Bicycle Shorts

MicroE

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I ride my bike several times each week. That's about 25 hilly miles each week.

My brother-in-law "made" me sign up for the New York City Bike Tour this Sunday. 42 miles of fun, fun, fun. Pedal through Manhattan, over the Verrazano Narrows, etc.

Here's the question: I usually wear jeans or cut-off shorts to ride but everybody else seems to be wearing those stretchy bicycle shorts. I looked at some the other day but they were $80 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif. Are they worth it? What do you wear when you ride?---Marc
 

Greta

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Whatever you buy?... make sure that everyone around you can't tell whether or not you're circumcized... that's just wrong and I wish someone would ban those freakin' shorts... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
 

iddibhai

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i believe they have chamois, so when you're riding 42m in one shot (vs 25 over a week), you don't chafe. also probably some moisture-wicking fabric.
 

Tomas

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Sasha, my wife used to have a couple pair that if she'd have dropped a dime in 'em you'd have been able to call it heads or tails ...

Seriously, though, the bike shorts do have a lining, uh, in the center that helps a lot in protecting against chafing for both guys and gals. My wife and I used to put in 35-40 mile weekend rides just for fun, and the bike shorts (or bike underwear under regular shorts!) helped a lot.

Personally, I prefer the bike tights - same padding, etc.

tomsig03.gif
 

geepondy

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I consider a helmut the number one requirement for bicycling accessories but bicycling shorts are number two. Yes they do have chamois and some have gel or other types of padding although I prefer the chamois. As long as you wear underwear I don't think people will be able to tell whether you are circumsised or not. For 42 miles at one shot on a bike, I would not want regular shorts but it's too bad you didn't have more time as you can get decent biking shorts much cheaper then $80 online however you can go look at performancebike.com for ideas.
 

Steve K

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Proper bike shorts are essential for long rides. The hard part is figuring out what sort of chamois you like. The trend now is to make the chamois really, really thick, in order to provide padding. Personally, I ride some old fashioned leather saddles that are comfortable with about any shorts, and the thick chamois just make me feel like I have a full diaper.

The best value I've seen lately has been the Voler shorts. The local racing club swears by them, and I've been pretty happy with them too. Get 'em at www.velowear.com The shorts range in price from $30 to $55.

If it means anything, I ride over 8000 miles a year, so I can get kinda picky about shorts.

Steve K.
 

tsg68

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I use to ride as a messenger and prefer cycling undershorts (as Tomas stated they are made with the same padding) under my cargo shorts. I hate the freakin' cyclist "Garanimals" that most cyclists wear besides if you wear cycling shorts you have no pockets to put your flashlights and if theres anything you don't need to hear in a large crowd it's "Hey, is that a flashlight in your shorts or are ya just glad to see me!".

Long trek I would most definitely want some six pocket shorts over cycling shorts leave the other ones for Lance or Miguel or someone who rides on a team, no one needs to see someones elses package unless they're going for the gold jersey. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif

Later,
TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

flownosaj

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I had some shorts with the thick padding and a groove in them that helped to relieve pressure on the nerve and prevent possible damage.

They ran around $30, and didn't look too stupid. Lost them a few years back when I first moved out of Pittsburgh.

I'm pretty sure everything's presently operational, so I think they worked okay. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

-Jason

*edited comment* They were black spandex but were not the super-tight constricting kind. a more generous cut?
 

KC2IXE

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[ QUOTE ]
MicroE said:
...snip...My brother-in-law "made" me sign up for the New York City Bike Tour this Sunday. ...snip...Are they worth it? What do you wear when you ride?---Marc

[/ QUOTE ]

Marc,
First - I was supposed to work the event, but can't - if you need to get in touch with folks via radio, look for guys with a silly orange hat that says Radio Communications on it, and they will help

That said, I _USED_ to be an avid rider (before I got seriously fat and out of shape) - I would not even think of going on a ride like that without cycle shorts. Yes, they have to be that tight, but you CAN wear something over them is you insist

When you first get them, you think it's going to be the padded crotch that is the big deal - that helps, but the fact is, the real big deal is that they do NOT slide on your legs, and that prevents chafing.

treat them well, and they last for years - I think I went through 3 pairs in 10 years, and one set was an old wool pair! Now, I was riding about 20 miles a day, 6 days a week, year round, and once or twice a month I'd do 50-100 miles

Good luck. One word of caution - be careful coming down the 59th (Queensboro) bridge. near the bottom of the ramp, you'll go from sunlight to darkness, and the road suddenly turns there, and is banked the wrong way - more riders get hurt there than anyone else - LISTEN to the course marshals!!!
 

pedalinbob

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there are some shorts that are baggy on the outside, and have tights and/or chamois liner on the inside. many even have nice pockets on the outside.

as far as tight shorts go, they serve several functions: they keep your muscles/etc from flapping around, which is fatiguing. they keep you from catching clothing on the bike/other bikes/trees, etc. they are aerodynamic. they resist chafing and bunching, wick moisture and prevent saddle sores. they also keep your testicles from bouncing around (ouch!) on rough mountainbike trails.

good luck,
Bob<--only wear them on the bike...because i value my testicles...highly.
 

avusblue

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For a 42 mile ride, you'll definitely want bike shorts. What I do is wear a pair of sorta baggy track shorts (basically thin nylon shell shorts) over them to 1) provide pockets and 2) avoid the potato pouch look. They don't add any chafing or resistance at all.

This spring I bought a new pair of bike shorts -- the Trek brand "Club Short" is basic, but excellent quality and were only $32 at my local bike shop. Find your nearest Trek dealer and they should have them in stock.

Also, one other thing, even though it may make you go "eww" at first, don't wear any underwear beneath your bike shorts. Going commando prevents any seams or pressure points that will create either chafing or plain old discomfort on a long ride.

