Cycling shorts for touring

chippers

Does anybody have recommendations on cycle shorts for a cycle tour? I wouldn't be very knowledgeable about brands / materials etc. I'll be touring for 6-9 months across europe and asia mainly in the winter, doing low mileage (maybe 80km a day on cycling days). I'd be happy to pay a bit extra for increased comfort but they would have to pack down to fit in the panniers.
Also, any opinions on how many pair's I should bring?

brownian

Whatever you can afford. By the end of the first month you'll probably either be really tough, and any old shorts will do, or crippled 8-).

I'd consider DHB stuff by Wiggle as being a fair mix of price and quality; Altura similarly. Assos are meant to be great, but they are really (!) quite dear.

All shorts will pack down pretty small.

2 pairs should do you.

If it's mainly winter, in Europe and Asia, you're looking at COLD. Shorts will be the least of your worries. Arm and leg covers, waterproofs, fleece or down gear, overshoes, sealskinz socks...

Trojan

For that kind of trip, you will probably need two pairs, and budget for a couple of replacements along the way.

Whatever about the shorts, I hope you're on leather saddle

chippers

Trojan wrote: »

For that kind of trip, you will probably need two pairs, and budget for a couple of replacements along the way.

Whatever about the shorts, I hope you're on leather saddle

I picked up a brooks saddle and a tub of assos cream so hopefully that should do the job!

Red Belly

I bought these after months of prevarication: http://www.assosfactoryoutlet.com/men/shorts/t-fi-mille-s5-longleg-black.html

Ridiculously expensive but one of the best investments I've made in terms of cycling gear. If you can afford it these are great.

For the same money you could get two of these: http://www.prendas.co.uk/santini-gara-twistgel-powerlycra-bib-shorts-with-white-mesh-braces.html

I have an earlier version which I also find very good.

You can pick up plenty of decent bibs at much lower price points. If I were you, and I could afford it, I'd get one very good pair (Santini, Assos etc), and one or two budget pairs and keep the good pair for the longer tougher days.

While I'm glad I got some good quality bibs, I do believe that nothing makes your ass more comfortable on the bike quite as much as miles on the bike! (Presuming you bike fit is good).

Rb

ford2600

chippers wrote: »

I picked up a brooks saddle and a tub of assos cream so hopefully that should do the job!

Dhb from wiggle or nalini/santini from prendas are good gear at a decent price.

However more important than saddle or shorts are two things imho
* good fit on bike
* good hygiene before getting on bike and immediately after. Not to be too graphic but it'll be wet and abrasive environment, which bacteria love. A little sudacream before and aloe vera with tea tree oil/lavender after works for me on very long days.

Enjoy the trip.

PS If very cold/wet consider mtb shoes/boots, no need for messing with overshoes etc.

triggermortis

Sportpursuit.com have deals on bib shorts at the moment. Can't vouch for the quality as I don't own them myself.

stiofan85

I'm 12500km into the same type of trip. I'm only really getting saddle sores now, but that's mainlly due to back to back 130-150km days for the past 2 months.

My advice: A brooks (thanks Grey Eagle), and I've two pairs of non-bib shorts (so taking a leak is easier, particularly when it's very cold out you don't want to be stripping to get the straps off). My Altura shorts are great and the superior of the two pairs. When I wear the other non-brand pair I picked up in Kyrgyzstan the sores get worse. Bring Chammy Cream - the Assos stuff is great. I ran out in Turkey and haven't seen any since London so I'd bring two tubs if I was going again.

I used Lidl leg warmers all through January and February in Europe and they were great. I wore an extra pair of MTB shorts over my lycra for extra warmth. For my feet I had a pair of Seal Skinz and can't recommend them enough. For upper body I used a Lidl base layer, and a merino wool Helly Hansen also when it got really cold (below -5). Over that I had my raincoat, buff and hat.

I'll be home in 3 weeks if you want help planning your route etc...

chippers

stiofan85 wrote: »

I'm 12500km into the same type of trip. I'm only really getting saddle sores now, but that's mainlly due to back to back 130-150km days for the past 2 months.

My advice: A brooks (thanks Grey Eagle), and I've two pairs of non-bib shorts (so taking a leak is easier, particularly when it's very cold out you don't want to be stripping to get the straps off). My Altura shorts are great and the superior of the two pairs. When I wear the other non-brand pair I picked up in Kyrgyzstan the sores get worse. Bring Chammy Cream - the Assos stuff is great. I ran out in Turkey and haven't seen any since London so I'd bring two tubs if I was going again.

I used Lidl leg warmers all through January and February in Europe and they were great. I wore an extra pair of MTB shorts over my lycra for extra warmth. For my feet I had a pair of Seal Skinz and can't recommend them enough. For upper body I used a Lidl base layer, and a merino wool Helly Hansen also when it got really cold (below -5). Over that I had my raincoat, buff and hat.

I'll be home in 3 weeks if you want help planning your route etc...

