Gentlemen: This lycra business...

davis
davis Posts: 2,506
edited August 2011 in Commuting chat
Ok, I've got no problem with (the idea of) wearing lycra to ride a bike. I'm even considering trying it (again), after about 3 years. I'm currently wearing some reasonably low-friction walking shorts.

I have a problem with the pads. I have only ever tried a couple of padded shorts, and I loathed them, because, bluntly put, my love spuds were stewing in the heat, and I hated having them all squashed up to my body and wrapped in foam (yes, I'm exaggerating, but I hope you know what I mean). It was a horrifying sweaty mess.

I have absolutely no problem with my posterior surviving 100+ mile rides without additional padding.

Therefore, I think I'd be after some unpadded shorts, but then I'm just a bit too vain to want to display my vegetables in anatomical detail.

So... have I been massively mislead? Is there greater happiness available? Is there a solution to the boiled bollocks? Should I just continue with whatever I do now?
Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
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Comments

  • Daerve
    Daerve Posts: 33
    You must have some massive balls cos I've never had a problem myself.

    I hate how I look in lycra but it works, the padding helps a lot and it's by far the comfiest thing to cycle in.

    I swore I'd never wear bib shorts but yep, I've got some and they're great.

    Try getting some decent, well fitted shorts and wear nothing underneath. I've tried everything and nothing is as comfortable as padded bib shorts.
  • Simon G
    Simon G Posts: 41
    There have been a few occasions where my padded shorts have moved into a position where (to put it bluntly), it felt like my balls were 'laid out' on a sweaty pad. This tended to be when I moved back in the saddle and thus pulled the shorts down very slightly exposing a gap in the front of the shorts on which the spuds could 'lay'. Bib shorts tend to keep things a bit more 'in place' which can be a little toasty, but never makes me feel too 'trussed up'

    Perhaps a bit of a (ahem) trim 'down below' might change the sensation of heat build up and sweatiness?

    Incidently, thanks for the initial post Daerve, It's kinda fun trying to put a response to such a post into words! :shock:
    Simon G
  • mroli
    mroli Posts: 3,622
    bib shorts on, hand down front of bibs, pull up old fella and gently "lift" balls. Remove hand from shorts. Job done.

    any longer than 10 seconds down and it is self gratification.
  • davis
    davis Posts: 2,506
    mroli wrote:
    bib shorts on, hand down front of bibs, pull up old fella and gently "lift" balls.

    Ah, the old "lift and drop". Hmm. Does it aid with, erm, "cooling"?
    Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 27,486
    There's quite a bit of variation between different brands and prices of shorts. If you didn't get on right with one or two, don't write the whole thing off.
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  • mouth
    mouth Posts: 1,195
    FWIW I wear some standard briefs under my bibs and don't have any concerns. Might keep the chamois a bit cleaner too......
    The only disability in life is a poor attitude.
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    Davis, what you need are my new, Patent Pending "Testicool" cycling shorts. The pad has a built-in, solar-powered cooling system to keep your equipment at optimum operating temperature.
    Ladies!!!, looking for the ideal gift for your cycling better half? Upgrade him to "Testicools" and see his performance soar!!!!
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    I have exactly the opposite concern. In winter, my Assos winter bibs have windproof material all down the front except in the gentleman's region. When I arrive at the office, I'm impressing nobody and shower time involves trying to coax the twins back out of hiding. I raised my concern with the lady at Assos customer services who basically intimated that I should have bought pad-free tights and worn padded shorts underneath - cheers!
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • CyclingBantam
    CyclingBantam Posts: 1,299
    Mouth wrote:
    FWIW I wear some standard briefs under my bibs and don't have any concerns. Might keep the chamois a bit cleaner too......

    No, no, no. You are defeating the point of wearing the shorts and it is very unhygienic. The pad is to be worn next to the skin. Don't worry about it getting dirty (although I am assuming you are clean before you put them on!) they are there to be worn (do you wear boxers under your boxers to keep them clean?

    Wearing stuff underneath padded shorts is exactly the same theory as wearing boxers under swimming trunks.
  • Guys let's face it Lycra is cool. Awesome people wear it and makes cycling way more comfortable. Until we believe in it ourselves it will never gain the acceptance it deserves.
    All hail the FSM and his noodly appendage!
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    @davis - how the hell do you manage 100 miles without pads?! My nadgers would be raw.

