Womens shorts

jonesy124

Ok this is a tad embarrassing as I know that about 95% of the people on here are male -

I have a mens saddle which I love as it is very thin whereas wider saddles annoy me as I have a very small bottom. When I use a wider womans saddle it restricts my legs a bit and I get very annoyed so changing my saddle isnt really an option unless I look into spending loooaaads of money.

Recently I have started to cycle harder and for longer and as the mens saddle is quite long this can cause me some discomfort when I lean forward for too long as my most sensitive area is right on the hardest part of the saddle :oops:

I therefore need some shorts with good padding at the front - the proper stuff, no spongy rubbish!

I was in a bike shop and a guy told me about some shorts beginning with N, I cant for the life of me rememeber what they were called. If anyone knows any very padded shorts designed for little women with no fat to protect their bones please point me in the right direction.

richa

Nalini ?

This months C+ magazine has "Female Focus" special and features many options. Gore's Ozon Lady shorts are recommended as super comfy.

ricadus

jonesy124 wrote:

If anyone knows any very padded shorts designed for little women with no fat to protect their bones please point me in the right direction.

Italian brands? Some of the women in the gran fondos fit that description, anyway.

Santini Twist Gel Shorts seem to get good reviews for the gel insert chamois and there is a women's specific version:
http://www.prendas.co.uk/details.asp?ty ... =5&ID=1705

hilaryw

Decathlon also sell reasonable women's cycling shorts for about a tenner.

Blonde

The eternal question again... it comes up time and time again. - you're not alone!

I have struggled for years to find comfort and no contusions or tingling numbness to genitals on the bike. I find personally that less is more when it comes to a chamois though. I actually use men's assos mille shorts now. I am not telling you to get these specific ones though, as they are not cheap and probably don't suit everyone. (There are other makes that are very good too). I find them good, because the pad is small and thin and just where you need it - ie on your sit bones area. It actually does not come up front at all but is contoured aroud your body and the two small pads part ways at the front so they just cover the labia without going up in between them (the only shorts I have found that don't do that and cause irriattion inside) The front bit of your genitals should not be pressing into the saddle at all. Padding designed to protect your sit bones won't help protect soft tissue that isn't meant to be pressing into the saddle in the first place. Sorry I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but I really think that no amount of padding in shorts will help if you are not quite right on your bike. I agree that narrower especially at the front (as long as it fits your sit bones at the rear) is better than a wide nosed saddle. I also agree that you want a really firm saddle for optimum comfort. I tried a Fizik Vitesse (unisex) saddle and whilst is was great for sit bones and good and narrow through the mid-section and nose, I still got problems when using the drops or hoods on the bike. When leaning forward I would end up numb right at the front. This was actually because the bars were too low and too large - the hoods were placed to far away from my hands, (a shorter stem and/or raising the stem can help with this, but I actually went the whole hog and got some short reach non-anatomic curved drop bars which are lovely and put my hands nearer to the hoods/brake levers so I dont need to reach forwards as far) but it was also because my undercarriage shape is such that I needed a saddle with a cut out hole towards the front and not right in the middle, as many holey models have them, to stop soft tissue pressing into a hard saddle.

I tried many holey saddles, including the Selle Italia Lady which was waaaaay to soft and padded even though designed for 'racing'. I sank in and got even worse problems with chafing on tender bits. I also tried the Specialized Jett, but again it was too soft. The soft padding around the hole compressed under my weight leading to me sitting on the hard plastic either side of the hole - not good. I eventually went back to my Brooks B17 - as it was the most comfy for sit bones and firm support for efficient pedalling, but it didnt have the cut out hole I needed and the nose was too hard. Then I found these: http://www.mcmwin.com/ Never looked back. If you look at the 'R&D video clips' you will see how they work - they allow soft bits to be free and they also actually flex with the rider so you dont get a hard mid section/nose pressing you. There are some plastic/foam models avaialable that do this, by having a slit cut from the back of the saddle rright through into the middle section, which may help you. I really don't think a more padded short will help you though, sorry! The more padded they are, the more they ride up, bunch up and chafe. I think you may find you are more comfy if you can re-adjust your position and/or get a different saddle. If your saddle is at all tilted nose down, It's couterintuitive, but it really needs to be either completely level or slightly nose up in order for you not to end up with pressure on soft front bits when using the drops or hoods. If this doesn't feel right, then either your position needs tweaking and/or you may need to use a holey saddle too. I know it sounds obvious but do also check that you haven't got your saddle to high - it's very common with new bike set up and this really does lead to problems with undercarriage, as you rock your hips in order to pedal and so grind your bits into it! I used to do this, but after reading the Selle Anatmica web page about how to set up the saddle I actually lowered my existing saddle by about 4mm which did help a bit, even before I got the new one.

blackhands

Assos also do womens shorts

http://www.parker-international.co.uk/P ... 0060f17c8f

also you can get triathlon saddles which are narrow but padded up front - I use one on my time trial bike to stop the saddle nose disappearing up me bum:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/details.a ... OFSADD0200

Blonde

Assos shorts are *probably the best you can buy* but they aint cheap. Did the OP see the shorts in this months C+ mag? A few brands were given good reviews and though they were not really cheap, they were less pricey than assos ones. You never see women's assos kit at reduced prices, whereas men's is often reduced - wiggle had it on offer recently, so I got some more... I am wearing the older version (not 2007) of the assos men's 'mille' (the ones with a chamois designed for 'long distance') bibs in my avatar. I found them great for rides of up to 600km this year.

