Are padded bike shorts supposed to be worn AS underwear or over your underwear?
AS…It defeats the purpose if you were something under em.
haha…such an embarassing question to ask…I had to ask the same thing when I got my first pair. And yes, they work MUCH better AS underwear.
They are meant to be worn without underwear or overwear. Using them as a layer under a pair of unpadded bicycling shorts or seamless sweatpants is reasonable to do. The fabric layers slide on each other.
Bike shorts
It’s a good question. Ever Monday I ride with a large group of bikers. About half of them ride “commando” (nothing under the shorts) and the other half wear some sort of wicking underwear between the shorts and the skin. I did the commando route on my uni this past Monday evening and experienced a pretty bad case of chafing. The skin on the inside of my left thigh was raw the next day. The best solution I’ve found to avoid that is to wear skin tight boxer length wicking underwear under combination bike shorts/regular shorts. These “double shorts” seem to do the trick. Just my opinion.
Having said that you should read the following that I copied from www.bicycleapparel.com: " NEVER… NEVER… NEVER…
Wear Underwear Under Your Bike Short!
The materials used in pads today are designed to wick moisture, breath and prevent the propagation of bacteria. As such, they are more sanitary than your underwear. The whole purpose of the bike pad is to prevent chafing. In order to work, the short must fit your body like a second skin. Having a layer of clothing between your body and your bike short will prevent the short from working the way that it should, and will increase your chances of experiencing chafing and sores where the underwear sits against your body."
has anyone put on bike shorts then slick shorts over them and noticed how it feels cold? Or am I crazy?
cmsustud19:
I don’t think you’re crazy, but I haven’t tried that technique, so I can’t comment! 
I would add to the posts above that if you do experience chafing, using a creme of some sort on the affected areas does wonders for a ride. I used to have major issues with chafing on the tailbone area and had trouble walking after a ride. The solution: udder balm. That’s right, it’s used to lubricate cow udders. [Insert your joke here!] Available at any farm co-op for maybe $6.00. I don’t live in a rural part of the world, but some family members do and they pick this stuff up for me. But I’m sure any sort of excellent skin lotion or creme would keep chafing away on a ride.
Sorry if this was TMI.
Phil
Indianapolis
All that padding can hold moisture after the ride is over. Don’t leave them on all day, change out of them after the ride to “air things out”. Also, avoid re-using the same shorts, wash them after every use. That way your crotch won’t turn into a Petri dish.
I have a pair of pedded bike shorts, but they don’t fit well, so I just wear a pair of really really soft boker shorts. I don’t chaffe at all with them.
The tour de france people just piss out of their pants as they ride along…
heres my own question
does anyone do that on a unicycle??? 
I don’t!!!
Re: Stupid question about bike shorts
On Thu, 27 Jul 2006 01:48:38 -0500, one wheely wrote:
>The tour de france people just piss out of their pants as they ride
>along…
>heres my own question
>does anyone do that on a unicycle???
Bicyclists can coast easily and then pee to the side. On a uni you
have to keep pedaling… imagine the effect.
As to washing bike shorts after every use: I have recently begun to
hand-rinse my shorts under the post-ride shower. Works fine for me.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
“I’m slowly but surely stealing Wales and bringing it back to my house on the wheel, frame and cranks of my muni. - phil”