Please wear proper shorts!

Vélo · 02-09-2009 10:24am #1

So, yesterday evening after work I took the lazy option and didn't change into my cycling shorts. I decided to just jump on the bike and cycle home in my jeans for my 20km commute. I got about a quarter of the way and let's just say, I wasn't feeling very comfortable. It didn't help that I was also carrying a rucksack, just for added weight and discomfort. About half way home I even thought about pulling over and changing into the shorts, which were in the rucksack. Then my wife passes by in her SUV:eek: (Yummy Mummy!!) and I thought about ringing her but realised I wouldn't get the bike in the car while the 4 kids were in it.

By the time I got home my arse was in bits and probably looked like a shish kebab

Even worse than this my wife said to me she nearly didn't recognise me, as I left the house looking like a cyclist, she said I looked like a pikey! (She doesn't know the term POB)

I've learnt my lesson and this will never happen again. This morning I left the house back to my normal self, not exactly fully euro but feeling and looking like a proper cyclist anyway!

So let this be a warning to people who don't like cycling shorts. Actually on my commute I wear cycling shorts under a pair of Swrve Shorts and it's still very comfortable.

alritelad · 02-09-2009 10:33am

i don't mean to offend, but that's ridiculous! do you complete your 20k commute everyday? you must have a very sensitive hole! i regularly cycle 20k and more with a pretty big bag and either jeans or baggy shorts. i try to wear a cycling jersey for sweat reasons but have never found my backside to suffer any detrimental effects. the few times i've done 50+k i have also worn the same garb.

what kind of bike do you ride? is your saddle brutal or what?!

penexpers · 02-09-2009 10:37am

Sounds like you need to change your saddle.

tomasrojo · 02-09-2009 10:42am

I've done plenty of 20+km rides in normal clothes. I'm not sure why you'd find cycling shorts indispensible for what is a relatively short ride, as opposed to finding them preferable. But each to his own.

Nietzschean · 02-09-2009 10:43am

on my hybrid i did over 100km with a normal tracksuit on.... i wouldn't dream of doing over a few km on my road bike without a pair of cycling shorts. Its pretty much painful from the get go! can understand Vélo's error ,i've done it myself...not fun.

alritelad · 02-09-2009 10:46am

Nietzschean wrote: »

on my hybrid i did over 100km with a normal tracksuit on.... i wouldn't dream of doing over a few km on my road bike without a pair of cycling shorts. Its pretty much painful from the get go! can understand Vélo's error ,i've done it myself...not fun.

does that not mean that there's something wrong with your bike set up? with all fingers pointing to the need for a different saddle.

Nietzschean · 02-09-2009 10:47am

alritelad wrote: »

does that not mean that there's something wrong with your bike set up? with all fingers pointing to the need for a different saddle.

no it just means i should use my cycling shorts while cycling...the saddle doesn't need to have a bunch of padding on it when i should be using my shorts...

Vélo · 02-09-2009 10:51am

penexpers wrote: »

Sounds like you need to change your saddle.

I did change my saddle to a charge spoon which I have on my MTB and find it very comfortable (while wearing shorts).

I'm sure there are plenty of saddles out there that would have that much padding they'd be like arm chairs but I use my fixie for my commute and image is everything;)

I'm also a skinny wee lad so I've no padding on my arse either, it was probably the extra weight of the bag that did the damage. I've been told I don't have an arse, that I've a hole in my back.

Lumen · 02-09-2009 10:54am

I wouldn't be a big fan of cycling in jeans, but mostly because they get sweaty.

I can quite happily do 30km a day in normal shorts and underwear, no padding required.

Velo, perhaps it's your flabby thighs rubbing together?

penexpers · 02-09-2009 10:58am

Vélo wrote: »

I did change my saddle to a charge spoon which I have on my MTB and find it very comfortable (while wearing shorts).

I'm sure there are plenty of saddles out there that would have that much padding they'd be like arm chairs but I use my fixie for my commute and image is everything;)

I'm also a skinny wee lad so I've no padding on my arse either, it was probably the extra weight of the bag that did the damage. I've been told I don't have an arse, that I've a hole in my back.

I ain't talking about padded saddles - I've done long rides on my Brooks without padded shorts and suffered no discomfort and it sounds like I'm a similar build to you.

alritelad · 02-09-2009 11:00am

Vélo wrote: »

I did change my saddle to a charge spoon which I have on my MTB and find it very comfortable (while wearing shorts).

I'm sure there are plenty of saddles out there that would have that much padding they'd be like arm chairs but I use my fixie for my commute and image is everything;)

I'm also a skinny wee lad so I've no padding on my arse either, it was probably the extra weight of the bag that did the damage. I've been told I don't have an arse, that I've a hole in my back.

sounds like you're almost identically set up to myself. skinniness, bike, bag etc. i have a brooks b17, which has no padding per se, but does the job wonderfully.

alritelad · 02-09-2009 11:01am

penexpers wrote: »

I ain't talking about padded saddles - I've done long rides on my Brooks without padded shorts and suffered no discomfort and it sounds like I'm a similar build to you.

ha ha. snap

blorg · 02-09-2009 11:09am

I wouldn't like to cycle 5km in jeans never mind 20km, I can well understand the OP's pain. It's not a padding issue for me, they are just heavy and uncomfortable, especially if it gets wet... I have cycled in my unpadded running shorts without difficulties.

There are some other "normal" clothes that are certainly better than jeans for cycling, but nothing beats lycra and it is my choice for anything over a couple of km...

Brooks for me too BTW (four of them.)

rottenhat · 02-09-2009 11:16am

It's a jeans thing - they have big, thick seams in all the wrong places. I got on my fixie for the first time in a while wearing jeans and could not believe how uncomfortable it was (Brooks Team Pro saddle, which generally fits me to a T). Rode the same bike a day or two later in different trousers and it was just fine.

Vélo · 02-09-2009 11:25am

alritelad wrote: »

i don't mean to offend, but that's ridiculous! do you complete your 20k commute everyday? you must have a very sensitive hole! i regularly cycle 20k and more with a pretty big bag and either jeans or baggy shorts. i try to wear a cycling jersey for sweat reasons but have never found my backside to suffer any detrimental effects. the few times i've done 50+k i have also worn the same garb.

what kind of bike do you ride? is your saddle brutal or what?!

I do the commute 3 days a week and to be honest I never had any problems before but then again the only time I wore jeans on the bike was if I was nipping up to the shops. I might have exaggerated slightly on the condition of my derriere but it was really uncomfortable and wouldn't recommend cycling in jeans. I thought it was the fact I wasn't wearing shorts but having read the comments here it must have been the jeans.

The bike I ride is a Specialized Langster so it's not the bike, it's probably my most comfortable bike.

Please wear proper shorts!

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