Padded underwear strikes me as a great idea - cheaply make your favourite looking shorts or pants bike-friendly - but it doesn't seem to be sold in many places. Has anyone used it before? Is padded underwear + normal shorts a substitute for cycling shorts? I imagine that the padding may not be as substantial.

And despite my enquires I haven't found anywhere in Australia that sells them - any help? The only thing I've learned is that its best to ask for 'cycling underwear' rather than 'padded underwear' if you're at all concerned about getting strange looks from shop assistants!!