Recumbent Shorts - what to wear ?

[teamonster]

Apologies if this has come up before, but having spent the last four weeks piloting my mates Greenspeed Tandem Trike I've discovered that my shorts which were very comfortable on an upright are giving me real grief around my inner thighs. I know some on the forum might find that a positive thing, but it's not for me. Be interested to know what others wear.  

 

[Kim]

I'm still mostly using the same lycra shorts that work well for me on an upright.  I do get some rubbing on the inner thigh, but that can be managed by making sure they stay pulled all the way up and tactical application of chamois cream.  It's nothing compared to the discomfort of prolonged riding on a saddle.

I've repeatedly failed to find unpadded shorts that fit properly, so can't give any feedback on those.

Mountain bike baggies with a removable liner may be worth investigating...

[Cunobelin]

Pockets are a hazard!

Things that stay in pockets on an upwrong leave the same pocket very quiclky on a recumbent - so zipped pockets are a must


I live in Endure "HummVee" 3/4 shorts and they are excellent

[rower40]

I wear running or rowing shorts when on a recumbent.  The padded inserts in cycling shorts do more harm than good when on a 'bent.

Try these:
http://www.powerhousesport.com/store/comersus_listCategoriesAndProducts.asp?idCategory=56

Or these:
http://www.newwave.de/int/product_info.php?info=p30_design--plain-shorts-with-stripe-trim-.html

The new-wave ones have a double layer of fabric under the bum, but not a full cycling insert.

[Kim]

Pockets are a hazard!

Pockets on any item of clothing are, for the most part, not worth bothering with on a 'bent.  If it's in your trousers and not restrained by zips, it'll soon be on the road.  If it's in the back of your jersey it'll either cause bruising, end up blank with sweat, or be seriously squished by the time you retrieve it.  If it's on the front of an appropriate upper-body garment, it's blocking vital cooling area and causing a puddle of sweat.

I have a couple of jerseys with zipped side pockets - not uncommon in women's jerseys, and some mountain bike ones have the same.  Those can be good for small non-bulky items if they're clear of the seat.

I don't think I'd really want to carry anything in suitably zipped shorts pockets if I could avoid it, in case it rubbed.  That said, I reckon pilot-style map pockets on the thighs would be good for routesheets..

[petes46]

Pockets are a hazard!

+1

I do like pilot-style map pockets on the thighs but only for something non-bulky like routesheets.  More important though is not having too loose an opening around the legs.  You never know what can fly up their and get trapped!!!!   

[redshift]

I took to poly/cotton walking shorts and Keela shirts because, as already mentioned, the chamois of cycling shorts are unnecessary and the rear jersey pockets are pointless.  I've also used Humvee shorts and 3/4s without the liners, and they work fine too.

[Arellcat]

I use the same lycra shorts as for riding an upright bike - either Endura MT500s for better abrasion resistance in falls, or Cannondale spinning shorts for their slightly looser fit in summer, but lined with merino wool.  Anything with pockets must not have zips on the back, or you will regret it every time you ride your bike!  For pocketry, I quite like my Endura Voyager baggy shorts and Altura Synchro 3/4s, though both have the liner shorts removed.

On top, much like Redshift I prefer Berghaus Tech-T t-shirts to conventional cycling jerseys.

[Wothill]

Apologies if this has come up before, but having spent the last four weeks piloting my mates Greenspeed Tandem Trike I've discovered that my shorts which were very comfortable on an upright are giving me real grief around my inner thighs. I know some on the forum might find that a positive thing, but it's not for me. Be interested to know what others wear.  

 

I began to have the same problem when I started audaxing on the recumbent. Padded shorts were OK on shorter distances but the pad caused very painful chafing on longer distances. I have snipped the pad out of some of my shorts and also acquired a pair of lycra running shorts. The latter are OK but tend to ride up a bit. No problem with the modified cycling shorts but it's annoying to pay such a lot and then take out the expensive bit.

I find the outer two pockets quite usable on standard cycling tops. That's using a fairly standard hardshell seat - it may be different on a wider or a mesh seat.

[Jedrik]

I recently discovered triathlon shorts. They just have enough padding to exclude drafts and the non-slip seams keep them in their designated place on my thighs.

Since I found that cold wreaks havoc on my leg joints on cooler or wetter days I ride with 3/4 leggings picking in the running sector of sports clothes. "Under Armour" is especially nice as they do stay were I pulled them come rain or shine and the litte zip pocket on the hip is well out of the way of pressure points.

