i agree with the others, last year at this time i was new to cycling and 15 minutes on the bike was MAJOR Pain! It took me 3 solid weeks to get my butt conditioned and there were days where I really couldnt even ride cuz my ass hurt too much. I should add that I did not start with padded shorts either since i never had them as a kid. Once my butt got conditioned, I would easily do 20-40 mile rides without shorts but usually would wear them. I did find that making certain adjustments like saddle nose up and down did play a major role in comfort.