Underwear under tights?

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 01:10:25 -0400, Badger_South
wrote in message :

Just to clarify. When you wear bike shorts with real chamois, you usually
apply a substance called 'chamois cream' to this material, and then you put
on the bike shorts.

For differing values of "usually". I have never used chamois cream,
but I have never ridden more than a hundred miles in a day. On long
tours, very long rides, multi-day events or with racing saddles I am
told it makes great sense, but it is certainly not essential for
everyday or short-distance riding.

I recommend bibshorts, with straps over the shoulders, as these reduce
your movement with respect to the chamois (synthetic or not). And
they don't slip down and let your back get cold.

If you're not riding long distances, a 'fake chamois' bike short may be of
use to you in a similar way, but minus the advanced saddle-sore protection.

Frankly I think the fake chamois is probably at least as good as the
real thing, but it would strongly depend on which one you buy. Cheap
fake chamois is less likely to be good, obviously. All the high-end
shorts at my LBS have moulded synthetic pads impregnated with
antibacterial agents.

In that case of only wearing shorts with 'fake chamois', it probably
doesn't matter if you're wearing underwear or not.

Disagree strongly. Padded shorts never, in my experience, work well
with underwear. Or rather, there is no underwear which works
particularly well for cycling, and given that you have shorts which
can (and are designed to) be worn without, I would leave the underwear
out.

This may depend on the cheapness and thinness of the padding, but I am
not even sure of that. I only have one cheap pair of shorts and they
have been at the bottom of the drawer for a long time.

When wearing unpadded tights I wear padded shorts underneath, but
there are padded cycling underpants which would be equally good (these
allegedly work well with Rohan shorts for Summer wear, as well).

These days I almost always ride an Inherently Comfortable Bike instead
and don't worry :-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 18:18:11 +0100, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
wrote:

In that case of only wearing shorts with 'fake chamois', it probably
doesn't matter if you're wearing underwear or not.

Disagree strongly. Padded shorts never, in my experience, work well
with underwear. Or rather, there is no underwear which works
particularly well for cycling, and given that you have shorts which
can (and are designed to) be worn without, I would leave the underwear
out.

I agree with your disagreeing, now that I've had a couple replies. It's
good, though, to hear from actual experience. Thanks. Sorry to have brought
this up again so soon after the last thread on the same topic.

Part of my reply was to delineate between short rides (10-25 miles), where
what you wear seems to make little difference (to some people), and longer
rides (25-50) where it probably does make a difference. Indistinct
comments such as mine are probably so un-helpful as to be better unsaid,
even if one is trying to 'help' not turn off a newbie with the complexities
of the sport. My bad. ;-

Hah, I say this riding with another cyclist who wears cotton underwear, and
cut off sweat pants and a T-shirt to do training rides of 20-30 miles. I
can -not- get him to even consider switching to a non-cotton T, and when he
gets back, his seat, shirt and shorts are wet and dripping, and I am dry
and comfortable. Oh well, it is to laugh.

Thanks for the input. ;-)

-B

the black rose wrote:

I'd love to know if any women use chamois cream, and what their
experience of it is (they can email me directly rather than discuss it
on the NG if they prefer -- email addy works as is). I shudder at the
idea of the stuff.

-km

I find using cream makes a mild but worthwhile difference in comfort if
I am riding more than about 30 miles. I was too embarrassed to buy it
at the bike shop so went looking in the closet for some leftover Desitin
from when my kids were small. Instead I found some diaper rash ointment
called Flanders Buttocks Ointment (my youngest is 11--it has been in the
closet a long time). It is quite amazing in its ability to stay in
place--I put a thin layer on my skin over my sit bones and I definitely
can still feel it there when my ride is done (I would be dubious whether
vaseline or Bag Balm would stay on so well). Sometimes I cover a
somewhat larger area depending on where I might have felt some friction
the day before, but you might shudder at the idea less if you think in
terms of putting it on the skin over your sit bones, rather than putting
it on the chamois or on other areas.

Pam

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 14:02:02 -0400, pam_in_sc
wrote:

the black rose wrote:

I'd love to know if any women use chamois cream, and what their
experience of it is (they can email me directly rather than discuss it
on the NG if they prefer -- email addy works as is). I shudder at the
idea of the stuff.

-km

I find using cream makes a mild but worthwhile difference in comfort if
I am riding more than about 30 miles. I was too embarrassed to buy it
at the bike shop so went looking in the closet for some leftover Desitin
from when my kids were small. Instead I found some diaper rash ointment
called Flanders Buttocks Ointment (my youngest is 11--it has been in the
closet a long time). It is quite amazing in its ability to stay in
place--I put a thin layer on my skin over my sit bones and I definitely
can still feel it there when my ride is done (I would be dubious whether
vaseline or Bag Balm would stay on so well). Sometimes I cover a
somewhat larger area depending on where I might have felt some friction
the day before, but you might shudder at the idea less if you think in
terms of putting it on the skin over your sit bones, rather than putting
it on the chamois or on other areas.

Pam

And, lo, it's the distaff side that provides some of the best tips ever on
this subject!

-B
FBO, takin' notes.

pam_in_sc wrote:
you might shudder at the idea less if you think in
terms of putting it on the skin over your sit bones, rather than putting
it on the chamois or on other areas.

