go to the 2nd picture, it's there....

It's odd, but it works for me on shortish rides... (not that you do many of those)

[CorsairMac]

Please describe the chamois in the Performance Gels in great detail!

Thanks,

Nanci

oh dear - ummm....let me see:

Both types are 8-panel, 6-8 mil shorts so they're heavier and very comfy.

The regular chamois is thinner than most shorts and a tad more "fitted" if that makes sense ie: they don't stick out the back or feel like a maxi pad. It has several pads along the chamois and crucial "sit" points including 2 flared pads right about where sit bones would be. The side panels are a very soft chamois that doesn't create friction where the leg meets crotch. I wear these shorts from the day I need leg warmers until the day I don't anymore. I've also layered Multiple things over the shorts and have never had any problems with saddle sores and friction burns.

The Gel Shorts are a gel pad with vent holes in them. It felt strange the first time I put them on just coz it was gel - but let me tell ya, I rode a century in them with no break-in period and no issues. I would've bought the longer shorts in gel also but they were out, and I was curious what the difference was between gel/not-gel.

as a "end"note: I don't use chamois cremes or anything thing else and I've never had a problem with saddle sores or friction burns wearing either of these shorts.

Hope this helps!