I gotta get some padding!

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Lochen

Well-Known Member
Location
Harwich
My cheeks are on fire! The bits where my sit bones have been trying to get through my skin......

I did 8 miles today just to ensure that I'd made the right adjustments to resolve the 'numb nuts' thing I suffered yesterday (that started around 5 miles in). Much more comfortable.

I'll have to concede and buy some lycra. Although I intend to wear it underneath my every day clothing.

I'm considering bib shorts/tights.

Independent leg wear is going to irritate me when the waist rolls down.

Two questions then......

Budget is limited. Very limited. Bearing this in mind, is there anything I should be avoiding? (Wiggle have some Altura and Endura I can afford)

How does one.....umm.......pee?
Will they stretch sufficiently to release the little man? Or is top half disrobing the order of the day?

Ok.....three questions. Would under shorts be the better option?

Ta
 

screenman

Legendary Member
Bib shorts and over the top for me, been this way for as long as I can remember. I have a Altura base layer that is now 20 years old and is my go to one over Rapha etc.
 
If you have to pee, most bib shorts / bibs have very accommodating elasticity, so you can just "flop your baguette out" and pee in a bush quite easily. If you really do get caught massively short, the good old 'catch and release' method works. Just make sure to get changed and showered ASAP, when you get home.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
When you're on Wiggle have a look at their own dhb brand, the value is excellent. Don't necessarily go for a thick spongey pad, what you need is a dense pad, which resists crinkling and folding. Buy a set of 3/4 bibs now with a Roubaix lining for cool weather then in Spring buy some regular bib shorts. As others have written above, in practice you can pull the front down far enough to pee and the 3/4 bibs do have a zip. My dhb 3/4 Roubaix bibs are my favourite cycling garment and I must be on my eighth or ninth season with them. Wear the shorts next to the skin and wash them after every couple of rides. Pay attention to hygiene as you don't want to get spots in the pad area, as they might turn into boils.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Are you really really sure that saddle is right for you? If not, then padded pants are only slightly better than those much-scorned gel strap-on covers in that they don't wriggle around as much - it's funny how many people flame gel saddles but love dense gel in their pants. (@Fnaar)

I've tried various padded garments for cycling over the years (see the current 3 regrets thread) and they all caused more problems than they solved. The worst ones had the front edge of the pad move to right across a tender place once I was sat on the bike and pedalling, with predictably nasty friction results :eek: :blush:

Now I use a mix of saddles, mostly classic shapes like the Concor rather than modern platforms, with garments that don't have seams near my sit bones (or other tender places!) and I've ridden imperial centuries and still felt OK riding the next day. :thumbsup: :bicycle:

Pay attention to hygiene as you don't want to get spots in the pad area, as they might turn into boils.
^^ Top tip no matter what you wear. If you do get a spot or even a slight lump or reddening, check whether it coincides with a seam or thick or thin pad section on whatever you were wearing and if so, don't wear that garment again until it has pretty much healed. Aloe Vera and Vaseline Repair lotions both work for some, but they take a few days of application and don't dry quickly so it slows down getting dressed!
 
Wiggle (DHB), Altura and Endura have good names you'll be safe there.

Depends the bibs but I find slipping the straps off my shoulders (no need to take your top off) creates enough room that you don't have to stretch the straps at a toilet stop.

Undershorts are slightly easier for toilet stops but a lot of people don't feel comfortable with an elastic band round their waist.
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
You can get padded undershorts that you can wear underneath unpadded gear. Just do a web search. I have some Endura ones. They're ok. And cheap.

I've never worn bibs, so no advice in that department I'm afraid.

Also, while you're riding, don't just sit in one fixed position all the time. Mix it up a bit.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
If you're getting arse trouble after only 8 miles then you don't have a suitable saddle. Fix that first and only then worr about special shorts. I remember in my youth being in absolute agony 30 miles into a 45 mile ride. Cured by buying a brooks b17 saddle. It must have been at least 20 years later i bothered with special shorts - which are "a good thing" but if you're in pain after 8 miles are certainky not the answer. Note: Brooks b17 and team pro leather saddles suit me very well from first day - no breaking in and no exotic potions - but may be agony for someone else. Saddle first !
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
A note to the OP: Brooks saddles have their devotees but they are heavy and crude and they become comfortable by stretching to suit your bum. If they get wet they really stretch. Better to look for a lightweight synthetic saddle that shrugs off water and is cupped to support your sit bones. Look at Charge Spoon, a nice looking saddle that seems to suit lots of bottoms. Saddle posture is critical, it needs to be flat or a degree or two up at the nose.
 

snorri

Legendary Member
Wot @mjr and @Profpointy say, there is something wrong if you are suffering after 8 miles, and it's not the lack of padding that's to blame.
I have been touring for weeks on end doing 50 - 70 miles per day and never felt the need for padding, but did pay particular attention to hygiene in the underpant area.
As 'everyone' says padding is important, I tried padded undershorts once, but only once:sad:.
 
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T4tomo

Guru
decathlon probably your best value bet for bibs.

I used to do the pull down at the waist and pee over the top, but have now discovered it much easier roll a leg* up and flop it out that way.

incidently twas a lady that recommended this method, I assume.its slightly easier with a 'spout'

* probably only works with bib shorts rather than 3/4 or longs, unless you're very blessed.
 
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