Both sorts are nicer if they don't go all the way to my armpits as some sport wear will. Although I don't usually like other pants to ride my hips I like that very much on the bent.

[ruggtomcat]

After fairly extensive long distance testing Ive found the best thing IMHO is loose shorts with no underwear and maybe a dab of cream if your going to be there all day. I found anything skintight tended to rub the upper thighs eventually once it got sweaty, I don't have a problem over shorter distances or over the winter but for summer touring its the only thing that keeps everything cool and comfy, even if there is a danger of getting a wasp where it shouldn't be.

So normal knee length shorts with cargo pockets for hat/buff/gloves/sweeties. I also find that a set of keys will stay in my hip pocket if orientated correctly but this is particular to those shorts. Normally I have a trunk bag and make sure everything is in there.

[RichForrest]

Like everything else its a personal choice. I had this trouble when I started riding longer rides on the 'bent.
Baggy shorts rub and there's always the worry of some stinging insect flying up there while I'm flying down a hill 
I've tried rowing shorts and running shorts, both of which cut my legs up something terrible. To the extent I stopped at coxwold on lel last time.
I now use padded shorts from my LBS which have been the best ones I've ever used.
I still get a bit of chaffing but not that bad.
YMMV

Rich

[Wothill]

Very interesting to hear how people's experience varies so much. since I have just bought a new pair of 3/4 shorts, I will try them out with the pad first to see if it's OK. It would be nice not to butcher them if I don't have to. I must keep an eye on the triathlon stuff too - never thought of that.

[Tim]

For most riding time I tend to wear baggy three-quarters, light cotton and have zipped pockets on them (useful for keys, beer tokens and access card to the changing rooms at work) (as available from technial clothing shops such as Next!), with a pair of M&S's finest underneath. Not had problems with rubbing after many hours of riding (though a long ride to me is not the same as a long ride to Rich) and reduces the poorly dressed quotient when you get off the bike/trike. Never had problems with bitey stuff trying to fly up the open end either.

If it's going to be properly wet/cold I will resort to something more carefully tied to bad weather performance. This tends to be running longs if it's only going to be wet (I also use these as an extra layer to pull on over padded shorts when I start to get cold on an upright), or unpadded bib longs if it's also going to be cold (which also windproofs the front of my torso).

[henshaw11]

Pretty much the same as on the mtb - roadie lycra.

That said, the shorts (mostly the cheap nalinis from probikekit) don't have a very thick pad and the roubaix or coolmax longs (lusso) have more like double thickness of material, rather than a pad. Open legged shorts ? - a bit draughty for my evening commute, plus I'd rather nor get insects around my nether regions....

One thing I've found is that when it gets chilly, my knees suffer a lot more on the 'bent from windchill compared to on an upright. On the admittedly v cold fnrttc to Southend they were aching all night, and the kneecaps were still sore most of the following day. I've since bought some windstopper longs - tho' need to find some windproof kneewarmers as a tailpack backup. (Bib) knickers might be an alternative but the few types I've tried have had leg elastic way too tight - felt my calves were gonna explode - not sure having a selection of varicose veins doesn't help..

On the jersey front...
zipped pockets in the back are ok so long as they're far enough to one side as to miss the seat pad when the zip pull's to the othermost edge (or fits a gap in the seatpad, as with one jersey)

Race-cut and/or jerseys with 3/4 or shorter zips produce less bunching across the belly  - depends on the size of the belly of course, ymmv

I've a few tri-tops that work fine too, and a couple of De Soto trisuits (fairly cheap via a tri-shop on ebay) - they're good 'cos there's a thin pad and just one layer of material all over - they've also got a couple of small pockets on the thighs, big enough for a notes (currency or otherwise)/directions/train tickets..tho' they might get a little sweaty.

[Arno]

I recently discovered triathlon shorts. They just have enough padding to exclude drafts and the non-slip seams keep them in their designated place on my thighs.

Am also using tri shorts and found they work great for me.

[banjokat]

I think it's so personal you just gotta experiment. YMMV as they say.
For me, what works best is really old, worn out roadie lycra shorts (I'm talking mid '90's stuff I couldn't bear to throw away) with looser shorts over the top. Closely folowed by tight boxers and looser shorts, rambler type ones or Humvees. And, as previously mentioned - zip pockets are eesential.

[teamonster]

Thanks for all the replies and advice, will give Tri shorts a go I think