General Cycling Discussion - shorts without padding?

i'm looking for some spandex/lycra bike shorts that do not have any padding. any ideas or links?

Go to Walmart and check in the sporting goods for "compression shorts"

they run about 11.00 and mine wore out after 2 .5 years...I stopped wearing bike diapers years and years ago, all you need are the lycra compression shorts and a Brooks saddle for ultimate comfort :)

I may regret it but I have to ask, what do you have against cycling shorts or Bibs?

Hard to piddle in an emergency...

are brooks saddles THAT amazing? or is it some forum wide inside joke? i need to know, i need a new saddle.

Lycra running shorts. Speedo 'jammers.' (Speedos are a bit low-rise at the waist for cycling use.) Or, you can buy padded shorts and remove the pad.

Recumbent shorts have little or no padding.

Hostel Shoppe used to sell the excellent Volae shorts, but no longer list them. These are 8-panel lycra (panels cut just like regular cycling shorts) but with an extra layer of lycra where the chamois pad would normally be. http://www.hostelshoppe.com/

The Volae shorts were custom-ordered wholesale by Hostel Shoppe from Hidden Bay Sports, but that website shows no unpadded varieties. http://hiddenbaysports.com/

I prefer these shorts (for recumbent riding) but one thing to consider for upright use is that they lack a drawstring on the waist. For recumbents, keeping your pants up isn't such a problem.

----

The Mt Borah shorts that Hostel Shoppe shows are also essentially unpadded, but they are "MTB-style" shorts (-a regular-looking outer shell with an inner, tight-fitting liner sewn in at the waist-). The Mt Borahs I own do have a drawstring waist.

----

Kucharik lists some recumbent-specific shorts with a layer of coolmax instead of chamois. I dunno if they have a drawstring or not, I never owned any, you'd have to email and ask. http://www.kucharik.com/

I don't know any other places that sell anything like unpadded shorts that is bicycle-specific. Hostel Shoppe is the biggest/most comprehensive online recumbent store around, at least in the USA.

------

I've also heard of people using exercise/compression shorts, as well as rowing shorts (in particular, SewSporty (http://sewsporty.com/rowshorts.html) is a common source mentioned for rowing shorts). These can be bought cheap and can work very well on a recumbent seat, but I don't know about an upright saddle.
~

Bike shorts without a chamois are called compression shorts. Any sporting goods store should have them.

Here you go this is where I get my shorts. I am very pleased with vender

http://www.americaismakingit.com/7inseamshort.html

I'm looking for them because I just bought a Brooks.

I was looking at compression, running, etc shorts today in a few stores and they all have seams right where your butt meets the saddle. Is that really a big deal? Sounds like you guys can live with it.

Thanks for all the links.

I always just wear cotton spandex, have for years. I usually order about 10 pair a year in many colors. You do need a good ass though

Here's one place to look at.

www.bicycleclothing.com (http://www.bicycleclothing.com)

tri shorts. that is what i use for my commute.

are brooks saddles THAT amazing? or is it some forum wide inside joke? i need to know, i need a new saddle.

Excellent once broken in fully. That can take some time though. Get some Proofhide with the saddle but do not overuse it.

Like all saddles though, some swear by them and some at them. The swear at folks are fewer with Brooks saddles, once broken in, as they mould to fit the anatomy with use while plastic based saddles do not.

I stopped wearing bike diapers years and years ago, all you need are the lycra compression shorts and a Brooks saddle for ultimate comfort :)

+1 on the Brooks saddle with no chamois. I'm new to cycling and have been riding my old Raleigh with a Brooks B17 seat on it for the last 2 1/2 months (1,000 miles) with Nike compression shorts from Hibbett's Sporting Goods. After reading about all the great cycling shorts here on BF, I purchased a pair and gave them a try. Couldn't stand the feeling of the chamois between my legs, and I made sure I got a pair with one of the thinnest pads around. I exchanged them for a pair of Aerotech Design unpadded Pro bike shorts(8 panel) and couldn't be more pleased..... I'm riding up to 2 1/2 hrs without getting off the bike, and no problems with my butt or other tender areas. :thumb: Also no cream used either. The Spandex evaporates the moisture real well to keep the bottom reasonably dry. YMMV

Here's a link to the Aerotech web site for the Pro shorts. Only problem is, I can't find the unpadded shorts listed on their web site anymore. I've had mine about a month or so. Give them a call and I'm sure they could make you a pair, they are the factory for their own line of clothing...

http://www.aerotechdesigns.com/menshort.htm

you can always insert a "female pad" in lieu of chamois. Should work in theory. <--- did I just wrote that? :twitchy:

I just got a pair of "Men's Unpadded Cycling Skin Shorts" from http://www.aerotechdesigns.com/recumbent.htm and they're great. These are the shorts Nogyro was talking about, I think. I wear them under light weight cargo shorts and I was dry and comfortable after five hours (three on the bike) in 90F heat and 80% humidity. Was nice not being chafed and soaked for once.

Checked the OPs profile and it doesn't look like he needs a Brooks. But I can see why he might want compression shorts. Bent riders hardly need padding.

Here's one place to look at.

www.bicycleclothing.com (http://www.bicycleclothing.com)

+1 to this place. I bought two pair of their shorts without padding and I love them. I'll be buying more soon. The ones without padding are "Blowouts" section.

I just got a pair of "Men's Unpadded Cycling Skin Shorts" from http://www.aerotechdesigns.com/recumbent.htm and they're great. These are the shorts Nogyro was talking about, I think. I wear them under light weight cargo shorts and I was dry and comfortable after five hours (three on the bike) in 90F heat and 80% humidity. Was nice not being chafed and soaked for once.

Yep, those are the one's I have. Thanks for finding them MP. :thumb:

That padding is not for comfort. A proper fitting saddle does that but the liner does wick away sweat far better than any other item. A Dry crotch saves a lot of sores and infections.