danlikes

I have a serous question here about the biker shorts. If your riding a skimpy little seat and wearing padded shorts why not just have a comfortable seat with padding on it. What is the advantage to the shorts that have the pads in them over a comfortable seat?

momo15

I look at it this way: I can either put my helmet on my head, and hit it against a wall, or I can put my helmet against the wall, and hit my head on the helmet. It is probably close to the same thing, but one seems like it would be less painful.

momo15

That being said, spending money on one seat, which fits you like it should, seems like a better investment than several pair of super expensive high end shorts. Again, YMMV.

urbanknight

Padded seats flex and squish, thus failing to support you and making you sore. Padded shorts help distribute the pressure while avoiding chafing. I'm not sure if that explains it well, but I can tell you that riding a variety from both combinations explains it clear as day.

dayday82

try riding a road bike with a big comfy seat and see how you feel. using spin bikes at my gym with a huge seats hurts me more because of the chaffing.

Knale

Big padded seats are fine for spins around the neighborhood, but will turn you into hamburger on rides of any kind of distance. Incorrect fitting padded shorts / cheap padded short will do the same. It is all about reducing the chance of chaffing. You will adjust to a seat with less padding... You will not adjust to constant chaffing from an "comfy padded seat".

tagaproject6

OP, why not just put your comfy seat theory to the test and then report back?

There is nothing like first hand experience to prove things to yourself and others.

scirocco

The padding in shorts is a lot softer than the padding on a typical road saddle. The shorts padding compresses down to next to nothing when you sit on it. It's really there more for avoiding chafing than stopping road buzz (although it helps a bit with that).

danlikes

I think I clearly started with a question, you know I come here for advice and to share riding experiences with like minded folks. Sure I venture off into the P&R for entertainment, but for the valued cycling information I do value the experienced riders and those that have been riding road bikes more recent than I. Thanks for help Jack. I have not or will I ever knowingly offer some one advice that will result in undue training injuries.

You guys & gals that are actually taking the time to explain the pros and cons, Thank You.

Machka 

Padded saddles are uncomfortable ... extra friction. So I ride a Brooks B17.

And the shorts I wear tend to have relatively minimal padding, because, of course, lots of padding can cause extra friction. Every now and then, I'll ride in just plain ordinary shorts, not cycling shorts. I can do that quite comfortably with a broken-in Brooks.

MikeyBoyAz

I suppose it is possible to get a saddle with the same padding as the shorts... but that is almost all saddles anyway. I look at it this way: the material on the inside of the shorts/bibs is soft and pillow like, which you can also treat with chamois cream and such; the outside of the shorts/bibs are made of super slick material that generates very little heat when it rubs against something (like the seat)... well or your other leg for runners or something like that (never was a big runner). With that in mind... you can have the heat (if any) from the Lycra material directly against your skin, or you can have a layer of soft padding between your soft thigh skin and the heat... giving it time to dissipate.

I am most definitely NOT an expert here, but that seems to be the best justification I can think of.

Machka 

OK ... that's an explanation I've never heard before ... and quite frankly, I don't think it is correct.

1) The material inside the shorts I use is not "soft and pillow-like" ... I doubt I would like shorts with soft and pillow-like padding. My shorts have quite thin padding, more like a piece of felt than a pillow.

2) If your bicycle is set up correctly, and you've got a good saddle (for example, a leather Brooks), you should not need pillow-like padding and you should not need "chamois cream and such". For one season, I tried all sorts of different creams and came to the conclusion that they were not necessary after all. There are a few exceptions to that, of course (riding in the rain being one), but if you're having trouble and are resorting to creams, you might want to look for the cause of the problem rather than treating the symptoms.

3) Given that I can wear a bathing suit and a pair of beach shorts and go for an 80 km ride in 30+C heat on my Brooks saddle, I can tell you that there is no issue with heat dissipation or the lack thereof without padding. In fact, for temperatures over 40C, I actually prefer to wear something like beach shorts or basketball shorts rather than typical cycling shorts because the beach or basketball shorts allow the skin on my legs to "breathe" and reduces my chances of heat rash.

The tight-fitting spandex/polyester/lycra shorts can reduce chafing and friction because they don't bunch very much. However, if they had pillow-like padding, I think they would bunch quite uncomfortably in all the wrong places.

The padding does provide a little bit of a protective layer over the sitbones, but it also helps to wick away moisture (sweat), and apparently some of the newer paddings are antibacterial, which, I think, is supposed to help prevent saddle sores and similar.

scirocco

Maybe "pillow-like" conjures up the wrong image, because shorts padding is not a huge thick pillow. But it IS soft. A typical pair of Castelli or Giordana or Assos shorts (or any of the main brands) has very soft and delicate padding, because it's directly on the skin. The firmness of padding of a typical road saddle with minimal padding (I don't mean a "gel" type) is much, much firmer than that in shorts.

thump55

The chamois absorbs your ass sweat.

Sweat = wetness = chafing = pain (did you ever wear wet swimming trunks too long?)


The padding is important, but not necessarily for the reason you would think.

LansingWes

Could just be me, but if this is a problem, I think your sit muscles need to HTFU. The chamois in bike shorts and bibs is intended to be something like a maxi-pad, there to provide absorption, not padding like a pillow. What seat do you use? Stock seats are probably not as ergonomic as many saddles available on the market.

rex66

I just started road cycling last year. I had a nice comfy seat. The first long ride I took was 61 miles. My junk was numb for 2 days. On the advice of some folks here I invested in a good saddle and proper shorts. No troubles since. This year I've completed my first century, a couple 75 milers and numerous rides over 50 miles with no ill effects to my fun sac. That's my experience.

mymojo

The reason that was imparted to me (and I don't know if its true but it makes sense): The contoured padding in the shorts eases the pressure in your taint but does not put pressure against your thighs. A padded saddle will put pressure against your inner thigh constricting the femoral artery.

DScott

It's not a "seat", it's a "saddle". Imagine a horse saddle that was soft and cushy. It'd be a disaster to ride because you need firm support, not a Barca lounger-like comfort. Bicycle saddles are the way they are for similar reasons, I imagine.

And I knew it was a serious question when I saw all the question marks. One or two just can't reflect the depth of the seriousness of the question, that's for sure.

MSchott

Good points. The best automobile seats are firm and supportive. For a long drive that's what is needed. Bicycle saddles are the same.

tagaproject6

Ah, so you are aware of the results if your theory was put to the test. Awesome "serous" question, Jack!

You are welcome!

cleon

Rofl..love it!!

pallen

1. This ^^ The padding on your shorts is about dealing with moisture and chaffing.

2. The padding on your shorts generally is stuck to your body and the outside of the shorts slides around on the seat. If the padding is on the seat, then your butt is moving around on the seat with only a thin layer of fabric between you and the more stationary seat. That is a recipe for chaffing. When your seat has more padding, this is exacerbated due to the fact that your bones will sink into the foam on the seat. The foam on the seat is fixed to the bike, not you. Any sliding around on the seat means the skin between you and the seat gets even more shearing.

Doohickie

The answer to all threads like this is a Brooks saddle and regular (non-cycling) shorts.



Okay, someone can lock the thread now.

danlikes

Oh thank you, I did not realize that was good advice. I cant spell for jack.

tagaproject6

And neither can you do a search...

Once again, you are welcome, Jack!