What to do about 'crotch shredding'?

Mr.Duck

I do not know the correct term (if there is one), but I can't be the only one that gets it... I've ruined about 3 pairs of jeans and 1 pair of shorts by wearing away a fairly hole in the top of the inner thigh crotch area. Usually 1 side first with bad wear on the otherside. I could keep going and there would develop a hole from thigh to thigh. I don't even cycle everyday, otherwise the wear would be so rapid that the shorts would last a few weeks at most I would guess.

The possibility that my thighs are just too fat has occurred to me. Apart from that, does anyone else know about this or how best to stop it? There's no way I'm going out in spandex BTW . But special cycle shorts, baggy MTB style, then maybe. I don't like to spend much money (like £15 from MATALAN). But if I know it does the job and performs, then I can splash out.

tl;dr - What's on your legs when cycling? Tell me what gear you've bought thread.

dhope

Do you run or swim in jeans?
Just buy some proper MTB shorts and you'll be fine. Go to Wiggle/CRC/Evans and search for something cheap.

roger_merriman

I use cheap black trousers for work, some I've had for many years and no crotch wear!

Is the saddle comfy? And are you being chaffed? Maybe a different saddle?

jamesco

Regular (not cycling-specific) shorts & jeans made of cotton and linen wear out really quickly; my last four or five pairs of jeans have been biffed for the same reason as you.

If it's shorts weather, I usually wear a pair of baggy nylon Macpac hiking shorts(£25); if it's cold, a pair of Endura baggy trousers (£50). They basically show no signs of wear and it's a lot cheaper paying for the cycling-only gear than new jeans.

Rapha jeans are a stylish option, but won't be £15

Agent57

I do my daily commute in my work clothes; i.e. jeans and a T-shirt, and I suffer the same problem. I used to wear either my bib shorts or MTB baggies, but as my journey now is only 2 miles, that seems a bit daft.

It'd be interesting to know if a £120 (?) pair of Rapha jeans would outlast 6 pairs of £20 jeans.

Jeans have another big downside too - they are simply horrible in the pouring rain, and take ages to dry out once I get to work. I'm considering going back to the MTB gear for the commute.

PBo

I have swrve jeans. Not quite as outrageous as Rapha (Only £85). But they are a revelation. Stretchy, quick drying, hard wearing, low front, higher back, proper seamless gusset etc. nice little touches of reflectives on belt loops and inside of chain leg for when you roll it up. Even rear special pocket for mobile is on an angle to make it easy to get.

Given that gap and fat face are the only jeans that usually fit my large thighs, and I'm a tightwad who usually only buys in a sale (£30 or less), such an outlay was not easy. But not one regret....

Agent57

They look good. They don't do short legs though, which is a shame. The regular 32" leg is too long for short-arse old me.

Are turn-ups back in fashion yet?

Monkeypump

Mr.Duck wrote:

There's no way I'm going out in spandex BTW .
...
But special cycle shorts, baggy MTB style, then maybe.

Then you'll never have the right tool for the job. Proper Lycra, padded shorts are the absolute best things for comfort and efficiency. Baggies are not even a very close second, although they are better than jeans.

Looking a bit odd is far better than chafing, wearing and the needless nonsense that comes with not wearing the right thing in the first place. Try them, you will be instantly converted.

dhope

Agent57 wrote:

They look good. They don't do short legs though, which is a shame. The regular 32" leg is too long for short-arse old me.

Are turn-ups back in fashion yet?

How short legged? I have a pair of their plus fours and they're great kit.

Agent57

dhope wrote:

Agent57 wrote:

They look good. They don't do short legs though, which is a shame. The regular 32" leg is too long for short-arse old me.

Are turn-ups back in fashion yet?

How short legged? I have a pair of their plus fours and they're great kit.

I'm somewhere between 5' 7" and 5' 8", and I reckon 29" inside leg fits me about right. Even 32" would have me walking on the hems.

Mr.Duck

There's no chafing. It's just the saddle surface rubbing against the shorts/trouser material every time you pedal.

jamesco wrote:

Regular (not cycling-specific) shorts & jeans made of cotton and linen wear out really quickly; my last four or five pairs of jeans have been biffed for the same reason as you.

This must be it. Pretty sure my shorts are cotton too.