Hmm, okay, that does help me shudder a little less. I just
keep getting images of having the Yeast Infection From Hell
if I slather the chamois with it. *shudder*

So far, I haven't had any problem with friction or chafing
or what-have-you, but I haven't ridden more than 35 miles.

-km

--
Only cowards fight kids -- unidentified Moscow protester

http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
proud to be owned by a yorkie

Badger_South wrote:
On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 14:02:02 -0400, pam_in_sc
wrote:


the black rose wrote:


I'd love to know if any women use chamois cream, and what their
experience of it is (they can email me directly rather than discuss it
on the NG if they prefer -- email addy works as is). I shudder at the
idea of the stuff.

-km

I find using cream makes a mild but worthwhile difference in comfort if
I am riding more than about 30 miles. I was too embarrassed to buy it
at the bike shop so went looking in the closet for some leftover Desitin

from when my kids were small. Instead I found some diaper rash ointment

called Flanders Buttocks Ointment (my youngest is 11--it has been in the
closet a long time). It is quite amazing in its ability to stay in
place--I put a thin layer on my skin over my sit bones and I definitely
can still feel it there when my ride is done (I would be dubious whether
vaseline or Bag Balm would stay on so well). Sometimes I cover a
somewhat larger area depending on where I might have felt some friction
the day before, but you might shudder at the idea less if you think in
terms of putting it on the skin over your sit bones, rather than putting
it on the chamois or on other areas.

Pam


And, lo, it's the distaff side that provides some of the best tips ever on
this subject!

-B
FBO, takin' notes.

Here's a note for ya:

http://www.badgerbalm.com/

I've been waiting for an excuse to use that link on Badger.
O:-)

-km

--
Only cowards fight kids -- unidentified Moscow protester

http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
proud to be owned by a yorkie

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 19:25:09 GMT, the black rose
wrote:

pam_in_sc wrote:
you might shudder at the idea less if you think in
terms of putting it on the skin over your sit bones, rather than putting
it on the chamois or on other areas.

Hmm, okay, that does help me shudder a little less. I just
keep getting images of having the Yeast Infection From Hell
if I slather the chamois with it. *shudder*

So far, I haven't had any problem with friction or chafing
or what-have-you, but I haven't ridden more than 35 miles.

-km

Apologies if my less-than-correct take on this mislead anyone. I did think
we got some great clarifications and corrections.

Best,
-B

Chris C wrote:
I bought some tights w/out padding . Is underwear usually worn underneath (I
know not to wear cotton) these? What about if they have padding? Where can I
get a good deal on underwear? Thanks

for my commute i wear underwear under 'em. it's mostly a matter of not
having enuf bike shorts for a week's worth of commutes (and not wanting to do
laundry all the time) so i usually wear cut off shorts and during the winter
tights over my underwear (leg warmers fall down w/o bike shorts to hold them
up) and i only need to wash the tights once a week if i'm wearing them over
underwear.

but only if they have no padding .. if they have padding then no. i don't
see the advantage of tights with a chamois. leg warmers work just as well
with normal shorts and you can remove 'em.
--
david reuteler

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 01:10:25 -0400, Badger_South wrote:

Just to clarify. When you wear bike shorts with real chamois, you usually
apply a substance called 'chamois cream' to this material, and then you
put on the bike shorts.

Several points. Lots of people use "real" chamois without that glop, and
it works fine. I never used it -- but then I gave up on "real" chamois
years and years ago. There are few recreational and/or transportational
riders who put the number of miles in that a stage racer would; for most
of us saddle sores are not often a problem. If you do get one, then maybe
the goop will help, but other than that, not for me.

You can still find leather chamois, but IMO there is no advantage. Most
of the synthetic ones are not only much more comfortable than the real
ones, they last several times longer. Most now come without seams which
makes a big difference in both durability and comfort. It's like wool
shorts and jerseys; there is a lot of nostalgia for them, but really the
modern materials are far better. I can live a long time without wearing
another wool jersey on a hot summer day. The only thing I miss about the
old jerseys are the front pockets. How come new ones don't have 'em?

If you're not riding long distances, a 'fake chamois' bike short may be
of use to you in a similar way, but minus the advanced saddle-sore
protection. Many recreational riders wear 'fake chamois' and don't even
realize that Lance slathers his tushie with gobs of this "stuff" like
cold cream, and then puts on the bike shorts - every morning.

Like I said, unless you ride that much, there is no point to that.
Synthetic pads are great. I don't know what you mean by not riding "long
distances", but I've done 130 mile days with a "fake" chamois and not
had any problem.

In that case of only wearing shorts with 'fake chamois', it probably
doesn't matter if you're wearing underwear or not.

Not true at all. Underwear has seams at all the wrong places. Most
jockey shorts have a double seam that hits right at your sit bones. Real
problem for any ride over 20 miles.

That pad is just for
padding and performs little if any of the original friction reducing
function.

As long as it doesn't move w/r to your butt, it's doing all that can be
done.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Arguing with an engineer is like mud wrestling with a pig... You
_`\(,_ | soon find out the pig likes it!
(_)/ (_) |

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 08:55:00 -0400, Badger_South wrote:

Hmm, so you're saying you use chamois cream on the imitation chamois? Now
there are some shorts where the padding doesn't even look like chamois,
it's white and has gel in it.

Gel pads are a dumb idea. I tried one and refused to wear it again.


--

David L. Johnson

__o | You will say Christ saith this and the apostles say this; but
_`\(,_ | what canst thou say? -- George Fox.
(_)/ (_) |