AirPhantomPhoto

Okay yes, I know theres a difference between the 2 genders & how things generally work, okay?

My question is, is there much of a difference if any between the pads pushed on women & the ones pushed towards men? Could a woman wear mens bike shorts/pad reasonably well?

The sad part is I'm a big woman, I am having a hard time finding shorts that would fit a 54in or so waist & maybe 60 in hips. All of the ones I find on amazon or even some of the bike sites seem to think all women wear under a 40in short. And I'm not offended to wear mens undergarments/shorts under my pants (I would the womens anyways) if the pad wouldnt be an issue.

Any suggestions beyond buying a loose pad & put it in my own tighties?

DangerousDanR

I am also a person of unusual size. Most of my cycling clothes come from a British company called Fat Lad at the Back. They also have clothes for Fat Lasses.
https://fatladattheback.com

rsbob 

My wife cycles and says that men’s chamois pads are cut completely wrong for the female. She tried a couple of my shorts and said “no way”. The female specific shorts she wears have a very different cut. Stick with women’s specific shorts, but she says they are not all created equal, so you may have to try a few different pairs to find what works best. Best of luck

3alarmer 

.
...you can buy gel pads that fit on the saddle. You might try one of those, as an experiment.

CAT7RDR

You might look at aerotech designs bibs/shorts sizing for plus size women.
https://aerotechdesigns.com/plusbikeshorts.html/

freeranger

You might get more help in the Clydesdales/Athena section, specifically geared towards those of larger stature.

AirPhantomPhoto

Hmm, I thought I did but I might have posted in general thinking more eyes would see it. And I only mentioned my size so someone wouldnt go "oh, why cant they just get gender specific shorts?"
It was more is there a difference between the 2 gender styled pad. But thats okay, thank you

AirPhantomPhoto

Cat, thank you. I am trying to avoid bibs. Between having a large belly & shoulder issues I'm not that found of bibs, plus I'm not a speed racer. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm more an upright rider, mainly to a lower back issue. But I'll look at the shorts so thank you.

3alarmer, thanks for that, I might just do that. Since it would be for shorter rides that might be the best option for me currently.

79pmooney

My first thought - go to a bike shop (or an REI or the like) and try some men's shorts on. Nothing to lose. (For me, mail order of shorts I've never worn is a total crapshoot. Even trying them on in a store doesn't tell me everything about how they are going to pan out on the road but it does rule out a lot of certain no-gos.)

And a thought along lines I have had to do many times with clothing specific to a sport - consider when you try them on whether taking up a little material here or there could make that fit perfect. Dry cleaners can do stuff like that very well and the cost is reasonable. (I have long legs and used to race sailboats. Had sailmaker friends sew extensions on my foul weather pants to keep seawater from washing up over my boot tops. It was that, wet feet all day or foul weather gear you could put two of me in.)

SpeedyBlueBiker

I tend to prefer shorts with a gel pad in them. They seem to last longer and are more durable. Quite comfortable too.

Leisesturm

Even easier: go into a local bike shop (or REI) and hold a pair of mens shorts in one hand and a pair of womens in the other. Compare. Personally, I don't think there is that much in it. My DW wears women specific shorts and so do I. I mean I wear mens specific shorts. I could grab a pair of hers and compare right now, but she actually puts her clothes away. I can't think it would be a deal-breaker. Buy on Amazon and you can return them with zero hassle if you don't like them. I have given up on Pearl Izumi and other mid-tier shorts. I now buy Baleaf shorts and highly recommend them! The 'cheap' Pearl Izumi shorts are now over $50 and the chamois goes away in less than a year. The 'good' Pearl Izumi shorts are over $150 and I am never going to ever find out how they compare. Baleaf shorts are $25 and feel every bit as well made as the $50 Pearl Izumi stuff. Full disclosure: I slightly prefer the fit of the Izumi. The Baleaf don't quite feel like they are all the way on ... but they haven't come off :-)

donalson

I can't be much help in comparing the men/ladies fit/cut of the chamois or the rest of the shorts... but as a large rider (3-4xl last time I shopped but prob now closer to a 2x depending on brand) I can I can say that some work for me and others don't... I don't know why but i've tried a number of shorts when in that 3xl range and found the stitched seam of the chamois was literally under my sitbones... I was better off without them at that point... some brands where a little better than others but still not right.

i've lost weight since the last time I shopped bibs so maybe things have changed with proportions of my lowers... which means trying some brands that I liked but didn't work out last time... namely aerotech designs

bbbean 

Given that men's and women's anatomy varies a great deal within genders as well as between genders, the answer is a very clear "it depends". Unfortunately, I don't know of a way to test chamois without riding it, and obviously, a used chamois can't be returned.

Maybe your best bet on the front end would be to try a few pair of padded briefs (cheaper than bibs) and see what works for you. Good luck!