Plus I look like a complete prat if I arrive somewhere with my jeans or shorts soaked through because of rain. I must look like a swam through a lake to get there ¬.¬

Monkeypump wrote:

Then you'll never have the right tool for the job. Proper Lycra, padded shorts are the absolute best things for comfort and efficiency. Baggies are not even a very close second, although they are better than jeans.

I couldn't possibly. I'd be too embarrassed to go outside, and the resulting look would not be pretty - to put it kindly. Plus I want pockets to stuff things in.

How's this for a shortlist?
- Altura Gravity £31.49 http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Altura-Gravity- ... _34522.htm
- Gore Bike Wear Plaster £41.99 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gore-bike-wear- ... gy-shorts/
- Endura Hummvee £42.74 http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Endura-Hummvee- ... _15178.htm

The Hummvee has 3/4 length and full trouser length options too.

dhope

Mr.Duck wrote:

How's this for a shortlist?
- Altura Gravity £31.49 http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Altura-Gravity- ... _34522.htm
- Gore Bike Wear Plaster £41.99 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gore-bike-wear- ... gy-shorts/
- Endura Hummvee £42.74 http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Endura-Hummvee- ... _15178.htm

The Hummvee has 3/4 length and full trouser length options too.

Add Surface Liquistretch to the list...
These are great lightweight shorts. I've used them for commuting, running and just wearing normally. They don't look like cycling kit.
http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... ctID=58455

Gallywomack

My Endura singletrack shorts that I've worn day in day out for the past couple of years have finally developed a hole in the crotch region. And I'm pretty sure that's with a double reinforced arse patch. So either my undercarriage is particularly corrosive, or some kind of eventual shorts failure is an inevitability, short of rocking kevlar.

Naturally, I have no plans to retire them just yet.

Mr.Duck

dhope wrote:

Add Surface Liquistretch to the list...
These are great lightweight shorts. I've used them for commuting, running and just wearing normally. They don't look like cycling kit.
http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... ctID=58455

Quite smart looking. They seem a bit skinny in the legs. It's hard to judge from just a picture online.


Endura singletrack seems well reviewed and durable. It's dissapointing to hear even they wear a hole eventually.


Oh and I checked my saddle. I raised it up a bit and adjusted it. I think it works better and there is less rubbing, so that should help. I tried to guage the friction of the material by rubbing my thumb over it. On the top of the saddle, there is clearly less friction than on the side parts where your thighs touch it. On the sides it looks more worn too. I tried to compare the friction to other surfaces. My forearm is lower friction for example. So is the top of my wooden desk. The saddle was more like the painted gloss which door frames. A bit sticky. It doesn't sound good, does it? How slippery should the saddle be exactly?

mudcow007

i feel your pain

i have ruined god knows how many pairs of jeans an cargo shorts in the past

since going over to lycra all my shorts are all rock n roll...

Mr.Duck

I just got some Endura Singletrack II shorts in the end. They feel very good. Great design and detail. Really comfortable, baggy, light and airy. Lighter than I was expecting. Not sure how long I can take them into winter. They don't give the impression they will be very warm. Maybe I can pair them up with leg warmers?

I go for 34/36 inch waist jeans in regular shops, XL for these Singletrack II and they fit perfect and very secure.

Gallywomack

Yeah, just go to Decathlon and get a couple of pairs of el cheapo running leggings to wear underneath in winter. I've got one pair of 3/4 length, and one full length. This gives 3 different warmness settings, as you can double them up when it's really cold.

Of course, it's probably a lot more sensible just to wear proper cycling leggings without the baggies on top, but even after 4 years on the bike I don't feel able to make that step yet. Maybe if I shift a bit of pud.

Mr.Duck

Gallywomack wrote:

Yeah, just go to Decathlon and get a couple of pairs of el cheapo running leggings to wear underneath in winter. I've got one pair of 3/4 length, and one full length. This gives 3 different warmness settings, as you can double them up when it's really cold.

I could get full length cycle trousers, but it's hard work trying to find out if the size you need will be too long/short in the leg length. There is a problem wearing any trouser (unless they were really tight), as they rub against the chain as you pedal. So they get filthy black oil stains on them. Does that happen to other people? I assume is the same problem with wearing waterproof overtrousers too.

Gallywomack wrote:

Of course, it's probably a lot more sensible just to wear proper cycling leggings without the baggies on top, but even after 4 years on the bike I don't feel able to make that step yet. Maybe if I shift a bit of pud.

That takes some courage. I think you usually need to be within a specific body size/shape, age, and ideally be female to pull it off.