first of all, there's no way that anyone can get me to believe that the correct pronunciation of the bicycle accessory in question is "shammy"... but i digress. i'm what you might consider a campus commuter... about a mile each way at the most, so i wouldn't call myself a cyclist but it sure beats standing around for the bus. but i would like to get into longer rides to enjoy the scenery around here and get in a nice workout, so i want to get some real cycling apparel to make the rides more comfortable. i guess i'm just confused about the difference between a "padded" saddle (gel or what-have-you) and a chamois. why not just leave the padding where it's most useful and not drag around the dead weight when you're off the bike? does the cushion's placement inside the shorts as opposed to outside really make a difference?

Padded saddles are evil torture devices invented by the auto industry to drive people away from cycling. Padding belongs in your bike shorts.

Search the forum for "Brooks". A Brooks saddle has no padding and is the best you can buy (no kidding).

I've heard it's for moisture absorbtion. Takes the sweat from your bits 'n' pieces

Chamois in your shorts help prevent chaffing(sp?) during long rides.
Yes it does make a difference but i wouldn't bother for 1 mile.
Infact i wouldn't bother with any bicycling clothing for 1 mile other than a helmet.

Also, you'd probably get better excercise if you just walk the mile. It would be a lot cheaper and would keep your heart rate up for longer if exercise is your goal.

the biking i do now isnt for fitness... its purely a time-saving thing. a 5 minute ride versus a 15 minute walk gives me 20 extra minutes during my lunch hour. over the course of a day i save about an hour, which i waste online anyway so i guess the point is moot. but i would like to start taking some longer rides out in the blue ridge before i graduate and head back to suburbia for an "office space" life. anyway, thanks for the replies.

Your body touches your bike in three places: hands, butt, feet. Therefore, it would behoove one to pay particular attention to the garmets intended to protect these three places: gloves, padded shorts, shoes. If you skimp on these, you will notice it. No need for a $60 Pearl Izumi tee-shirt, but the shorts...that's another story.

As you go for longer rides, you will know when to make the investment in clothing. Have fun!

Arent the brooks saddles the ones that look like old school saddles.

And yes i have never seen one before.

Bike shorts padding was originally chamois deerskin from a little french mountain deer. The idea is for the padding to stick to your vitals so that any friction or abrasion casued by movement between you and saddle is absorbed by the chamois. Riders used all kinds of creams and potions to help the chamois work better.
Modern shorts all use synthetic padding which doesnt require any lotions or potions and handles sweat much better. It is used next to the skin (just ask UnderwearNazi).
I only used padded shorts on rides over 1 hr.

That's "sham-wah" you illiterate Yanks

It prevents chafing, pads the sit-bones, wicks sweat and keeps a gent's tackle in place.

Not needed for short rides, as everyone else has said, but damn fine for all rides and pretty much mandatory if you're spending a decent amount of time in the saddle.

In order of importance, they come below gloves but above special shoes.

I must confess, I've developed a problem with padded shorts. See, I used to never wear them and I was happy. One time I even did a metric century in boxers but that was the beginning of the end. At the time I was training for a full century and the saddle sores from that metric convinced me I needed to stop messing around and get some proper cycling shorts.

Well, it's just gotten worse. At first it was an only-on-the-weekends thing but soon it was a Monday through Friday thing with binging on the weekends. I only live 5 miles from work, but I find any excuse I can to throw on my black padded undies under my shorts or jeans... "It's cold out and I need the extra warmth." "It's raining and there's no point in getting my civis all waterlogged." "It's hot and I don't want to sweat up the fruit basket."

Help. My name is Trevor and I'm addicted to bike shorts.

It's a little worrisome, but as long as you're embarrassed enough
to keep them under shorts, you don't have to hang your head in
shame.

From the Oxford English Dictionary:

chamois

• noun (pl. same) 1 /shamwaa/ (pl. pronounced same or /shamwaaz/) an agile goat-antelope found in mountainous areas of southern Europe. 2 /shammi/ (pl. pronounced /shammiz/) (also chamois leather) soft pliable leather made from the skin of sheep, goats, or deer.

— ORIGIN French.

[QUOTE=andygates]That's "sham-wah" you illiterate Yanks

I'll assume you ride Geeant LOL

"Rasher

Actual chamois is the skin of some kind of goat in EurAsia, that absorbs moisture very well. The original purpose of a chamois in cycling shorts was to pad the area whre we contact the bicycle seat, and to soak up anything that leaked out when a car almost ran a cyclist over. The same holds true today.

Just boppin down to the Qwik-Rip. Shorts or not?

Oh hell no.

It *is* a personal rule of mine that anything that has a destination on the other end where changing will be inconvenient or under 5 miles means normal guy undies. I mean, I may have problems, but if I don't even have them on for at least 30 minutes it's not worth changing.

Just to clarify, all the "chamois" in modern bike shorts is synthetic. The reason real chamois skin was used in bike shorts originally was because of its absorption and amazing softness and slickness when wet. My dad always had a chamois for washing the car when I was young because it was so soft and wouldn't scratch the finish. He always told me that it had another unique characteristic. If you soaked it in gasoline you could then strain contaminated gasoline through it. Only the gasoline would pass through; the water would be filtered out. Growing up on a farm in the country in the '30s and even through the '50s this was handy as it was not unusual for gasoline in storage tanks to accumulate some water. Interestingly, the chamois would also do the opposite if needed. Soak it in water and only water would pass through, trapping and filtering out gasoline or oil.

I don't think of the "chamois" in shorts as padding exactly. It does provide some chafing protection, but it doesn't really provide much cushioning. If your saddle is hurting you it is usually more because of bike setup. I am a big guy, but I can ride just about any saddle with reasonable comfort. I find firm to hard, narrow saddles most comfortable. Wide, padded saddles are not comfortable. Padding is counterproductive for longer rides because 1) it doesn't provide any support and 2) it allows your bottom to move around too much, both of which lead to that almost bruised feeling.
FWIW,
Raymond

Pfft, i've never had saddle sore problems. Never needed padded shorts even after doing metric centuries +- 20km. Seems more like a personal/do you want to look like everyone else issue. This was even on nasty wide mountain bike seat.

Sorry, I must have imagined them, then. My apologies for wasting everyone's time.

Seriously, if you have an iron ass, good for you. I'm totally serious and I envy that. Others do not. The basic message is this: if you need special cycling clothes you'll know it. Your nethers hurt or you're getting saddle sores, get some shorts. Your shirts are always getting sweat soaked and clammy and it's bothering you, maybe it's time to get some wool or synthetic jerseys. And so on.

Don't buy because that's what people tell you you need, buy because you realize you need it. Me, I have a helmet, mesh-back half-finger gloves, and padded shorts. For the rest it's jeans or shorts, cotton T's, and sneakers with toe clips. On cold days I throw on some synthetic long undies and a synthetic long sleeve jersey I got at Target and some fake wool lined leather work gloves.

That's when the real riding begins. Avoiding the "office space" commute in the car is what it's all about

I never wore 'em until my first century. I never cared what I look like, I "NOW" never ride long rides without them. Charlie

Brooks saddles rock. Have 2 now, and I'm sold. It's like sitting on your couch. Yeah, they look retro, but the big rivet ones set off any bike.