I've a month before setting off and to be honest I feel a bit overwhelmed with the prep at the moment. I don't have much experience with cycle touring and getting the correct gear is tough, there seems to be so much choice and then I get different opinions on what to get. I suppose I haven't made it easy on myself by going through the winter. And then trying to get things on a budget as well!

Thanks for the offer of a meet up. If you're back before I set up that would be great! I don't have a definite route (and don't really want an overly fixed route) but some advice on where to go / where to avoid would be great!

stiofan85

Really, don't stress about it. It all depends on what you want to get out of it, but if you're doing 80km a day and haven't a strict route then I'm guessing you want to enjoy yourself. I've been on more of a physical challenge trying to cycle every inch I can and racing from A-B. This is not a fun way of cycle touring. I also had no experience of either cycle touring or camping before I set off. You learn as you go.

The amount of purist nonsense on the web is ridiculous. At the end of the day, it's a combination of cycling and camping. That's about it. Turn the pedals, pitch the tent, cook the dinner. Simple.

You'll think you need more than you do. I'm down to two panniers on the back and a waterproof bag on the rack, mainly taken up by my ridiculously bulky sleeping bag.

You need:

Bike - Make sure you get a fit done. I cannot stress this enough.
Good Tyres - Schwalbe marathon plus. Don't skimp here.
Tent - Green and enough space to be comfortable in for a while.
Sleeping Bag - 3 Season. 4 is too bulky. You can layer up your clothes
Sleeping Pad - I've seen all sorts. They all work.
Waterproof Panniers - Ortlieb. The gold standard and not to be skimped on.
Tools - 2 tubes, puncture repair kit & tyre levers, Multi tool. Knife.
Stove - Multi fuel. So many to choose from.
Pots - Stainless steel. I have just one big one and a coffee mug. Plastic sporks are rubbish. Get a metal one. Collapsable (sp?) plate/bowl is good too.
Clothes - Some for the bike, some for off the bike. You can always buy cheap clothes anywhere. You don't need as much as you think.
Camera - Unless you're a photography nut a point and shoot is all you need.

You can pick up stuff, often for much less, on the road. From Ireland, depending on your route, it's UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria - all countries you can pick up anything you need. After a few weeks on the road you'll have a much better idea of what suits you. I threw away so much sh*te when I started out because it was heavy or wasn't used at all.

After that it's a question of how luxurious you want to be. If you're only doing 80km a day then you'll have a lot of downtime, which is a good thing. Do you like to cook nice meals? If so maybe a second pot. I've just one spare change of clothes but that suits me because I do a lot more cycling and have less downtime. I do not recommend this - enjoy the time off the bike, you'll spend enough time in the saddle across Europe and Asia!

If you're stuck in the tent for a while sitting out weather, you'll want entertainment. Bring a tablet and you can watch movies, read books etc... on it. You do not need a laptop. You do not need a laptop!

For navigation I use OSMand, a free Android offline mapping app. Extremely cool. I haven't used paper maps at all. It even has accommodation, bike shops, tourist attractions etc... all offline.

To keep on a budget I would recommend using Warmshowers. I've used it a few times and the only reason I didn't use it more was because I was always cycling fairly big days and was wrecked after so didn't have the energy for chatting with hosts. Between camping and WS/Couchsurfing you can save a packet. I had a decent budget setting off because I saved my ass off for two years. You could do 9 months for a third of what I've spent and still be comfortable. I was happy to pay for hotels and hostels because I was alone and disliked camping alone. With two people camping is a lot more enjoyable.

Finally, the single biggest piece of advice I would give anyone is this: Do it your way. There is no best way to do a cycle trip like what you're planning. It's cool no matter what way you do it. Enjoy yourself and try not to stress. You'll figure things out as you go. There will be ****ty times. There will be even ****tier times again, but then, then you'll see the coolest things, meet the coolest people, and then you'll laugh at the ****ty times.

I'm on a day off tomorrow so I'll drop you a PM. Maybe I can give you a call on Skype.

chippers

Hey Stephen, thanks for the detailed response. The realisation of what i've got myself in for is coming to light and i'm probably feeling the nerves a bit! The uncertainty of going into the unknown and all that. I suppose that's only normal!

I've only internet on a slow old phone and don't think it would be able for skype but thanks a million for the offer. I have a good few questions in general about the trip - maybe I could fire them your way tomorrow in a pm if you're free?

Getting a proper bike fit is something i'm considering at the moment

stiofan85

Cool, sure fire away questions on PM.

My blog and route are on Dublin2Beijing.com. I think I have a gear list there but I definitely took too much stuff with me!

chippers

I've decided i'm going to bring two pairs of bib shorts for the cycle to istanbul. The selection on line is ridiculous but I've narrowed it down to two of these three:

1) Altura Progel Bib Shorts €48

or

Castelli Presto Due Bib Shorts €67
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/castelli-presto-due-bib-shorts/

or

PBK Team Cyclin Bib Shorts €45
http://www.probikekit.co.uk/sports-clothing/pbk-team-cycling-bib-shorts/10753813.html

Any opinions on the two you would choose?