Touring - Bike shorts and, um, the family jewels, plus other ?'s

my lbs recently sold me a pair of the pearl izumi bib-short for about $130 telling me they were the best on the market (you don't have to keep pulling them up, great for absorbing sweat, and the pad shapes to botton etc.) I tried them on in the store and they felt great but after doing a century yesterday, I came back with lots of pain down there. My questions:

1. How tight should bike shorts be? Do you want any room down there at all or should things, um, not be moving around?

2. Can anyone rec a bike short that they like for long distance touring?

3. Am I limited to just biking shorts on touring or can I also wear mountain bike shorts, or any other looser type of short?

It could be that I have never wore a bib before (except at Sizzler) so maybe it just takes getting used to? They seem to fit much tighter than bike shorts.

Maybe the shoulder straps are too tight? You can stretch these pre-ride by standing on them and pulling up hard with the crotch.

Also, I stretch the front of my shorts after I'm on the bike to give me a little more room in that area. Carefully grab a handful of lycra and pull and hold for 10 seconds.

Too tight is never good. I wear mountain biking shorts. I find they exert less pressure in key areas. I look for the least bulky short I can find. Baggy is good. Very comfortable for riding long distance. I've used products from many manufacturers. Can't say one is better than another. You've got to try them and see what works best for you.

my lbs recently sold me a pair of the pearl izumi bib-short for about $130 telling me they were the best on the market (you don't have to keep pulling them up, great for absorbing sweat, and the pad shapes to botton etc.) I tried them on in the store and they felt great but after doing a century yesterday, I came back with lots of pain down there. My questions:

1. How tight should bike shorts be? Do you want any room down there at all or should things, um, not be moving around?

2. Can anyone rec a bike short that they like for long distance touring?

3. Am I limited to just biking shorts on touring or can I also wear mountain bike shorts, or any other looser type of short?

It could be that I have never wore a bib before (except at Sizzler) so maybe it just takes getting used to? They seem to fit much tighter than bike shorts.


I like bib shorts too: they never creep up on you, they keep ya warm on rainy chilly days, and they cover some of your cycling jersey rear pockets so the stuff feels more securely fashioned. I am one of those antedelkuvian riders who wear something underneath them; usually a speedo nylon swimsuit. It helps hold things in place and is instantly washable and dries in a flash, while also protecting the chamois from as much sweat and wear and tear too.

How tight your shorts are is a matter of style, modesty, and preference. It IS a good idea to make sure they are firm and right around your thighs: the muscles there need firm support and it feels better while riding. The main body of the shorts can have a boxy cut, which is more modest and less revealing than the body cut ones. Try them on in your LBS and go from there. They should not be tight enough that mutt hangs out on one side of the seam and jeff hangs out of the other.

roughstuff

Up until not too long ago, folks toured on all sorts of clothes. Cargo shorts, sneakers, seersucker unbuttoned halfway down. Its a matter of preference, but if you're taking it easy there's very little cycling-specific gear that is anywhere NEAR "necessary". I'll be touring on a pair of campy bibshorts this summer, but with a few pairs of an undergarment like Roughstuff mentioned, and you'd likely be fine with just that under some running shorts or a swimsuit or something.


I think part of the numbness might have come from changing ANYTHING for a 100 mile ride. Especially in such a tender area, little things like differing pressures and heights will become noticeable at about mile 40 and damn annoying by mile 90.


Tightness there's really no way to judge here. No, things should not be moving around, but you shouldn't be scaring children either.



So as much as an online post can judge how well things might work with your package, there you go. = )


cheers


matt

What sort of saddle are you using?

What sort of saddle are you using?

i swapped the Bontrager saddle that came with my Trek520 and have been using a Specialized Gel Comp. I actually think I liked the seat that came with the bike better.

thanks for the advice everybody--I will try stretching the bib-short next time and see if I notice a difference.

I am one of those antedelkuvian riders who wear something underneath them; usually a speedo nylon swimsuit. It helps hold things in place and is instantly washable and dries in a flash, while also protecting the chamois from as much sweat and wear and tear too.


No wonder your stuff is rough.

Underwear Nazi
No speedos!

From my grand experiance of one 12 day tour, I would like to say that I really liked my baggy shorts from Specialized. They felt comfortable while they were dry. They dried over night as I wore only one pair and washed them every day. And I was able to wear them as regular shorts as that is what they look like.

I would definitely wear MTB shorts for touring. I have a set of ones from nashbar and one from Performance with no real preference between them. But they are nice in that they look like regular shorts, albeit a little more baggy than most, but still not terribly noticeable. The helmet though is kind of a giveaway! :)

Jay

No wonder your stuff is rough.

Underwear Nazi
No speedos!


As Harry Potter would say, meatus reductiae!!!!!!!!!!


roughstuff

Pardon my ignorance, but I have to ask a couple of questions.
Baggy shorts, as shown at specialized. Do these have some special characteristic beyond normal shorts?
do bike shorts normally have padding?

I'm serious on these questions. I'm not a spandex kind of guy, for which my family and friends all thank me, but I wouldn't mind a more comfortable ride.

Pardon my ignorance, but I have to ask a couple of questions.
Baggy shorts, as shown at specialized. Do these have some special characteristic beyond normal shorts?
do bike shorts normally have padding?

I'm serious on these questions. I'm not a spandex kind of guy, for which my family and friends all thank me, but I wouldn't mind a more comfortable ride.

Mountain biking or comfort shorts sold at bike shops and places like REI are padded. This usually makes them more comfortable to wear while biking than street shorts. I have both spandex and baggy shorts. I prefer the baggy, but both are comfortable on the bike.

Thanks!
clicking baggy shorts order now!
I and my nether regions thank you.