Quote Originally Posted by Lokicat35
The problem is I just CAN'T seem to get used to a regular bike short and not wearing underwear. I feel like i'm 13 again and wearing HUGE maxi pads and just generally feel "exposed."!
I used to feel the same way. Now I sort of think of the chamois as my underwear. It took my getting chafed really badly two days before a time trial before I lost the undies and got with the chamois creme.

Quote Originally Posted by Lokicat35
What can I do? Is there a less bulky but effective short? How do you get used to going commando?

Help!
If you're perfectly happy with your setup, then by all means, stick with it. But if you want to try bike shorts, maybe you could transition into it by wearing a very thin chamois with undies, and later on, switching over to the shorts sans the underwear. Shebeest sells several different shorts and knickers that come with relatively thin chamois. And according to the Shebeest website, they're all proportional to the size of the short. You can see them at: http://www.shebeest.com/she_tech.asp

One of the really cool features of the TE store is that in every description of the shorts they sell, you can follow a link to see a pic and get info on the chamois that comes with the short. You can check out those Shebests, and also look at triathlon shorts, which all have thinner chamois.

Anyway... what's most important is how you feel. You're the only one who has to feel your tush while you're riding, and you're the only one who knows what's really comfortable.

Good luck with the riding!

~ Cari