Spokes man

Nothing under padded cycling shorts. You want seamless contact between the saddle and the nether regions . . . Seams = wear and tear

Robert Foster

If your lycra fits then nothing is swinging.

roadiespinner

Bag Balm

cgallagh

Good cycling shorts don't allow the boys to go astray. Everything is nicely snugged up and secure.

JimF22003

Your shorts should hold things in as well as a jock would do. Seams are your enemy, friend!

crtreedude 

Strange as it might seem, when I am riding a lot, I wear shorts and underwear with my mountain bike on the roads. This is mainly because my rear end isn't sitting much on the seat. Our roads are very rock, nasty and I have a hardtail. So, I am almost standing all the time. I read about this in a book once that if you are doing mountain biking correctly, you could remove your seat and you could still ride. It sure is more comfortable. I ride horses too and so it is similar to posting.

cyclezealot

What I notice , is not just the swaying, but without bike shorts, the saddle seems to insert itself up one's openings. And the boys can't decide what side of the saddle's horn they are supposed to be on.. Shorts are certainly a safety factor. Cyclists might find nightmares are made of male cyclists putting 180 pounds directly atop the fellas.. But, then it's cheap birth control.

gear

During the fifties the jock strap consortium paid millions of dollars to physical education instructors all over the country. That outlay of cash has reaped benefits for decades. It wasn't until a TV writer (Friends) decided that enough was enough and he challenged the status quo. Now the chains are off and we are FREE, FREE, FREE!

cyclezealot

Next you'll be saying football players will be liberated should they not wear their 'cup.'.

Trsnrtr

28 seasons, 160,00 miles, nothing.

donheff

I started doing this too now and then. My wife and I often stop for breakfast or lunch in the middle of long rides and it is nice to have a regular pair of shorts.

GaryBy

Not all cargo shorts have their pockets in a good position for cycling. Baggy cycling shorts will omit the rear pockets (and associated seams). They'll also tend towards shorter front pockets and side pockets higher up, so that the contents aren't moving around as much.

Which isn't to say I won't wear regular cargo shorts, just that I consider my baggies well worth the price. I have yet to spring for the ones with detachable liners, though.

referee54

Very true--but have yet to find cycling baggies that I find truly comfortable---it is like Goldilocks---either the cycling short is too big or too small, or the baggies are ginormous or restricting. I have a rear trunk and keep my wallet, cell phone, etc., in there.

TSC

Big Lew

When I first started long distance touring, I had no education at all about cycling such as we can obtain from forums like this one. I rode 340 miles with blue jeans and cotton underwear. Got such a terrible rash that I could hardly walk for days. Second long trip I wore padded riding shorts, but with cotton underwear. Suffered from nasty shafing and rash. Finally went to a bike shop specializing in racing etc. and was told to wear only the shorts and sprinkle corn starch on the pad.....have put thousands of miles on since without anymore rash discomfort at all.

stapfam

I wear a skin suit under mine- but it now needs ironing.

donheff

So what is with corn starch? I have never tried chamois butter but have been thinking about it for long rides. Is corn starch an alternative?

Monoborracho

I don't umpire anymore. The last knee surgery did me in. I only worked to Senior League level. But boxer's with a cup & cup holder over the top worked best, even if umpiring the 6 year olds. I'm real risk averse.

As to cycling....the only thing under my cycling shorts is Big John and the Boys, with Buttbutter or plain ol' vaseline if I'm going over 20 miles.

Road Fan

The honey's ok, but the nuts get a little lumpy after 50 or so miles ...

Road Fan

I think I'm gonna like you.

Trsnrtr

Re: corn starch -

Corn starch is a food source for some fungi and fungi can be a problem considering the constant dampness of riding shorts. So, if you suffer from rectal or jock itch, use talcum powder and avoid corn starch.

Road Fan

I had basically the same advice in high school, and thought I'd give it a try on the bike I had back then --- BADDDD IDEA! The problem is introduction of new lumps and ridges as part of the new "helpful" garment.

Good bike shorts are quite snug, and being Lycra give support. They also have specially sewn seams that are located right, and are flat. The padding, called chamois for historical reasons, adds to the cushioning and support, while also helping to manage bacteria. You NEED this to fit you like a second skin.

There's another source of support, which is the front section of the saddle. There's no problem if your partly resting on it, but you need the shorts to keep anything from, well, falling off the side and getting caught (did this, too, back in high school).

The better quality of bike shorts you get, the better job it will do of meeting all these beneficial requirements. Of course you can wear other pants over them, but the presence of seams and a tendency to bunch must be minimized.

Road Fan

tntyz

The jockstrap is the dumbest dam' thing ever foisted on young men! The ones I awlays got had some sort of ribbing the just chaed the heck out of the insides of my thighs. I gave them up in HS when I started running cross country. I had an open-minded PE teacher and just wore a pair of cotton briefs.

Now, under bike shorts nothing is more comfortable than nothing. Though just starting to experiement with some lotion on longer rides.

RonH

Read these words of wisdom from the Underwear Nazi:

What do I wear under my bibs? A little sweat and nothing else!!!

dendawg

Nuthin' butt a little chamois butter to prevent chafing

bobbycorno

Skin.