Inexpensive lycra cycling shorts & discomfort correlatio

Ezy Rider

The shorts which I am currently using are Altura Cadence type. They are a basic type with a padded insert.I posted a while back about uncomfortable cycling with a fizik arione , which I immediately sold on . I bought a cheapie temporary saddle which was a selle quik bik and it is quite comfy in the bum area and perineum, but 140mm width ,for me, causes great discomfort at the backs and insides of my legs and I was always riding out of the saddle to lessen this.I am definitely more suited to circa 130 mm widths.

I got a Ritchey Biomax Pro , which is a lovely 131mm wide saddle and has relief cutout.......very nice to use it is too The discomfort is a million miles away from what I experienced with the arione. My only reservation is that the body weight is squarely perced on the sitbones this time , and as it is a saddle that doesnt give a lot of flex there, I start to get a bit uncomfortable there at around 30 miles into a ride, hopping out of the saddle for about 20 revolutions helps , but it has me thinking could such a basic pair of shorts be an influencing factor :?

I noticed a great price at rutlands for a pair of altura progel shorts which Im hoping will be a notch up from the cadences I currently own , as the progels have gel inserts
in the sitbone region. The biomax is a great saddle to use apart from a bit of bum numbing after 30 miles that I hope a bit more cushioning will take away, id even read some articles where riders where using 2 pairs of shorts for the very same issue with whatever saddle they were using at the time :shock:

Whats your thoughts then, can cheap shorts be an influencing factor when it comes to getting bum numbness after a while :?:

Just remembered to add, I always add udderly smooth chamois cream to the chamois before I head out.

MountainMonster

The poroblem I find with the cheap shorts, is they slide around too much, and cause discomfort that way. Bibs are much better in my opinion, as they hold the padding in place constantly. Maybe you should save for a decent pair of bibs, and get a pair, as they were night and day compared to the cheap shorts I rode with before.

optimisticbiker

+1 on the bibs... having worn them for a few weeks now I can't see me going back to shorts except for short runs. They just work...

Bobbinogs

Chamois cream won't make any difference if you are sore due to bruising. Better quality shorts definitely help (bibs are the way to go).

It might also be worth looking at your tyre/pressure. I have found that dropping a few PSI improves things but there is a risk of pinch flats (for me at 65kg, I have found the ideal compromise is 80f/90r for 23mm)...so if you are a tubby rider then going up to 25mm is a good idea as they will give more protection at lower pressure.

MattC59

Good quality shorts are worth their weight in gold (which judging by the weight of good quality shorts, isn't actually that much :roll: ).

I the first pair of bib shorts I had were Endura FS260 Pro. They were nice enough, but after about 20miles my Bontrager saddle would start to make me a touch sore to say the least. I've recently bought a pair of Craft shorts http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/craft-elite-attack-bib-short-2011-906.html and they're fantastic. Not once have I been troubled by a sore ass.

Quality and shape of pad is paramount, not necessarily thickness.

Ezy Rider

my progels arrived this morning ,£28.99 delivered from rutlands is a great price. 1st observation is that the chamois is quite a bit bigger than the cadence type . im far from a tubby rider and i prefer to use gatorskin 25s which i set to 95f / 100r as the 23s give such a harsh ride.

gonna go out after work and try these progels and see if there is an appreciable difference.

MattC59

Ezy Rider wrote:

my progels arrived this morning ,£28.99 delivered from rutlands is a great price. 1st observation is that the chamois is quite a bit bigger than the cadence type . im far from a tubby rider and i prefer to use gatorskin 25s which i set to 95f / 100r as the 23s give such a harsh ride.

gonna go out after work and try these progels and see if there is an appreciable difference.

You seem to be spending a lot of money buyng different saddles and shorts. Bite the bullet and buy some decent shorts, you won't regret it !!

Ezy Rider

MattC59 wrote:

Ezy Rider wrote:

my progels arrived this morning ,£28.99 delivered from rutlands is a great price. 1st observation is that the chamois is quite a bit bigger than the cadence type . im far from a tubby rider and i prefer to use gatorskin 25s which i set to 95f / 100r as the 23s give such a harsh ride.

gonna go out after work and try these progels and see if there is an appreciable difference.

You seem to be spending a lot of money buyng different saddles and shorts. Bite the bullet and buy some decent shorts, you won't regret it !!

fingers crossed these progels will be decent, they get very good reviews.

Ezy Rider

one problem in the premium shorts market is you gotta buy em to try em, imagine handing out preposterous assos type money and buying a pair only to find they dont suit. you cant sell em on, i wouldnt buy a pair of shorts that somebody elses sweaty coconuts had been cradled in. like saddles, its a bit of a jump into the darkness.

