Originally Posted by
bragi
I'm very sorry you've had this trying and painful experience. However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize. In addition to riding about 70-100 miles/week just going about my business (not that much, I know), I've toured to Vancouver BC, Victoria, BC, and northern California, all starting in Seattle, and all while riding in regular old walking shorts and other, non-biking-specific clothing. I've never had anything more than a bit of mild heat rash, even while riding 75-100 mi/day. It's entirely possible that clothing has nothing to do with it. Maybe it's your saddle. Maybe it's your bike fit. Maybe, and please don't take this as an attack, you just started adding on too many miles before some of your anatomy was quite ready for it.
Curious to see if the shorts alone really solve his problem. For me cycling shorts do make a difference. If you think about your average cadence and multiply that by the number of minutes you've spent in the saddle, that can add up to a whole lot of friction for your crotch to endure.
Tri-shorts with a decent but minimal chamois seem to do the trick for me. I've used cream when I know I'm going to putting in some long miles at a hard pace. It helps too but I'd rather not deal with it if I don't need to.