Bike shorts padding and style preferences

[Rudi Riet]

@scott43 it really doesn't take $300 to be comfortable. I'm using Specialized Phenom for years now... Price range was from under 100eur for cheapest version to 300+eur for Sworks version. When I was trying, cheapest version felt exactly same as Sworks (I still picked Expert version not Comp though).... But comfort or fit or whatever is right word for this, is inside of certain line and doesn't depends so much of model and rails material.

Indeed. In the case of Specialized, I used their Toupe saddle for years - fit my posterior like a glove pre-THR.

And I found that the S-Works version, while considerably lighter, was also considerably less durable. I snapped the titanium alloy rails on said saddle three times. All three were covered under warranty replacement, but when I switched to the steel railed version (which was about 100 grams heavier) it held up much better.

So find the saddle that fits for practical function, then negotiate the marginal gains (or financial hit factor) for how zoot you want your saddle to be.

 

[Tony S]

I am generally a fussy person. (I know, news flash.) Therefore I'm continually grateful that a road saddle I bought from @Ron on a lark years ago in the barking bears era just magically happened to fit really well and I'm still riding it!

 

[Ron]

My right side is my problematic side, hip, lower back, plantar faciitis, LLD.
I was having minor numbing in my toes on that side and changed where my foot is on the pedal, which took care of the problem.
This was soemthing brought up in a conversation wtih @Ron. If I didn't thank you for that, Thanks Ron!

AWESOME! Yeah, move your cleats back, lower and move the saddle back is a good start for almost everyone. the KOP's myth and traditional saddle height isn't helping anyone.

 

[Tricia]

When I was in the business people would ask me what the best saddle was and I'd say, I dunno, I don't have your ass. Take that as you will...

Saddles are one of the most important things to test-ride..but...it's a saddle..sooo....

The best bike shops will allow for auditioning of saddles to find the best one. They'll measure the distance between sit bones, they'll look at range of motion and flexibility of the hip joint and back, and they'll also ask what kind of riding the customer will do. They'll then come up with a short list of saddles to try and let the rider try them out.

As Rudi says here, I've known shops to have a "ride it and love it or bring it back" policy.
Heck, Terry bicycles has a full refund for saddles within 30 days and store credit for up to a year.

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I am generally a fussy person. (I know, news flash.)

Fussy? Is that what they call it?

 

[David]

I may be old school but I still prefer a real chamois with a thin evenly distributed pad. Most shorts I can find today feel like I'm wearing a full diaper. A synthetic chamois is fine as well if the pad is thin. Finding bibs that fit me is difficult too since most riders are smaller than I am. The last bibs I bought I had to have the shoulder straps made longer as well.

 

[Tricia]

AWESOME! Yeah, move your cleats back, lower and move the saddle back is a good start for almost everyone. the KOP's myth and traditional saddle height isn't helping anyone.

Fortunately for me, I have flat shoes and pedals, so I can play with the position easily on the fly.
And yes I moved my saddle back almost immediately when I got the new bike.
I just realized I still have a Terry Damsefly saddle that was in my garage sale stuff. It was on my single speed before Phil started riding it. He didn't care for the women specific design for his anatomy.

 

[Ron]

well, riding with flats makes most of the fit stuff irrelevant since even 3-5mm fore/aft or in/out can make a significant difference but honestly, on a mtn bike you should be active enough that "relatively close" is fine. the only real thing to play around with is the height but thats also influenced by your pedal stroke. If you do long sustained climbs (on a regular bike) you may benefit for a more forward seat position. A lot of riders have very poor pedal strokes, strong toe down or heel down greatly affects the effective saddle height and therefore Fore Aft. Not to mention a lot of wasted energy and inefficient use of muscle. But, using a static measurement for saddle height for those folks (who resist changing their foot position) is really inaccurate. They should adjust height based on the pedal at the furthest point based on the toe point or heel push. (furthest is usually with the pedal aligned with the seat tube angle in the down position )

If you can find a fitter who used the GebioMized saddle pressure fitting system (Alchemy body & bike in Steamboat) https://gebiomized.de/en/products/measurement/gp-bike/ you will learn that comfort on a saddle isn't the total picture of what's best for you. If you are interested in getting the best saddle position for not only comfort but power too, this system is pretty amazing. it capture pressure left/right fore/aft as well as forces which is very different from just pressure or weight distribution on the saddle. But doing a video capture and analysis, you can dial in the fore/aft, tilt and height for best comfort and efficiency. Here's a couple screen grabs of my fit The first two are Pre-adjustment, the 3rd, post. this was some testing done with my local fitter. Note the second shows a weight distribution of 56% on the right with a huge disparity of pressure to the right, the 3rd shows a shift in weight to 52% on the left but note, there is still more forces being applied on the right side. Most of that is probably due to my multiple hip surgeries. we literally changed the saddle position a few MM's aft and lowered the saddle about the same.