A TT/Tri saddle is designed like that because the most efficient TT positions requires the rider to be as low and forward as possible and sitting almost on the nose of the saddle (and I am guessing 'cos tri kit is thinly padded to reduce water weight during/after the swim). However, that isn't a good or comfy position to be in for more general and longer distance road riding, so I think you're really better off addressing your position rather than buying a TT/Tri saddle for more general road use.

jonesy124

so much great advice - i will have to read it all through a few times in order to let it sink in.

I would like to be able to test out a few saddles if I decided to buy a new one (ashamed to say I am pretty in love with mine as it looks beautiful)

I will go into a couple of bike shops this weekend and have a look at a few pairs of shorts in the flesh. I think that if I get a saddle I would need a hole nearer the front.

God - so much to think about.

DavidBelcher

RichA wrote:

Nalini ?

This months C+ magazine has "Female Focus" special and features many options. Gore's Ozon Lady shorts are recommended as super comfy.

If Nalini, ought to be decent quality kit, good value and last a while. I've got a pair of their leg-warmers which are about 6-7 years old and don't look it despite being veterans of a good few 'cross seasons.

David

McBain_v1

I seem to remember a thread on the old CyclingPlus website entitled "Girls in Lycra Shorts" that was wildly popular and ran to over 97 pages :P Perhaps this could be the start of something good...

blackhands

"A TT/Tri saddle is designed like that because the most efficient TT positions requires the rider to be as low and forward as possible and sitting almost on the nose of the saddle (and I am guessing 'cos tri kit is thinly padded to reduce water weight during/after the swim). However, that isn't a good or comfy position to be in for more general and longer distance road riding, so I think you're really better off addressing your position rather than buying a TT/Tri saddle for more general road use."

I agree that a tri saddle isnot the ideal solution - a better position is. For the record the most efficient TT position does most definitely not require the rider to be be as low and forward as possible - the most efficient position is an aero one where the torso - leg angle is such that the power is not fully compromised by a cramped position. I wa stalking about this recently to Phil White who reckons the idael TT position is close to an upright position where power is the greatest, but, the body is rotated about the hips to achieve a flatter back. This was the design principle behind his CerveloTT frames developed in the Texas A&M wind tunnel.

I would not equate a triathlon to a TT as the athlete has to assume a position which enables them to run effectively after the bike phase. This may well be at differentt cadences and using different gears to a TT.

knedlicky

Coincidentally, the magazine I have at my desk here (actually from last May) has a two-page spread on women's cycling clothing for 2007. Normally I'd only look at the pictures, but I've had a quick read and it seems as well as Nalini, Biemme do special shorts for women, for about ₤40, part of their Fun 07 range.

The article about the Biemme shorts talks about a 3-layer pad, sloped pad ends, female anatomy, good freedom of movement, high air circulation, no centre seam, elastic flat seams, flower motif, anthracite and orange, etc. The picture shows a large white and orange flower, a bit like an oxeye daisy, on the outer side of the anthracite-coloured thigh.

jamesblodgett

I vote with Blondie: get your fit checked by someone who has a certification and can do spin analysis. The cost is definitely worth it! More padding might delay the onset of the symtoms, but it might make it worse. The guy I see uses a fit kit coupled to a Computrainer and also does video analysis.

Biking should only hurt your quads,

ricadus

knedlicky wrote:

... flower motif, anthracite and orange, etc. The picture shows a large white and orange flower, a bit like an oxeye daisy, on the outer side of the anthracite-coloured thigh.

Sounds ghastly.

knedlicky

Not for you then Ricadus?

Jeff Jones

Ah, now I understand what Phil White was talking about with the upright position :-)

Blonde

I'd say definitely look at tweaking position first, then the shorts - it does sound like the OP is either too far away from the handlbar to reach comfortably without sliding onto soft tissue, or that the bar is too low, which can have a similar effect. I used to get exactly the same thing happening. OP - if you are completely OK when using the handlebar tops, but find that only when reaching the hoods/drops does this cause a problem, I'd suggest trying a short reach bar and/or shallow drop bar rather than necessarily going for a shorter stem and bringing the entire bar closer. Some of these short reach bars are great. Some are a bit odd - I bought a Bontrager short reach one but found the bends bends so tight than the outer brake cables dont fit into the grooves without severe kinking whihc means the braking is compromised. Rather a design flaw there I think! I have to have the cable on the bar tops so you can feel it under the tape an it looks hideous too. :- ( I have other types shallow drops on my other bikes which are great though. I'd go and look at a few if possible. If you'd like to use the drops more, but find it uncomfortable saddle-wise, look for a bar (whether curved, or anatomic) with shallow drops, (so you are not too low) but also one with long hooks that come right back towards the saddle so that you can use them without having to reach forward at all, only down, and have them set up with the ends of the hooks parrallel to the road, so you don't need to bend your wrists at an angle to hold them.

ricadus

knedlicky wrote:

Not for you then Ricadus?

That model would look good in any kit – or indeed no kit at all.

Looks like Nikki Harris on a trip down to the shops.



p.s. shallow drop bars (in my case ITM "strada" type bars) were one of the best upgrades I invested in.

zoefoster133x2E1xjVh

these shorts are my favorite, yesterday I have purchase 2 of them have a look https://www.ustradeent.com/ladies-dual-side-single-ply-shorts-303680.html

womack

14 Years, is that a record?

amrushton

chuckled at this. My then future wife is on this thread

womack

Why would my post be flagged? Have I broke some rules?

daniel_b

amrushton said:

chuckled at this. My then future wife is on this thread </p>

jonesy124?

I do miss jonesy.