Author Topic: Shorts  (Read 2403 times)

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Shorts
« on: 07 April, 2018, 10:37:56 am »
I have two pairs of cycling shorts that are about ready for retirement (getting on for ten years old), and I was wondering what to replace them with.   I have two other pairs of bib shorts and a couple of pairs of bib tights for the winter.

Give that I'm leaning more towards recumbenting these days, I was thinking MTB shorts as the padding is somewhat superfluous, perhaps even with some decent pocketage with an upcoming summer tour in mind as well.

Anyone have an specific recommendations from experience?
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Beardy

  • Shedist
Re: Shorts
« Reply #1 on: 07 April, 2018, 11:03:50 am »
Just beware of flying stinging things when wearing baggy shorts with the leg openings forward pointing 🤕😮
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ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Shorts
« Reply #2 on: 07 April, 2018, 11:17:59 am »
It can't be any worse than my bee incident a few years ago, about a mile from home, doing about 20mph on a roadbike.  I see a shimmer ahead of me on the road, and befor I know it i'm cycling through a swarm of bees.  There are bees clinging on to me from jersey to socks as i go out the other side and I start madly brushing them off as I'm weaving across the road with a white van coming the other way.

Got off quite lightly really with about half a dozen stings
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Arellcat

  • Velonautte
Re: Shorts
« Reply #3 on: 07 April, 2018, 12:28:06 pm »
I mostly wear my Endura MT500 shorts, upright and recumbent, in preference to any other shorts I own, but they're the old style ones with a fairly thin pad (compared with current offerings).  I'll be most discombobulated when they finally wear out.

At other times, mostly in summer weather, I'm happy recumbenting wearing my Corinne Dennis shorts that have almost no padding.  Tim Brummer from Lightning recommends and sells unpadded Kucharic shorts.  I've still to get myself some, mainly for the 90s-style branding down the side.

Depending on personal matters such as friction, you might try merino underwear.  It doesn't work on an upright bike but surprisingly good on a recumbent under unpadded bike shorts, or baggies like Hummvees.  I wear my Hummvees a lot when touring.
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Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Shorts
« Reply #4 on: 07 April, 2018, 12:52:04 pm »
I've gone for the approach of finding padded 3/4s that work on a recumbent[1] and using them for everything.

I have some Humvees, but they're a marginal fit, and while I can get away with them for short upwrong rides, they're uncomfortably tight across the thighs when subjected to a quad-intensive recumbent pedalling style.  This is my fault for having both quads *and* lard.

Nevertheless, I don't think trouser pockets are a good way to carry things on a recumbent.  The gravity's all in the wrong direction, and it's likely to rub.  Still useful when you get off the bike, of course.  (Humvees are ideal for wandering around campsites in.)

I was lucky enough to discover recumbents before I ever got desperate enough to contemplate bibshorts, but you really don't want to be lying on buckles.  Keep them for the upwrong.


[1] YMMV, but it's not so much the thickness of the pad as how flexible it is between your legs, and how wide it is at the front.  The failure mode is the edge of the pad rubbing against the skin on the inside of your leg; if it doesn't do that, then it's probably okay.

Re: Shorts
« Reply #5 on: 07 April, 2018, 03:15:11 pm »
I just wear cotton short shorts.......never thought of the “flying stinging things” before  :o

Re: Shorts
« Reply #6 on: 07 April, 2018, 04:10:07 pm »
Decathlon do a range of shorts of varying weights and materials which I have found to be useful when touring.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Shorts
« Reply #7 on: 07 April, 2018, 07:40:29 pm »
Would rowing shorts work?

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Shorts
« Reply #8 on: 07 April, 2018, 11:02:56 pm »
Depending on personal matters such as friction, you might try merino underwear.  It doesn't work on an upright bike but surprisingly good on a recumbent under unpadded bike shorts, or baggies like Hummvees.  I wear my Hummvees a lot when touring.

The Humvees look quite good, adn good tip on the merino, my upper base layers are all merino these days

I've gone for the approach of finding padded 3/4s that work on a recumbent[1] and using them for everything.

I have some Humvees, but they're a marginal fit, and while I can get away with them for short upwrong rides, they're uncomfortably tight across the thighs when subjected to a quad-intensive recumbent pedalling style.  This is my fault for having both quads *and* lard.

Nevertheless, I don't think trouser pockets are a good way to carry things on a recumbent.  The gravity's all in the wrong direction, and it's likely to rub.  Still useful when you get off the bike, of course.  (Humvees are ideal for wandering around campsites in.)

I was lucky enough to discover recumbents before I ever got desperate enough to contemplate bibshorts, but you really don't want to be lying on buckles.  Keep them for the upwrong.
Not a fan of 3/4 I prefer either shorts or longs, my knee warmers tend to get used very rarely.   Noted on the fit of the Humvees, apparently I have "chunky" legs.  True on pockets. things tend to fall to the wrong place when lying down.  But on the basis that my two available rear jersey pockets end to be taken up with mobile phone adn blood glucose meter, I was thinking about pockets as a repository of bits of paper such as brevets, route cards, maps etc.

Bibshorts don't have buckles btw, soft straps over the shoulders

Decathlon - will take a look
Rowing shorts - could be a good fit, especially some of those with double layers.  I have a couple of pairs of compression running shorts which could certainly go under a pair of baggy MTB shorts, and have been used on the bike before now
Decatlon, good idea
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Re: Shorts
« Reply #9 on: 08 April, 2018, 12:00:41 am »
I know it sounds daft but for unpadded lycra shorts look in swimwear.
Light and quick drying and no holes for insects to fly up.
I use the likes of "adidas 3 stripes swim boxer".
But YMMV .......  :P

Re: Shorts
« Reply #10 on: 08 April, 2018, 09:38:01 am »
I use Craghoppers Kiwi Stretch Pro, either in full length or 3/4 length for most of my riding. Enough stretch for freedom of movement



Very rarely wear undershorts, but when I do they tend to be the inserts from Endura

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Shorts
« Reply #11 on: 11 April, 2018, 08:44:09 pm »
Thanks all,

after all that I think I'm going to go with a pair of the Humvees with my lycra running shorts underneath, I may go for other options later.  I'm really thinking about saving you all from the sight of me touring on a recumbent wearing just the unpadded lycra with everything "on offer" so to speak  ;D

“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Shorts
« Reply #12 on: 22 April, 2018, 07:47:18 am »
Ended up with a pair of Humvees and also spotted soemthing from Fox Racing in the sale.

The Fox pair are a 32, which as always is on the loose side, but nice and comfy.   The Humvees though are odd, according to their sizing I should be smack in the middle of the small, which I bought. the shorts are OK, slightly snug at the waist, but that's because I'm carrying a little excess there, but the liner is unfeasibly snug.

I went out for a 25km with short/liner and was thinking they weren't for me - liner snug at waist, but more importantly very tight on my thighs, as suggested by Kim for those of us with "chunky thighs".  Went out yesterday for 50km with the outer and a pair of my running compression shorts and no probs at all, although the breeze up a leg at 40kmh is "interesting".

“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Shorts
« Reply #13 on: 22 April, 2018, 09:40:37 am »
Interesting data point on the Humvees:  I went racing with the BHPC yesterday.  As a talisman against falling off, I wore my most worn-out Pearl Izumi 3/4s, which for the sake of modesty I covered with the Humvees for the journey to and from the track.  While the combination was by far too hot for the conditions, having something for the tight bit to rub against on the thighs greatly improved the pedalling comfort, even in a fully recumbent position.