Originally Posted by
andre nickatina
Eh. Not really. For me the main purpose of lycra is the chamois prevents chaffing. Wearing chamois under pants still prevents chaffing, it just doesn't do it for as long as wearing only chamois. I always race alleycats with bibs under my pants for sure since there's lots of distance / fast riding and I'd be getting tortured by my boxers otherwise. Haven't had a problem with it. Obviously the long rides mean only chamois.
Same here. If I'm hitting the trails on a purely fitness ride I don't mind the bare lycra, but when I'm zipping around the city, running errands or going to work, I'd rather have chamois under my jeans or other pants than no chamois at all.
It defeats some, perhaps most, of the purpose of cycling shorts/bibs, but certainly not the
entire purpose.