General Cycling Discussion - Wear underwear under cycling shorts??

Been meaning to ask this..

Initially, as a total beginner, I left my boxer briefs underwears on, beneath my pearl izumi's shorts with good chamois, etc. Well, I'd even put another pair of nike shorts over top of it too and wore T-shirt and rode 10 miles.

Then, things got serious, and with the nice jerseys I got, I stopped wearing the nike top shorts. That's when it hit me that the underwear had to go too. and I've being going comando ever since.. for like 1k miles. :) it feels great! :D

Am I doing it right?

Yeah IMHO Commando is the best way to go with Cycling Shorts

Yep, you go commando under bike shorts. If I'm at the lake I ride with just the shorts. If I bike around town and now I'm gonna stop at a restaurant or get a drink at my watering hole I may wear cargo shorts over my bike shorts.
Ernest

Nothing under bike shorts. That's what the chamois is for. If I'm out for a cruise under 10-15 miles, I'll just wear shorts and a t-shirt, that's all I did today. But with bike shorts, time to go commando!

thanks guys. for some reason I was feeling indecent and thought that maybe you'd tell me I had to wear jock straps or something. I'm relieved.

Boxers hold moisture whereas cycling shorts don't. The two are like oil and water.

I cycled 16 miles today, in my every day trousers. I have thought about getting some running leggings. But cycle shorts dont seem appealing to me.
Something like this ....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RONHILL-CLASSIC-WOMENS-TRACKSTER-RUN-PANTS-RON-HILL-/250312103372

I wouldnt wear boxers, but the standard briefs are ok to wear underneath.

Buncha exhibitionists.............
Wicking poly underwear works well under MTB-style baggy shorts or recumbent-style baggy shorts (with no padding).

Buncha exhibitionists.............
Wicking poly underwear works well under MTB-style baggy shorts or recumbent-style baggy shorts (with no padding).

I'm focusing on road riding and chamois padding is a must thus we are talking about regular, tight, cycling shorts.

Comando and exhibiting every outline indeed! :p

Cycling shorts is kinda a broad term. Didn't used to be before mountain bikes.

Traditional lycra cycling shorts do, indeed, look quite funny when underwear is worn with them.

This has been discussed a zillion times.
Never, ever wear regular underwear under cycling shorts. Go commando!!

Blows me away people can even ask the question. Have you ever actually looked at someone wearing lycra cycle shorts? Can you see underwear lines? I'm trying to imagine what it would feel like to wear boxers under my shorts, damned uncomfortable is the idea I get.

Its the best way to go!
i also prefer to just wear a tank top rather then a cycling jersey. They dont breathe very well

for some reason I was feeling indecent and thought that maybe you'd tell me I had to wear jock straps or something. I'm relieved.
I used to go commando, but now I use a jock strap and I'm a lot happier -- everything stays where it should be.

I used to go commando, but now I use a jock strap and I'm a lot happier -- everything stays where it should be.

Ouch. When I was a teenager, I tried riding with a jock strap, but it rubbed me badly in the wrong places. But maybe it was a cheap one.

Cycling shorts w/ chamois should hold you together in comfort, if they fit right.

Bike shorts are the base layer faux Chamois washes well, then I have some Baggy ones I wear on top of them ,
for the pockets.

or long wicking underwear and rain-pants for the wet and cool weather ..
which seems like it included the summer out here..

thanks guys. for some reason I was feeling indecent and thought that maybe you'd tell me I had to wear jock straps or something. I'm relieved.

Basically they are designed to be worn directly with the skin and some boxers etc will chaff esp on longer rides

I've always worn underwear (BVD type, not boxers) under my cycling shorts, even though "they" say one shouldn't.

I figure I can wear the cycling shorts several days without washing, just as with regular street pants, and it seems that minimizing wash cycles on shorts is a benefit. I don't find the combination uncomfortable, and it doesn't seem to affect my ever-more-feeble legs one way or the other.

Until I'm convinced of a tangible benefit doing the contrary, I'll continue this way.

Art

on Long tours I bring 3 pair of Bike shorts : one on , one clean and dry
and one cleaned the night before and drying as I ride,
or yesterdays pair and will get the 2 pair washed that night ..
I hate carbuncle cysts on my backside, so do what I can to avoid them..
the modern cycle shorts "chamois" draws away moisture, to reduce bacterial growth that infects the pores in your skin.
thats the source of saddle sores..

around town I just wear the usual Briefs..