Zoomer37

Ezy Rider wrote:

one problem in the premium shorts market is you gotta buy em to try em, imagine handing out preposterous assos type money and buying a pair only to find they dont suit. you cant sell em on, i wouldnt buy a pair of shorts that somebody elses sweaty coconuts had been cradled in. like saddles, its a bit of a jump into the darkness.

Send them back? Sell them on here like a lot of us do?

This is not a dig Ezy Rider, but I think your views on higher end kit will change the more you get into cycling.

Bar Shaker

Gel chamois bib shorts are the way to go. It makes all the difference on a long ride.

I will happily spend more on a pair of shorts than a reasonable saddle would cost (I have quite a good saddle too, though).

Ezy Rider

if we get a real ball freezer this july , perhaps if i tried my gore full bib, that would show the difference a chamois can make ? the pad in those is pretty substantial.

MountainMonster

Ezy Rider wrote:

one problem in the premium shorts market is you gotta buy em to try em, imagine handing out preposterous assos type money and buying a pair only to find they dont suit. you cant sell em on, i wouldnt buy a pair of shorts that somebody elses sweaty coconuts had been cradled in. like saddles, its a bit of a jump into the darkness.

There are 2 options for this.

Go to a shop and try on the shorts and find which works for you. May pay a few extra quid, but you know when you leave you have what you want.

Or 2.

You buy the good ones online, and send them back if they don't fit. Wecome to the world of returns, that's why they are there.

orbeaorca

Ezy Rider wrote:

one problem in the premium shorts market is you gotta buy em to try em, imagine handing out preposterous assos type money and buying a pair only to find they dont suit. you cant sell em on, i wouldnt buy a pair of shorts that somebody elses sweaty coconuts had been cradled in. like saddles, its a bit of a jump into the darkness.

As Zoomer has said, send them back if you dont like them. Rapha let you try their shorts for 30 days, if you dont like the shorts then send 'em back!

Ezy Rider

even though you have sweated like a pig in them, they will take them back & refund you ?

Paul E

MattC59 wrote:

Good quality shorts are worth their weight in gold (which judging by the weight of good quality shorts, isn't actually that much :roll: ).

I the first pair of bib shorts I had were Endura FS260 Pro. They were nice enough, but after about 20miles my Bontrager saddle would start to make me a touch sore to say the least. I've recently bought a pair of Craft shorts http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/craft-elite-attack-bib-short-2011-906.html and they're fantastic. Not once have I been troubled by a sore ass.

Quality and shape of pad is paramount, not necessarily thickness.

I have some craft ones from alwaysriding too, love them, the pad is just the right thickness for me and always riding always give great customer service

Ezy Rider

the cost of matt`s craft shorts at £108 made my bloodpressure double

MountainMonster

Ezy Rider wrote:

the cost of matt`s craft shorts at £108 made my bloodpressure double

Do you buy the cheap stuff in every part of life, and then be disappointed when it's not good, or is it just cycling stuff.

Welcome to a very expensive sport, you get what you pay for!

And yes they will take them back within 30 days, as per legal legislation.

Ezy Rider

my electric guitar cost me £2800 , does everything i expect from a custom shop handbuilt instrument and it wont wear out. a pair of £150 shorts will have an ar$e that wears out and be unusable. thats quite a difference.

MountainMonster

Ezy Rider wrote:

my electric guitar cost me £2800 , does everything i expect from a custom shop handbuilt instrument and it wont wear out. a pair of £150 will have an ar$e that wears out and be unusable. thats quite a difference.

That's the thing, the arse will not wear out for many many many years on good quality bibs. A few riding buddies I know still ride every day wearing shorts they bought in the 90's. Sounds like 100 is a decent investment. I've ridden about 10k kilometers in last years, and had the same bibs the whole time! It's wise to invest in good ones man, just buck up and bite the bullet rather than buying cheap junk.

TiBoy

You can't go wrong with these for £39. I have a couple of pairs after my Assos one expired after 18 months and could not afford to replace them, the Shutt ones have no sign of wear after a year of use and I find them very comfortable.

http://www.shuttvr.com/shop/productdeta ... ib-Shorts/

rc856

Agree with all the posts about spending a bit more.
Yes, there are some who say they love their £20 shorts but I think it worth the extra cost.
I would never spend more than £30 or £40 on Lusso shorts but as I planned to do more miles and was heading to the Pyrenees this year, I thought I'd treat myself.
Got a Spesh Alias saddle with cut out, a pair of Assos Uno shorts and Assos chamois cream and I'm really happy now.
Used to get sore after a couple of hours but can do 6 hours now.
If you do a search on the likes of Assos, you'll see that while people agree they cost a lot, most will say they certainly get their money's worth.

I wish I'd got mine sooner and won't go back now.