Do I -have- to wear those silly shorts?

[DeniseGoldberg]

-Should my toes have to point slightly down to reach the pedals or does this mean my seat is too high?

You should not have your toes on the pedal at all - the balls of your feet are the contact point. But based on your description of your toes pointing down to reach the pedal, I suspect that your saddle is too high. I highly recommend taking your bike to your LBS for a fitting.

On the shorts front, I wouldn't dream of wearing anything other than long cycling shorts. To me, the odd tan lines are a badge of honor, and the shorts provide both comfort and protection. (And yes, in spite of using a lot of sunscreen, I still end up with lines). That said, there are shorter versions of cycling shorts out there. Take a look at the large selection on the TE site.

--- Denise

[Pedal Wench]

When everyone above said 'no thong', what they really meant was 'no nothing'! No granny-panties either. Nothing. Nada. Zip. The chamois is designed to be right up against your skin, and anything else will (well, can, there are exceptions!) cause problems.