 

[Andy Mink]

I have one pair of Giro Base Liner shorts. And one seat. Please, please don't drag me down yet another rabbit hole (or two)! I don't know what I don't know! And yes, the shorts get washed or at least rinsed well after each ride.

 

[Rudi Riet]

I have one pair of Giro Base Liner shorts. And one seat. Please, please don't drag me down yet another rabbit hole (or two)! I don't know what I don't know! And yes, the shorts get washed or at least rinsed well after each ride.

One seat is fine, but you'd best get a second pair of liner shorts because the one pair will wear out super quickly if you constantly machine wash them (and hopefully hang dry them) after each ride. Always have a backup strategy.

 

[cantunamunch]

Always have a backup strategy.

sorry, that just sounds punny in this context.

 

[Tony S]

One seat is fine, but you'd best get a second pair of liner shorts because the one pair will wear out super quickly if you constantly machine wash them (and hopefully hang dry them) after each ride. Always have a backup strategy.

Not everyone rides as much as you, Rudi.

 

[Andy Mink]

One seat is fine, but you'd best get a second pair of liner shorts because the one pair will wear out super quickly if you constantly machine wash them (and hopefully hang dry them) after each ride. Always have a backup strategy.

Definitely hang dry. I wash them in the machine every 2 or 3 rides depending on ride duration. Otherwise I just throw them in with me when I take a shower and rinse them really well. If I wear them out I want it to be due to riding, not cleaning!

 

[Rudi Riet]

Not everyone rides as much as you, Rudi.

What, you mean not everyone is up to nearly 3,500 miles on the bike in 2021?

Still, for things like base layers it's good to have two sets - the same rule applies with skiing. You never know when something could just fail and, well, having a crucial contact point compromised is no fun at all.

 

[cantunamunch]

What, you mean not everyone is up to nearly 3,500 miles on the bike in 2021?

Nope, still crawling up to 2K and I have plenty of shorts.

But, seriously, I thought at least part of your fitness point above related to exactly that - the same chamois will not feel the same at 500mipointofseason as at 1500mipointofseason... and so on further. .

 

[Tom K.]

Heck, Terry bicycles has a full refund for saddles within 30 days and store credit for up to a year.

Trek/Bontrager also: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bontrager/guarantee/

I love my Bonty saddles. I was a hard sell after aeons on Specialized's fine offerings. I like these even more.

 

[Rudi Riet]

But, seriously, I thought at least part of your fitness point above related to exactly that - the same chamois will not feel the same at 500mipointofseason as at 1500mipointofseason... and so on further. .

This is definitely part of the point: chamois do wear out. Some are built better than others. Some are also built for long-haul riding over short distance riding.

But still: have two, especially if you find a brand and model that work well. Get that second pair (or third if you can swing it). Even if they sit unused for a while, they're on hand when pair one is dirty or fails (crashes tend to not treat shorts or liners kindly).

 

[cantunamunch]

(crashes tend to not treat shorts or liners kindly).

Best excuse for an overshort ever.

 

[markojp]

Chammy cream... the great equalizer.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Chammy cream... the great equalizer.

I used to swear by chamois creams - both Chamois Butt'r Eurostyle and DZ Nuts were standards.

But over the past year I've moved away from these as finding chamois that fit my butt perfectly works better and actually results in less chafing and far less irritation than when I was using said ointments.

The keys to this, other than finding the padding that ideally fits my posterior:

- Using super mild detergent when washing my shorts.
- Hand washing and rinsing the shorts really well (and hang drying but that's the norm for all clothes laundered in my household).
- Cleaning my "sit region" with unscented baby wipes immediately before donning my bike shorts.
- Changing out of my shorts immediately after riding and cleaning my "sit region" with unscented baby wipes (or showering if a shower is available where my ride ends, which isn't often) before changing back into civvies.

I've racked up a lot of miles this season, including many rides in the 80 mile or longer range and in some obnoxiously hot and humid weather, with many back-to-back long riding days, and irritation in my nether regions is essentially nil.

I'm guessing that part of this is sheer time in the saddle combined with the fact that it's never not outdoor riding season here in the Mid Atlantic, and I'm a wee bit shocked that dropping the chamois cream wouldn't result in a lot of irritation and chafing, but here I am.

Of course, this is just me - your mileage may vary.

 

[scott43]

I will just say, being a parent now, baby-wipes are the greatest secret that non-parents don't know about!