Terrierman

This started out to be a problem area for me when riding. I wear nylon shorts with mesh lining inside when I ride. Nice and light, big leg holes so they don't bind and they don't wind up in a crotch wad. There is no way you can wear normal boxer underwear when riding as a single try of them resulted in a quick turn around to the house a butt crack extraction and then return to riding. Free balling in the nylon shorts seemed to be the anwer. But as I started to ride longer and faster I had chafing issues. The further, faster and more often I rode, the more serious the issue. Baby powder or even better, plain old fashioned corn starch helped. Lotion did not. I replaced the factory seat that had a fairly wide "nose" and stitching in the middle of the sides (now I ride on a B-17) and that helped too. But still, total comfort and a chafe free riding experience eluded me. And then one bright shining day I was waiting for lovey at the park where we were going to get on the bike trail. A runner that was getting ready for his soiree and I started to talk and somehow the chafing subject came up. Lo and behold, he'd had similar problems too - but had found the answer - Under Armour boxer briefs. Lovey and I talked about that later as we rode, I wanted to try them out. So. That very night she stops at Target for a few things and shows up at the house with some Target brand boxer briefs that I assume are under armour knock-offs. I tried them the next day. GOD BLESS THAT RUNNER! Finally, a totally comfortable and 100% chafe free riding experience was mine. I went back to Target and bought every pair they had. They are made of Modal fabric. Modal is a natural synthetic (oxymoron?) made from beech trees. It's a silky feeling high wicking fabric and has some spandex and a minimal amount of nylon. Very comfortable, good support and they don't ride up and wind up in a crotch wad and they do protect that formerly chafed area perfectly. I like this underwear so much I haven't gone the real Under Armour route yet to see if that stuff is even better. But the boys both have Under Armour shirts and LJ's and they really like them, so maybe I'll still have to give it a try. Anybody else have any good underwear secrets?

linux_author

- i have the UA briefs and they're very nice, but i use bike shorts when riding... when i first started, i also used the Nashbar bike briefs so i could benefit from using my favorite shorts with the comfort of bike padding...

- however, i now use Canari bike shorts... i know that some folks may feel a bit squeamish about going to a bike short (when you first use 'em it feels like you dropped a fishcake in your pants, and unless you're in good shape, your appearance in lycra and spandex may not impress your neighbors) - but for me, a good bike short is worth every penny!

- as far as chafing... i didn't start running into irritation until i started doing 50+ mile rides... to avoid any problems, i use a simple $7 product from Walgreens:

Bag Balm

buelito

there's a reason for the design of bike-specific shorts''' chafing is right at the top of the list... If you are self-conscious, get a pair of the mountain bike shorts, that in essence are 2 shorts in one... the padded lycra bike shorts with the looser fit short over the top.

train safe...

DnvrFox

Oh man, Underwear Nazi - where are you?

I have summoned him/her!

pastorbobnlnh 

I would like to nominate Terrierman's thread starter for inshrinement in the 50+ Rouges' Gallery Elitist Ba$tard section. This is one of the funniest written run-on paragraphs I've ever read on BF. Some of my favorite quotes include; "big leg holes," "butt crack extraction," "Free balling in the nylon shorts," "I was waiting for lovey," and "wind up in a crotch wad." Nothing I could ever use in a sermon, but(t) funny nonetheless! Great job Terrierman!

jp173

Yeah. Don't wear white underwear.

oldspark

Underwear-what's that?

webist

This thread has been a fun read.

jimblairo

I was wearing nylon touring shorts that I bought from J&G but one day my partner inforemed me that the head of my johnson was peeking out as the legs of the shorts slide up on my thighs.

I bought a couple of pairs of liners from mec and theyare very comfortable. No more peek-a-boo!

Dogbait

This thread needs pics.

bcoppola

For the love of God, NO!!

BubbaDog

Underwear? That's the stuff you put on after you're done riding, bike shorts and commando is the only way to go . I do want to try some of those chamois undies though, so I can ride the beater and MTB with 'normal' type shorts. I do have a pair of the MTB shorts with the bike short stitched in under the baggy outer shorts. They work fine, but the baggy quickly creeps up over the legs of the bike short making an extremely weird looking combination....

B'Dog

CheeseLouise

NO UNDERWEAR! Bike shorts and comando. The only way to go

head_wind

I need to set you straight. There are rules that society depends upon. In this case it is very simple:
Underware goes with black shoes and black tie.

If you don't know when to wear black shoes we can discuss that too.

gear

Wow, Bike shorts. Great idea. Shorts made spacificly for riding a bike. I have got to remember that. It just never occured to me that I should wear clothing designed for a particular activity. What will they think of next? Maybe something spacificly designed to wear while swimming? We could call it "a swimsuit".

stapfam

Was going to answer "What Underwear?" but someone has already done that. There is a reason for Cycling shorts- And that is so you don't have to bother about what else to wear. Before we go too far- Black is the only colour.

Tom Bombadil

I recently picked up a pair of Borah short liners. Spandex with a liner that you can wear under any shorts, or even jeans when it is colder. So far so good.

As to lotions for chafing, I've had this problem for years, even when hiking. I've never had much success with hand lotions, too readily absorbed into the skin. Vaseline works well, but what a sticky mess. Another sticky but effective option is Preparation H - which is essentially vaseline with a medication that helps sooth irritations, which is what chafing is! Yet another is diaper rash oilment, which leaves a gooey, white'ish mess, but isn't too bad and is pretty effective. Gentle enough for a baby's bottom.

What I like is a locally made, unscented soy oil butter. Whipped up out of soy oil and glycerine - it seems to last longer and isn't as sticky. Eucerin (sic) is good too, and you can find store brand equivalents to it. A 16oz jar can last a long time & can be found for around $5. And for a lotion, the Kiss My Face unscented Olive Oil & Aloe is pretty good.

wobblyoldgeezer

and don't forget "somehow the chafing subject came up". I mean... no, let's not speculate..

smokeystrodtman

Normally I ride in bike shorts with no undies, but when I want to wear regular shorts I use Andiamos padded briefs. They work great, make regular shorts almost as comfortable as bike shorts. I get them from Rivendell Bicycle Works. Mine cost me $19/pr. when I bought them, but I think they're about $23 now. One nice thing about them is that they dry out very quickly. If you're on tour, you can wash them out in a motel sink, squeeze most of the water out, then hang them up to dry. Next morning they're ready for another day on the road.

Digital Gee

All I've ever worn is regular briefs. Bought one cheapo pair of bike shorts, these fell apart in a few rides. Since then I've had intentions but never pulled the trigger. Longest ride, 63 miles, no chaffing, no nothing. I wear basketball shorts or other loose athletic shorts on the outside.

DnvrFox

Another iron-bottomed man! After my own heart.

Non-chaffers, unite!

Sandwarrior

Do I have to tell my wife this? She always goes commando in formal attire

chipcom 

Dude, if you like free-balling it, yet need a bit of padding for those long rides, you'll love J&G's touring shorts.
https://www.bicycleclothing.com/Mens-Touring-Shorts.html

Terrierman

Just keeping it real there Bob. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to feel flattered or insulted over the nomination, but either way, thanks, I think.

Terrierman

That would be "specifically" smarty pants. And do you have any Polo shirts? If yes, what sort of pony do you ride? Dockers? (you know, those pants I guess sailors wear when they are tying up the boat to the dock) Topsiders? and so on so on so forth...