    I find if I wear baggies, I get very warm.

    Lycra's cool (in more ways than one). End of.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • cloggsy
    cloggsy Posts: 243
    You'll find a lot of people posting replies on this thread don't actually like cycling at all. They only do it so they can wear skin tight clothing in public :lol:

    P.S. I wear lycra too :oops: :wink:
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    cjcp wrote:
    @davis - how the hell do you manage 100 miles without pads?! My nadgers would be raw.

    I find if I wear baggies, I get very warm.

    Lycra's cool (in more ways than one). End of.

    Yeah, I can' imagine any more than 1 days commute without lycra and a pad... Let alone a decent length club run! It's not so much the "nadgers" it's the area behind, the perinemu area, that gets rubbed.

    Actually on the subject of padded shorts, I've noticed that I'm supposed to be washing my lycra at 30C which is a pretty low temp. Does everyone use ordinary washing powder or something anti bacterial that works at lower temps? I would have thought that washing at 30C would not properly kill any, erm, bacterial buildup....
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  • Confusedboy
    Confusedboy Posts: 287
    There are some of us who do not look awesome in lycra. In fact, it looks even worse than going naked because it actually emphasises the horror.

    Worn as a base layer, it is peerless though; not only is it cool, comfortable, and stretchy without restricting your movements, but whatever you wear over it slides easily over it's surface in a way it will not quite manage on skin. This is the acceptable face of MAMILdom.

    With padded shorts, the pad goes next to your bits-that is what it is designed to do. You wear them as if they were underpants. I wash all my stuff at 60 deg, and my lycra comes out fine at that, but the 30 deg, thing is good to know as that is easily achievable in a hotel sink or on a camp fire for hand washing them while you are away from home.
  • davis
    davis Posts: 2,506
    cjcp wrote:
    @davis - how the hell do you manage 100 miles without pads?! My nadgers would be raw.

    1. Get on bike
    2. Ride bike
    3. Get off bike.

    That's all I have to do; in fact wearing a pad seemed to make it worse for me. More sweat cooling and drying led to nasty chafing. I didn't spend too much time studying my abraded undercarriage, I just walked like John Wayne for a couple of days.

    Maybe I'm underestimating the comfort available from better pads.. which leads me to the next question: since you're supposed to wash them every day, how the hell do you get through that much washing? Or do you have a stack of the bib shorts, and simply rotate? (Goes looking for cheap bib shorts, but then I'm back to the problem of... cheap bib shorts).
    Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    cjcp wrote:
    @davis - how the hell do you manage 100 miles without pads?! My nadgers would be raw.

    I find if I wear baggies, I get very warm.

    Lycra's cool (in more ways than one). End of.

    Yeah, I can' imagine any more than 1 days commute without lycra and a pad... Let alone a decent length club run! It's not so much the "nadgers" it's the area behind, the perinemu area, that gets rubbed.

    Actually on the subject of padded shorts, I've noticed that I'm supposed to be washing my lycra at 30C which is a pretty low temp. Does everyone use ordinary washing powder or something anti bacterial that works at lower temps? I would have thought that washing at 30C would not properly kill any, erm, bacterial buildup....

    40 degrees at the highest maybe. It's the gloves I put on a higher temp.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • SimonAH
    SimonAH Posts: 3,730
    I cut the pad out of my tights, totally hated it.

    When I wear lycra it is au naturel, if the ladies wish to stare then they may. If the men stare then they may. I am man, hear me roar.
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  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    I tried pads a few times and found them hot and sweaty - now I wear unlined lycra under baggies - I've done a few 100 plus rides with no problems. And my parts aren't like leather - honest guv
  • CdrJake
    CdrJake Posts: 296
    You do get used to pads in lycra and after a while you wonder how you did without them in the first place.

    As for the 'warming' issue, take mroli's advice, a bit of a shuffle around helps and Simon G is right when he says a bit of a tidy up helps keep things cool and a little less sweaty.
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  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    SimonAH wrote:
    I cut the pad out of my tights, totally hated it.