I started riding with Italian made wool cycling shorts with natural chamois in the early '70's and now wear modern lycra shorts with synthetic chamois and I can't imagine any logical reason to wear underwear.

Helllllllll noooo!
No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no .
And


no.

I wear baggy cycling shorts everywhere so that I can be a commando anywhere and anytime. Wore them to take a run this morning, wore them to church once.

I wonder if on swimforums.net there are threads asking about wearing underwear under swimsuits.

There is a reason why chamois cream was invented; to decrease friction, wearing under roo's underneath your cycling shorts is dumb as it only INCREASES friction. DON"T DO IT.

Mike

Go commando. If there are any problems use chamois cream.

Buncha exhibitionists.............
Wicking poly underwear works well under MTB-style baggy shorts or recumbent-style baggy shorts (with no padding).

I've recently switched to unpadded baggy MTB shorts meant for recumbents. I wear them no matter which bike I'm riding now, and I like them.

.... but yeah, don't wear underwear, cotton and seams are bad!

Maybe it depends on the type of boxers your wearing - but I find commando is just more comfortable. It feels cooler on the skin, and less seams / fabric shifting around to be rubbing you in the wrong ways. I was always told that the shorts were 'designed so you didn't need to wear anything under them'.

If I'm going out JUST for a ride and nothing else before/after, I'll just wear the cycling shorts. I used to wear baggy shorts on-top, then on one particularly hot day I decided to ditch those and was happy that I did - my legs felt much cooler, didn't have all that extra fabric holding heat in, and could feel the breeze on my legs through the shorts like I was wearing almost nothing.

If I'm planning on doing something after a ride - I may throw some shorts into my rack-bag, or I'll just wear them on the ride.

I was reluctant to join the league of Lycra, and really questioned the benefit of going on full-cycling gear. But now, for longer rides - I'm a convert.

I wear underwear under my shorts and two weeks ago when I went down hard thanks to two dogs and broke my femur, I was glad I was not naked when they cut my shorts off--in the middle of the road where I laid. Yes, I had a low rise brief on and they did not cut that off until I got to the hospital and they put me in a gown.

If cycling shorts are designed to be worn without underwear, then it isn't really "commando" is it? You'd be wearing it as designed. Now, regular shorts without underwear, that would be "commando".

I don't know why this is even an issue and people have to ask. Isn't the purpose of bike shorts is so you don't have to wear cotton underwear that eventually end up sweat soaked within ten minutes of riding?

I wear underwear under my shorts and two weeks ago when I went down hard thanks to two dogs and broke my femur, I was glad I was not naked when they cut my shorts off--in the middle of the road where I laid. Yes, I had a low rise brief on and they did not cut that off until I got to the hospital and they put me in a gown.

It sucks that you broke a bone, but honestly whether or not I was naked while being attended to by EMTs would be the least of my worries.

My brother woke up after a car accident naked and being catheterized. Not the most pleasant way to wake up. :)

The only thing between me and my cycling shorts is Bag Balm.

lol was reading all the responses to find out what "commando" meant... finally caught on >.>;

How else can you be FasterNearGirls but by goin' Comando?

...

How else can you be FasterNearGirls but by goin' Comando?

Exactly!

A resounding "No to underwear. Go comando."
One dissenting opinion... .

Now, do comandos go comando? That is the question.

Commando of course!

The best roadies are the ones in tight jerseys with lower back-boobs hanging out and a lot of ass crack showing. Underwear obscures this feat of athleticism.

I'm afraid to ask what a lower back boob is.
Bibs ftw btw ymmv fwiw :p

I go with a brooks saddle and no padded shorts, just seamless synthetic underwear and shorts over the top. For long days, this has been the most comfortable for me.

Lycra is designed to be skintight, so it just stands to reason that you don't put a layer under it.

Jockstraps were originally designed for cyclists, so a good jock will do a sweet job.

Your apparel depends on your riding -- if you have comfort issues while (or after) riding, you need to examine your choices.

It was pointed out to me on a ride that everyone behind me could see my ass through the white strip on the shorts. Since then I have worn boxer brief underneath only for that one short. Nothing for the rest of the black shorts.