I want to extend my road distance but my butt goes after say, 15 miles, as it feels uncomfortable. I'm thinking it's my underwear. I don't particularly care for the padded shorts feel, so I've removed them from biking shorts.
So is it underwear or absolutely no underwear in the saddle ?

No underwear.

Yes chamois pad.

Cotton undies...? That's a problem. Another problem is that your backside may always hurt-- uncomfortable does not sound so bad... just keep buying new saddles.

If you're wearing bike shorts then definitely no undies. Some do it, but I suppose there are exceptions to everything.

If I'm casually riding around town or commuting I'll wear whatever is clean, it's only 7-10 miles to get across town so no worries. Any more than that and I must go bike shorts and commando.

Might be your saddle too. Some folks have very sensitive butts. I can ride just about any saddle. Might change my mind if I started riding centuries two or three times a week. But I just ride whatever saddle came with the bikes.

I wear these on every ride longer than the two mile round trip for groceries: Champion tech fabric long leg boxer/briefs. Good stuff. I wear 'em under baggies for casual rides and under my tight padded shorts on some road bike rides, especially on windy days when I don't want my baggy shorts flapping around.

No problems. The fabric wicks sweat away and air dries quickly as I ride. Basically the same fabric good cycling apparel is already made from. It's ultra thin, skin tight, doesn't bunch up, wrinkle or chafe. More comfortable for me than padded shorts alone. But the conventional wisdom says no underwear with padded shorts.

I know some folks need creams and butt butter with padded shorts. I don't now, although I did use creams with the soft chamois leather pads on merino wool shorts 30something years ago. That was mostly to keep the thin chamois leather soft and pliable.

What's the discomfort? Pain caused by pressure on the bones? Chafing? Heat? Sweat? I think the solution depeends on the source.

I do. Has to be compression, moisture wicking boxer briefs, though, no cotton, no briefs, no loose boxers.

I do agree the issue probably isn't the OPs shorts, though.

No underwear with padded cycling shorts — EVER!!!

How long have you been riding?
Everyone's but hurts for a while until their butt gets used to sitting on a bike seat. Or after a layoff, it takes a while to get used to again.

I'm kind of surprised by some of these responses. I've only been riding for a few months. I ride in my regular gym clothes and a 20 mile ride on the stock seat of my Roam is no problem at all. Does it make more of a difference on a road bike? Haven't been on one in 20 years or so. I didn't even know they made padded bicycle shorts.

Unpadded shorts, no underwear. I can't stand the padding.
It could be your saddle though...What is the actual discomfort?

This.

And yet I've been road cycling since the 1970s and I knew they've been making padded cycling shorts since back then.


20 miles isn't very far ... wear what you want to wear for that distance.

OP, you're going to have to give us more detail about your butthurt.

It actually sounds more like a saddle issue than an underwear/padding/chafing issue, given you're saying "my butt hurts."

Saddle are a particular and highly personal topic. Myself, It took me months of trying saddles to find the right one, and once I did, I never had any discomfort of any kind in the nethers, even having been off the bike for 6 months last winter. (Prior to that, my butt had to "toughen up" at the beginning of the season.)

But just to echo people above: no underwear for any distance over 20 miles; yes padding; medium hard saddle.

Monty is an Observed Trials bike maker, they have no saddle at all..

I wear gym shorts while riding, and I don't wear underwear with them, either. Summer heat & humidity plus sweat plus cotton underwear = chafing.

It's more likely you saddle or the fit of your bike rather than your underwear, but I agree you need to give more details about that pain in the butt.

Underwear is completely superfluous if you're wearing padded/cycling shorts. Regular everyday underwear shouldn't be worn for working out. and really, if you're wearing tights you don't really need any underwear, modesty aside.