    When I wear lycra it is au naturel, if the ladies wish to stare then they may. If the men stare then they may. I am man, hear me roar.

    Mate, if you've left a huge gap where the pad was, they'll SEE you roar. :shock:
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  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    Lycra is always the way forwards. To increase yor street-cred you can always customize it
    2536d1189413275-proud-man-042004_tron.jpg
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  • notsoblue
    notsoblue Posts: 5,756
    Whoa, some real antipathy towards lycra around here! Not sure how people ride any distance regularly without it? My commute is 10miles each way and non-cycling gear just feels uncomfortable and ends up being trashed. As for cutting the chamois out? eh? Unthinkable!
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,252
    Is this whole thread not just an excuse for Davis to tell any laydees out there that he has a particularly impressive set of danglies? SimonAH has seen through his ploy and trumped him.
  • msmancunia
    msmancunia Posts: 1,415
    As a girl, I've no idea why I'm reading this thread other than the fact that I can't sleep. The different names you guys call your genitalia have made me howl laughing.

    Anyway, washing - from a girl. I tend to go with my mum's saying about bedding - wash one, wear one, air one. Clean on every day or you'll get a nasty yeast infection and you'll have to go to the chemist for Canestan.

    A forty degree wash isn't going to ruin your lycra, but don't put fabric conditioner in - it's better without. If you look at swimming costume labels they recommend no conditioner. A thirty degree wash is just recommended because it's better for the environment - but 40degrees is stil cool enough to keep it nice but warm enough for a good wash. If you really want to keep them clean, get one of those Oxy style spray detergents and give the pad a quick whoosh before it goes in the machine with your regular darks.
    Commute: Chadderton - Sportcity
  • pangolin
    pangolin Posts: 6,283
    Ok I get the lycra washing advice buuut... are you saying you wash your bedsheets every day?
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  • gilesjuk
    gilesjuk Posts: 340
    I find that most shorts with padding are designed to be worn with no underwear. When it it really hot you can eliminate chaffing with some chamois cream.

    Only having one layer helps keep you cool, but please make sure the lycra isn't wearing thin please :)
  • davis
    davis Posts: 2,506
    msmancunia wrote:
    As a girl, I've no idea why I'm reading this thread other than the fact that I can't sleep. The different names you guys call your genitalia have made me howl laughing.

    We have more names for ours than we could list. Best not start on names for yours.
    msmancunia wrote:
    Anyway, washing - from a girl. I tend to go with my mum's saying about bedding - wash one, wear one, air one. Clean on every day or you'll get a nasty yeast infection and you'll have to go to the chemist for Canestan.

    A forty degree wash isn't going to ruin your lycra, but don't put fabric conditioner in - it's better without. If you look at swimming costume labels they recommend no conditioner. A thirty degree wash is just recommended because it's better for the environment - but 40degrees is stil cool enough to keep it nice but warm enough for a good wash. If you really want to keep them clean, get one of those Oxy style spray detergents and give the pad a quick whoosh before it goes in the machine with your regular darks.

    Good practical advice, ta. Although I'm not sure what a chemist or Canestan is. Your mum's probably right too; I just don't fancy buying any more bedding!
    Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    God bless threads like this when insomnia strikes........

    I've never had a problem with the plums overheating and have always gone commando where lycra is concerned. I'd thoroughly recommend chamois cream to help prevent chaffing, without one can end up with bald spots :oops: I'm slightly concerned over the suggestion of a bit of a tidy up!!!!!! I can only assume some of us go all the way to the top, across and then down the other side when shaving the legs :shock:
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

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  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    While I tend to be a very hot cyclist, I've never noticed it in the 'intimate' areas, even with padded lycra.
    FCN 9 || FCN 5
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 58,166
    Sorry but I think lycra on men should be banned except when required for timed events (or if covered by a good pair of baggies), it just looks 'orrible. Ladies on the other hand, can wear it whenever they like :)

    TBH I've always commuted in baggies and never used pads, (occasionally have worn unpadded lycra shorts under baggies when its cold). 12 miles each way and never been uncomfortable. Maybe I just have an iron clad ar$e?
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