A question for the ladies

Knickers under cycling shorts ... to wear or not to wear?

After a ‘brief’ chat with some of the ladies during the 50 Fixed ride, and having made my first foray into the specifics of cycling wear ... I have a question ...

What is your opinion / recommendation about wearing knickers under padded cycling shorts? Given the issues of comfort, chafing, itchiness, etc.

I tried on two pairs of padded shorts, one had a cotton lining but I decided against them as they felt way too bulky. The pair I settled for (Bontrager) have a synthetic lining, which goes against the old adage of cotton being preferable.

Poll above ... recommendations appreciated!

Skully.. why are you on this thread..you flithy man!

oh this thread is dead without pictures.. just throwing that out there

Well it depends on the distance really, but generally if I'm wearing either padded undershorts or proper bibshorts then I go commando - as I find less seams is better. For commuting I don't usually bother unless I'm wearing waterproofs, which generally need a layer of cotton underneath to be comfortable - so again I wear undershorts with them.
I like the undershorts for mid range rides, but for Dunwich I went for the full on bib shorts, and apart from some nasty bum chafage caused mainly by getting wet in the last 30 miles I was absolutely fine.

The world is not ready to see me in lycra, so when I do wear it, its under some other shorts.
I would recommend the endura undershorts tho - I have about 4 pairs

I wear padded shorts for anything involving distance. On a serious rides (aka over 50miles) wearing anything between the padded short and yourself would negate the benifit of the cycle short.

Personally, if you have more than one pair of cycle shorts then I would suggest wearing them alone.
If you only have one pair and need to wear them mutlitple days then you need to consider whether you have facility and time to wash and dry them each night. If the answer is no, then consider pants for hygiene if nothing else. In that situation opt for a pair that cause the littlest friction - I suggest trying several types of pants from your drawer on shorter distances to figure out which are most comfortable. Everyone is different.

+1 for under short. I love them.
Lycra bibs are good too, but I wish people would check theirs regularly for wear. Too many times I have been stuck behind someone whos bibs are so old they are becoming see through... i don't subject people to me in lycra alone, what makes it ok for you be wearing stuff i can see through! Ewwww.

Oh man there is a guy with on my commute with really worn quickstep bibs, I try not to get too close, it does make me laugh though, one day I will sum the courage to say 'hey mate nice crack'

It depends... for commuting I just wear regular clothes, nothing padded, but for longer rides I wear bibs (mens ones at the moment, just with the shoulder straps crossed on my chest faux assos style) or padded undershorts. I've personally found no real difference in comfort between knicks and commando, but then the furthest I've ridden in a day is only about 60 miles (though it was over cobbled Ronde van Vlaanderen routes, so not exactly easy going).

Padded undershorts are useful because they're cheaper than going the full bibs route (I personally hate cycling shorts, and womens bibs are stupidly expensive compared to blokes versions, which I massively resent), and you can chuck normal jeans and shorts over the top of them.

If you're cycling more than 30 miles there are no knickers in the world that are comfortable... FACTOLICIOUS

Does anyone, um, use creams?

I have some cream, the udder one- can't remember the full name, I've used it on occasion - however I wish I had taken some with me on Dunwich to 'top up' I think it would have helped massively
Anything under 60-80 miles tho it's not worth it

Personaly I'm not a big fan of padded short, but then i only have one pair, they are cottoned lined and are very warm for this weather. I have tried my fellas lycra short (without him knowing), they are much preferable.
I do want to invest in a pair padded lycra shorts though.
Day to day i'm in regualar clothing, but I'm a big fan of fresh knickers, i change pants about twice a day, i get very sweaty.

not to mention socks! ;-)

If you're cycling more than 30 miles there are no knickers in the world that are comfortable... FACTOLICIOUS

Does anyone, um, use creams?

Miss clefty is talking about Utterly Smooth. its good
I use the one they sell at condor F60.. i think.

Again, I agree that it's only necessary for longer rides.

The method of application can be a matter of choice but a pro once told me apply it to the pad the night before and to youself that day.

Interesting tip that I'd always wondered what the best method there was. Will try that.

not to mention socks! ;-)

yup. . .always - and if I don't pack them, I always get caught out!
Cheer once again for the lend claire.

If you're cycling more than 30 miles there are no knickers in the world that are comfortable... FACTOLICIOUS

Does anyone, um, use creams?

Your right here are no knickers that are comfortable after that distance .
Defo invest in a pair of padded shorts if your gonna be doing some longer rides they are a saving grace.

I just got the Gore three quarter leggings which I recommend.
Then just a couple of pairs of shorts for slightly longer commutes

i find a nice pair of french knickers (pref red or orange) does the trick raaaaather well.
once dirty, i normally seal them in a vac pac bag and send them to one of my clients in Japan.
ring a ding ding.

That post is useless without pictures.

Miss clefty is talking about Utterly Smooth. its good
I use the one they sell at condor F60.. i think.

Again, I agree that it's only necessary for longer rides.

The method of application can be a matter of choice but a pro once told me apply it to the pad the night before and to youself that day.

Cheers to both of you. I've tried sudocreme but it's rank.

God. Things You Never Thought You'd Find Yourself Posting About on the Internet, no. 358…

i find a nice pair of french knickers (pref red or orange) does the trick raaaaather well.
once dirty, i normally seal them in a vac pac bag and send them to one of my clients in Japan.
ring a ding ding.

Ewwww

I have some cotton lined shorts that were quite bulky. They take some wearing in I reckon, after about two weeks they will contour and feel good.
1 vote for without knickers too!

I like the idea of the padded undershorts or leggings. Will investigate further. Will always be wearing something over the top though - The world won't be seeing me in lycra any time soon either!

@ Clefty - Useful point re: wearing cotton undies if wearing waterproofs, hadn't thought of that.

hmmm ... wondered how long it would take for the camel toe tag ...

not to mention socks! ;-)

what did i do?! hah.

i've only got one pair of padded shorts at the moment, some really nice pearl izumi ones, so i tend to wear pants with them. i've got some really ace seamless pants which seem to work really well. padded shorts are a bit toasty in this weather tho, like pickle said! i've found that for most stuff, just reducing seams is good enough. i've got some ace nike drifit shorts which are super comfy and have no seams in unbikefriendly places! heh.

Will always be wearing something over the top though - The world won't be seeing me in lycra any time soon either!

i usually wear a skirt over mine. hides the lycra, while keeping seams to a minimum!

...recently invested in the cotton cycling underwear - so wear it when wearing regular clothes when cycling. not the sexiest, but helps tons

i don't have cycle shorts... but the endura leggings and they are great - little g string underneath always helps (my mother would be very unhappy if her little girl was knocked off her bike wearing no knickers at all!!!)

I also find with those undershorts I go a size smaller than my usual size - the last thing you want with padded shorts is baggyness, snug fit FTW