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In a perfect world my cycling shorts would be on the longer side, have plenty of padding in the rear and very little in the front. Does anyone know if such a thing exists? If not, what about longer shorts that have little padding period? Most of the tri shorts are too short for my comfort.
I've been having a lot of chaffing on the girly bits for rides of 40 or more. I always use a very generous amount of chamois cream (mostly I use lantiseptic) regardless of the length of ride.
2012 Jamis Quest Brooks B17 Blue
2012 Jamis Dakar XC Comp SI Ldy Gel
2013 Electra Verse
Last edited by thekarens; 03-25-2014 at 08:49 AM.
2012 Jamis Quest Brooks B17 Blue
2012 Jamis Dakar XC Comp SI Ldy Gel
2013 Electra Verse
I would recommend Gore shorts. I have a similar problem in the front, and Gore chamois fit the bill there. I think it's the chamois shape and the fabrication that really reduce chaffing for me. Unfortunately, the chamois is too big in the back for me and the shorts themselves are all too long on my short legs, so they might be perfect for you. They aren't usually cheap, but they are really nice quality.
In fact, what size are you? I may have a pair that are basically new that I could give you, if you'd like.
My new non-farm blog: Finding Freedom
If you're willing to try triathlon-style padding, the Terry Club Long is a 9" inseam and a fleece-only pad. And the Terry Spinnaker is a knicker with a fleece pad. (For some reason, TE doesn't carry either of those though they have most of the Terry line.)
I actually have been having the problem for a long time with the SI Ldy Gel (which has a cut out.) I just got the B17 (no cut out) and have only had one "real" ride with it and it wasn't as bad, but still had some chafing.
I appreciate all the suggestions from everyone. I've been wearing a medium in most sizes unless they run small.
2012 Jamis Quest Brooks B17 Blue
2012 Jamis Dakar XC Comp SI Ldy Gel
2013 Electra Verse
I've started to have a similar problem since my saddle was raised recently during a fit adjustment. I'm going to try lowering it a teeny bit (like, 1-2 millimeters) to see if that helps.
- Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
- Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
- Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle
Gone but not forgotten:
- Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
- Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles
I've had great luck with Boure shorts ( https://www.boure.com/ ). One could argue that I'm a groupie. Their base short is longer than most; the chamois is not heavily padded but is wide enough in the back for me (many chamois are too narrow and I end up sitting on the seams), but it is not too bulky in the front.
2009 Waterford RS-14 S&S Couplers - Brooks B68-Anatomica - Traveller
2008 Waterford RS-33 - Brooks B68-Anatomica - Go Fast
2012 Waterford Commuter - Brooks B68-Anatomica - 3.5-Season/Commuter
2011 Surly Troll - Brooks B68 Imperial - Snow Beast
Ground Effect Jitterbugs and Mojos (the latter are 10 panel & slightly longer) -- I've worn both of these styles for years and they're still my favorite shorts, by far. The padding is relatively thin, and the leg lengths are long. Prices are very reasonable.
And there's Short Cuts which are the knicker-length version of Jitterbugs.
The only downside is that they're in NZ. That said, I've had no problem ordering from them, I've done so a few times, and the shipping costs have been surprisingly low*. Granted,the last time I purchased from them was in early 2012. But that last time, I had to return a pair of knickers because they changed the design of my beloved Witches Britches -- they now use a different type of lycra that I don't like -- and I exchanged them for Short Cuts w/o much hassle, and those turned out to be excellent.
I wish they had a US distributor, but I like Ground Effect shorts so much it's worth the (minimal) time & effort to get them shipped from NZ.
*Ed to add: I see they now offer free shipping to the US via FedEx. Might be time to make an order ...
Last edited by jobob; 03-25-2014 at 05:01 PM.
2009 Lynskey R230 Houseblend - Brooks Team Pro
2007 Rivendell Bleriot - Rivet Pearl
Looks like I've got some research to do :-)
2012 Jamis Quest Brooks B17 Blue
2012 Jamis Dakar XC Comp SI Ldy Gel
2013 Electra Verse
Not to add more confusion, but have you tried shorts with a gel chamois? I used to have chafing issues on longer rides, tried gel, and it was like night and day. I have several pairs of LG Equipe shorts and men's bibs - all keep me comfortable on 50-100 mile rides. I also have a saddle with a channel, which has improved things overall (you mentioned the SI was a cutout, so probably that's not a factor). Brooks saddles take a really long time to break in (you probably know this), and you said it was new-ish? Maybe it hasn't gotten to the "sweet spot" yet?
2012 Seven Axiom SLX w/105, WTB Shadow saddle
2014 Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc 26
SE Draft Lite beater w/Gatorskins and stickers
I know you're asking about shorts here, but since you also mentioned saddles, I want to give a shout out for the Rivet Pearl saddle. I got it along with my Bleriot Formerly Known as Sky and Oh. My. God. that is one great saddle. I don't know it's there, it's that comfy.
I was starting to have minor chafing issues with the standard B17 saddle (I wasn't having as much of a prob with the B17 Team Pro on my Lynskey, possibly because it's a bit narrower than the standard B17), but I'm experiencing no chafing at all with the Rivet. Many thumbs up!
2009 Lynskey R230 Houseblend - Brooks Team Pro
2007 Rivendell Bleriot - Rivet Pearl
I truly appreciate all the suggestions.
The problem isn't the Brooks since I've had all my problems on the SI.
Side note, if the Rivet had been in the price and color I wanted I definitely would have gone that route. It's a beautiful saddle. The B17 actually is the same size as my SI. I'm on the wider side.
And to clarify I've never had any problems with chafing in the rear, only the front.
2012 Jamis Quest Brooks B17 Blue
2012 Jamis Dakar XC Comp SI Ldy Gel
2013 Electra Verse
I'm having the same problem for the first time ever, and same thing - I had a professional fit done not too long ago. I LIKE most aspects of the fit, in terms of my power on the bike now, but I've got saddle sores near my sit bones for the first time ever.
I'll be interested to know if that helps.
"Susie" - 2012 Specialized Ruby Apex, not pink/Selle SMP Lite 209