Road Cycling - Will biking shorts help on shorter trips?

Like under 25 miles? and does any one have a reconditioning program? I used to ride a bit years ago and wanting to start again but need to build back up.Thanks



Joe Meaux

Yes they will.

Start with low gears and spin a bit to get cardiovascular fitness (careful at start) then pick up the strength work.

The value of cycling shorts depends on many things, including your saddle, your riding position, and the weather. In general, cycling shorts or bibs (or cycling briefs, under tights or other long pants) are important for any ride over a few minutes on a road bike. They'll not only help prevent chafing, but many also help reduce the likelihood of sores due to bacterial growth.
Many new riders report that they've found the best way to get into riding is to do short distances on a regular basis. The "regular" is the key, as it'll start helping you to considwer yourself as a Cyclist, not just someone who rides a bike. A friend of mine had very good success last summer by riding a five mile loop every single weekday morning, then a 10 - 20 mile ride on one of the weekend days. He started this in June, and then rode an MS150 at the end of September!
Good luck!

My commute is 9 miles in, 13 miles, often more, home. I did it for some time without shorts with no problem. When I got a Brooks saddle, I thought it might be a good idea to try them. I would put it this way - for my commute, I would not be UNcomfortable without padded bike shorts, but I am MORE comfortable with them.

Ditto what other have said - short, regular rides, building to whatever level you desire. Focus on spinning smaller gears rather than mashing larger ones which can injure your knees. Most of all, make sure you enjoy every ride. That will keep you coming back for more. Your seat may be a little sore for the first few days, but it will get conditioned very quickly.

I used to commute on my mountain bike without bike shorts for about two years. I got saddle sores and it wasn't fun. All told I was spending less than two hours a day on the bike. I am probably getting pretty close to averaging 1.5 hours a day on my road bike now and I am wearing clean bike shorts everyday. No problems yet. One suggestion I have is not to sit in your sweaty bike shorts after a ride, change or shower right away. and wash them all the time too.

I'm still commuting on my mtb without biking shorts. I've had a total of two saddle sores in 2001. It doesn't really matter for the shorter rides, but I'd go with the biking shorts on anything over 40km.

When I say saddle sores, I mean the real deal. I had to go to a doctor. Some of the tissue was dying. The doctor said it is like bed sores, blood pools because of lack of circulation, the tissue begins to die. He said it can be very serious and it was certainly painful.
But, I ride saddles that fit me better, and I wear padded bike shorts now. I haven't had problems like that for a while.

Originally posted by bvelo
When I say saddle sores, I mean the real deal. I had to go to a doctor. Some of the tissue was dying. The doctor said it is like bed sores, blood pools because of lack of circulation, the tissue begins to die. He said it can be very serious and it was certainly painful.

I must say I've never had a saddle sore that bad. Mind you, I generally get out of the saddle for a while every few km just to let the blood circulate. Maybe that helps a bit.

well, as you may have already guessed, I am stuborn. So, I kept riding and they kept getting worse. I figured I could train my *ss to take it. And, I figured wrong. I thought I had a good saddle as well. But, it didn't really fit my shape. I went out and bought one of those thick heavy gel saddles and it made it worse fast. I tried a bunch of others and settled on a WTB with titanium rails. I've been riding them ever since, road or mountain.