Have fun!!
 

Darell

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[ QUOTE ]
pedalinbob said:
they keep your muscles/etc from flapping around,

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, I believe Sasha's main concern was the "etc" part. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I agree with everybody here: Good shorts are mandatory. Makes a bad ride OK. Makes a good ride great. I've never spent more than $35 for a good pair though. I don't go through that many pairs, so I just wait until they're on sale. My everyday riding shorts are the baggy kind with the liner inside. Even Sasha would have to look pretty darn hard to determine my religion.
 

MicroE

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Wow. I figured that this thread would only get one or two responses. I guess that I didn't realize just how controversial bike shorts are!

Seriously, though. Thanks, Team CPF. I guess that I will go out to another local bike shop and check out the shorts. I think that I'll avoid the shop in Ridgewood, NJ that sells $3,000+ bicycles. They seem to cater to a slightly wealthier class of riders.

KC2IXE---The bike is my method for curing that "old and fat" thing (but that's a topic for the Diet Thread). And thanks for the warning about the Queensboro Bridge.

Avusblue---I'm going to a Trek dealer first.

SteveK---8,000 miles a year? WOW! Do you commute across IL to work?

tsg68---Yes, pockets are a must. I will not go anywhere without my Arc AAA!

Thanks again /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.---Marc
 

Lurker

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I have lately been riding with some cheap baggy bicycle shorts and they are fine, but I definitely prefer the tight variety for maximum comfort and practicality. Yes you look like you are French or something while you are wearing them, so you don't really want to be seen in them, but as long as you are on your bike or in the company of other serious bikers, you can get away with the look. It is definitely more comfortable than jeans.

And I definitely agree with the earlier post about the helmet being the number one necessity. I wouldn't ride without one. Hopefully and most likely they won't even allow participation in an organized cycling event without a helmet. I am also a fan of bike shoes and gel gloves, but it depends on how "into it" you are.
 

Jonathan

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I'm for tight bicycle shorts as well. Though after this thread I'll look into getting baggy 'overshorts'....

As far as distance is concerned, if you bike every day, it starts to add up fast. I commute to work. Only a short ride (about 9 miles), but I do it twice a day, 4-5 times per week, winter and summer (well, 3-4 times per week in winter /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ). Lots and lots of short rides, and that's good for about 4K miles per year. Nice on the car as well; it doesn't see city commute miles, only shopping trip and highway miles.

The interesting thing is that I'm _very_ used to the commute distance. I have loads of trouble pacing myself on longer rides, I push way too fast in the first 10 miles, and then I'm shot.

-Jon
 

B@rt

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No need for special pants... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

hurricane_L_full.jpg
 

tsg68

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Nice HPV there Bart!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I will third the helmet rule! I was riding as a courier years ago and made the very "uncool" decision to wear a helmet and got laughed at by several "hip" couriers, I just told them that I would probably survive an accident that might make them "permanent members of the underground scene" if they got my drift and soon alot more of my bud's were wearing helmets too!!

A few years after my wife and I moved to NYC I was riding home in a light sleet on New Year's eve and while wiping moisture from my glasses (another good thing for cyclists to wear are impact resistant glasses cause, vehicular traffic sometimes throws debris in your face) and my front wheel went in a blind pothole, torqued the bars free from my hand, and sent me endover onto my left shoulder, right wrist and head into Broadway rush hour traffic at about 25mph.

My helmet broke completely through in three places (so my skull didn't have to!) I recieved such a concussion (not my first in life, and probably not my last) that I was blinded for about 60 seconds, luckily for me a pedestrian noticed my obviously helpless situation and yelled to me to follow his voice to safety (course, I grabbed my bike first) He sat me down on the curb and offered to call an ambulance but by that time my vision was returning and in seconds I could see fine.

I rode home (slid on Ice on the Brooklyn Bridge and went down again piercing my left buttock with a key that was in my back pocket), told my wife what happened and commenced my concussion watch activites, you know, no alchohol (on New Years no less) wake me up every 1/2 hour etc.., and next day felt fine. Anyhoo that helmet saved my life, no doubt about it, and it was a total accident that had nothing to do with my personal skill at riding, I had been riding in traffic, daily for about 6 years prior and had nothing but mechanical failure related incidents.

Wear a freakin' helmet, always!!!

Later,
TSG
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

KC2IXE

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[ QUOTE ]
MicroE said:
...snip...
KC2IXE---The bike is my method for curing that "old and fat" thing (but that's a topic for the Diet Thread). And thanks for the warning about the Queensboro Bridge.

...snip...

[/ QUOTE ]

That works when you are only "slightly" fat, when your in the range I'm in, you break bicycles
 

KC2IXE

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RE Helmets:

The 5 Boro won't even let you consider riding without one, and if your caught without one, your off the course at the first marshal. BTW They DO watch for your bib too
 

Darkaway

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I was racing bicycles for a living during the dawn of the Lycra bike clothing age in the late 70's. The old adage then was that Lycra shorts not only allow people to see what sex you are but what religion too !!!

One of the standards by which I live my life is that form always follows function. Proper(i.e.form fitting) cycling shorts are the most efficient thing to wear on a bike from both an aerodynamic and biomechanical perspective, period. I really don't give a rat's @ss about what they look like.

You can always find good shorts on sale for way less than $80.00 at web sites like Bike Nashbar, Performance, and even REI. The more panels, the better the fit. Most have synthetic chamois these days as opposed to the real thing. Avoid any color except black unless you want to be an exhibitionist.

And not to beat a dead horse, but PLEASE wear a helmet. I had more than one friend who would probably be alive today if only they had a helmet on when their bare heads impacted the pavement.
 
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