Do any of you use regular compression shorts when riding? The kind that under armor makes. The reason I ask is because I have a few pairs that I use for wrestling under my shorts and they seem to be the same as cycling shorts but a little lighter without padding. I tried a few pairs of cycling shorts on today and felt like I was wearing a pamper the whole time. I figured I would ask before I spent the money.

well the reason it feels like a diaper is because it kind of is. that "ass pad" is actually a chamois that absorbs grundle sweat. its also kind of an ass pad...

dont use compression shorts. those actually are underwear and your going to look silly.

A pad that absorbs grundle sweat.... all makes sense now and sounds disgusting.

its gotta go somewhere. i personally prefer that its ultimate destination is a device that is made to absorb it, rather than just my undergarments.

of course, if the idea of grundle sweat bothers you, you could always just get a cruiser and never worry about actually working hard. or better yet just get a car. all fantastic options.

ill stick with my chamois.

Yeah, I wear Under Armor compression shorts beneath a pair of baggy nylon shorts, when riding.

The "chamois pad" in cycling shorts is there for padding, not absorbing sweat; any absorption is strictly incidental, and not so effective -- if you've ever changed a baby's diaper, you'll know what I mean: it just "helps" create diaper rash; same thing with cycling shorts, or any other clothing.

In fact, Under Armor compression shorts are designed to quickly wick moisture away from your skin... and they do!

Wrong.

The padding is there to reduce chafing and wick moisture.

I stand corrected... however, what read nicely in theory, didn't quite work out for me in practice, and rather than spend hours wearing (what amounted to) a soggy Depends™, I opted for the much-drier experience of Under Armor compression shorts.

So, while I do change my underwear, I'm not changing my opinion.

For those few that DO wear underliners/underwear beneath riding shorts, I have tried UA and Nike (both made of nylon/spandex/lycra (no cotton and fully wicking) but my preference is Hanes. The seam on the first two brands can be irritating if it rides up where as the seam on the Hanes is positioned so it doesn't gather.

why is it compression? what is it trying to compress?

Bicycle shorts are designed to be worn next to your skin. The construction of the "chamois" has been refined over numerous years to incease the comfort of the rider.

Why would you want to take a product, not designed for use in cycling, and use it in a way that tends to defeat the purpose of the expensive, purpose designed cycling shorts you bought.

If a base layer under cycling shorts was actually a good idea, you can be sure that Assos, Pearl Izumi, et al would be selling them.

I wear compression shorts while motorcycling, and have worn them for bicycling, under light weight shorts.

They are great for long distance motorcycling, and help for bicycling.

But, regular bicycle shorts are best for bicycling.

I guess my search continues for a pair of cycling shorts that works in my current budget...

What's your budget?

I'd suggest going to your local Performance—not sure if you have one—and checking out their bibs.

They're reasonably priced, and I find their Elite bibs very comfortable.

There are no performance shops around here. We have dicks sporting good and sports authority. Thats where I looked and they had some for 30 that were not to bad. I am going to another bike shop today to see if I can find something woth better quality aroun 60 dollars or so.

When riding less than 20 miles compression short will work fine depending on how the seams line up.

The pad is not designed to absorb sweat. That is crazy talk. Then again, so it talking about compression shorts for biking.

I just picked up a bontragger bicycle short. It is actually comfortable compared to the 30 dollar ones I tried at Sports Authority. I paid 60 for these.

How tight do my bibs have to be before they become compression bibs?

No, not really. The pad is there to avoid sitting on a seam as well as to wick sweat. Remember, saddle sores are a result of both bacteria and chafing, so a good pair of shorts will help mitigate both of those issues.

Even compression shorts are made, in part, to wick sweat. Not sure where the seams are, though I'm gonna guess they are right up the middle, which is the worst place if you're cycling. I'll stick to bike shorts.

The compression shorts I have do not have seams in the middle. The would fit comfortably for a ride. I guess I can't go wrong wearing them and some very light running shorts for shorter rides.