Touring - What shorts/underwear combo for multi-day touring?

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eAspenwood
07-25-08, 10:53 AM
Lets get personal, what short/underwear combo do you use for multi-day touring? I bet this subject elicits a wide array of opinions, so I thought looking at this through the cold, hard statistical lens of a BF poll would be interesting. :)

I like wearing regular clothing for most biking, but I've never done an extended bike tour ... yet.


vik
07-25-08, 10:59 AM
I use Ex-Oficio boxer briefs [minimal seams & quick dry] with regular short or pants over top. You can easily wash them and they'll dry overnight.

nun
07-25-08, 11:08 AM
Andiamo padded underwear as they let me ride in all the pants/shorts I take on a tour. These include, Rapha fixed shorts, touring shorts and a pair of convertible long pants. I wash the underwear each night and don't bother washing the shorts I wear over them.


jaypee
07-25-08, 11:53 AM
I went commando and wore either Chrome or Borah knickers. The Borah knickers have an internal liner that I cut up to make more loose fitting. The Chrome knickers have a wicking pad sewn directly to the butt. In either instance, I was comfy and I guess that makes me an "other" in the poll.

countrydirt
07-25-08, 12:16 PM
I wear "baggies" with an integrated or removable padded cycling short in them. Always commando.

Cyclesafe
07-25-08, 01:26 PM
Spandex biker shorts with seamless Coolmax briefs underneath. Easier to clean and dry Coolmax briefs every day than to clean and dry Spandex bike shorts.

Mentor58
07-25-08, 02:42 PM
I'm riding a 'bent when I do touring now, so I've got it easy. I use a pair of convertible fishing pants. (supplex nylon so they wick and dry fast, legs zip on and off). I wear a set of UnderArmor Sport Briefs, (same concept as the ex-officio). Works like a charm for me, cuts down the amount of clothes that I have to carry, since my biking and off-bike clothes are the same.

M58

vitamaltz
07-26-08, 06:04 AM
Advantages of wicking boxer briefs (or boyshorts for women) and synthetic hiking shorts are:

They keep you as dry as bike shorts with chamois.
They are much less bulky and heavy. You can bring five pairs of underwear and still have less to haul around than a spare set of bike shorts (I don't bring that many).
The underwear can be used for swimming if you need to use anything at all.
The underwear dries much, much faster than chamois.
This setup is more comfortable for hanging out off-bike.
This setup does not make you feel like you're wearing a diaper.
Neither method will make an uncomfortable saddle feel good.

Lately I've been riding around in Patagonia $25 polyester boxer briefs. These are similar to the UnderArmor and ExOficio. They're fine, but the C9 and Merona nylon underwear from Target seems to work just as well and costs about $6 a pair.

tlorenz
07-26-08, 06:11 PM
Icebreaker merino wool and shorts. It works well, drys fast and doesn't stink like the alternative. Merino wool is my favorite fabric.