Them Shawts!

Brian said:

Hi all,

This is almost certainly going to be a silly question, but it's eating
away at me. I'm new to mountain biking, I used to ride BMX, and this
seems strange to me:

What's up with the tight biking shorts? I believe road bikers wear them
to cut down on air resistance, don't they? There must be a reason I see
so many mountain bikers wearing them also. Isn't there?

-Brian

I wear biker type "compression shorts" for a lot of activities.
They keep the [censored] and balls from moving around too much while riding,
running, etc.

Brian said:

Hi all,

This is almost certainly going to be a silly question, but it's eating
away at me. I'm new to mountain biking, I used to ride BMX, and this
seems strange to me:

What's up with the tight biking shorts? I believe road bikers wear them
to cut down on air resistance, don't they? There must be a reason I see
so many mountain bikers wearing them also. Isn't there?

-Brian

Many MTBers also wear baggy shorts that have the lycra and pads
underneath, I wear the shorts for two reasons:

1. Wicks the sweat away from my jewels.

2. The padding keeps my ass comfortable on long rides.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Brian said:

Hi all,

This is almost certainly going to be a silly question, but it's eating
away at me. I'm new to mountain biking, I used to ride BMX, and this
seems strange to me:

What's up with the tight biking shorts? I believe road bikers wear them
to cut down on air resistance, don't they? There must be a reason I see
so many mountain bikers wearing them also. Isn't there?

I dunno about all the GR wannabes, but I wear them for a reason. Once,
I wore baggies, like the urban dewds do. I thought they were kewl. I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

So, I wear tight shorts. I do have a pair of baggies that aren't so
baggy. I should try those...

E.P.

Quoted message said:

What's up with the tight biking shorts? I believe road bikers wear them
to cut down on air resistance, don't they? There must be a reason I see
so many mountain bikers wearing them also. Isn't there?

-Brian

Their ghey.
--
non-ghey-Slack

Quoted message said:

I dunno about all the GR wannabes, but I wear them for a reason. Once,

GR = Gravel Road?

Quoted message said:

I wore baggies, like the urban dewds do. I thought they were kewl. I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

Sheesh I spewed on the screen. Wasn't prepared for that.. :-)

Quoted message said:

So, I wear tight shorts. I do have a pair of baggies that aren't so
baggy. I should try those...

Tighter fitting shorts (e.g. surfer type?!) seem fine, but I also didn't
know the tighties had pads. Everyone who responded seemed to have good
reasons ("Slack" included.. hey, whatever floats yer boat). I think I
may have to wait for a bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass accident though..

-Brian

Brian said:

Quoted message said:

I dunno about all the GR wannabes, but I wear them for a reason. Once,

GR = Gravel Road?

Gay Roadie.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I wore baggies, like the urban dewds do. I thought they were kewl. I was
going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the
saddle for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I
go to get back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on
the baggies long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and
painful faceplant, with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

pictures please.

Quoted message said:

Sheesh I spewed on the screen. Wasn't prepared for that.. :-)

Quoted message said:

So, I wear tight shorts. I do have a pair of baggies that aren't so
baggy. I should try those...

Tighter fitting shorts (e.g. surfer type?!) seem fine, but I also
didn't know the tighties had pads. Everyone who responded seemed to
have good reasons ("Slack" included.. hey, whatever floats yer boat).
I think I may have to wait for a bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass
accident though..
-Brian

Real bike shorts have pads. The pad is there to prevent chafing, for
comfort etc. You do know that you wear them commando, don't you? This is to
prevent saddle sores and whatever else weirdness guys might get ( dunno)
Some people wear baggies with a built in bike short/chamois liner, others
just wear hiking shorts over bike shorts, if they can't handle the lycra
look. The other day I overheard a bunch of guys laughing about another guy
that got banged up and bruised because he was biking in boxers under his
hiking shorts, no support, ya know?

ps

Brian said:

Quoted message said:

I dunno about all the GR wannabes, but I wear them for a reason. Once,

GR = Gravel Road?

GH = ghey roadies GHS = ghey roadie shiite

I wear lycra when it's too hot to wear crotch-cooking baggy shorts. It
helps avoid unintentional huevos rancheros.

JD

small change said:

Brian said:

Quoted message said:

I dunno about all the GR wannabes, but I wear them for a reason. Once,

GR = Gravel Road?

Gay Roadie.

Ah, gotcha. Thanks, JD, also.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Tighter fitting shorts (e.g. surfer type?!) seem fine, but I also
didn't know the tighties had pads. Everyone who responded seemed to
have good reasons ("Slack" included.. hey, whatever floats yer boat).
I think I may have to wait for a bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass
accident though..
-Brian

Real bike shorts have pads. The pad is there to prevent chafing, for
comfort etc. You do know that you wear them commando, don't you? This is to

No, had no idea.

Quoted message said:

prevent saddle sores and whatever else weirdness guys might get ( dunno)
Some people wear baggies with a built in bike short/chamois liner, others
just wear hiking shorts over bike shorts, if they can't handle the lycra
look. The other day I overheard a bunch of guys laughing about another guy
that got banged up and bruised because he was biking in boxers under his
hiking shorts, no support, ya know?

Frankly, based on my BMX days, I was considering wearing a cup! I wont
be having kids for much longer though. ;-)

-Brian

When I don't need pockets I wear them. Next to riding
nude,no seams,no hang ups,dry fast, lite,and they just about only come
in black. But any other would stain like my yellow jerseys.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

small change said:

Brian said:

[email hidden] wrote:

> the baggies long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and
> painful faceplant, with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

pictures please.

Of my butt???

Or of the whole incident? Isn't the mental image good enough? LOL.

I have this image of an angry bike attacking you.....

On 2005-07-23, Brian penned:

Quoted message said:

What's up with the tight biking shorts? I believe road bikers wear
them to cut down on air resistance, don't they? There must be a
reason I see so many mountain bikers wearing them also. Isn't there?

I wear them because they have less chance of catching on my saddle
than baggier shorts do. Also, they've typically been more comfortable
while riding than baggy shorts seem to be -- nothing's moving
separately from your body, so less chance of chafing.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

And I thought I was the only one- figured it was something wrong in my
off-seat/on-seat transition! Never had it result in a pedal attack, but
nearly smacked a tree trying to make a corner at the end of a long, fast
descent. Of course finding that you're hooked on the seat during evasive
manouvers usually results in some impacts to the immediate area, so it ain't
no picninc either.

Now I'm wearing the padded underwear stuff under "street" shorts, so I can
pick what relative tightness I want in the outer layer. Got lots of
not-too-loose hiking shorts which work well like this. Prolly will keep my
baggies for the occassional commute to the office.

Gary
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

And I thought I was the only one- figured it was something wrong in my
off-seat/on-seat transition! Never had it result in a pedal attack, but
nearly smacked a tree trying to make a corner at the end of a long, fast
descent. Of course finding that you're hooked on the seat during evasive
manouvers usually results in some impacts to the immediate area, so it ain't
no picninc either.

Now I'm wearing the padded underwear stuff under "street" shorts, so I can
pick what relative tightness I want in the outer layer. Got lots of
not-too-loose hiking shorts which work well like this. Prolly will keep my
baggies for the occassional commute to the office.

Gary
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

And I thought I was the only one- figured it was something wrong in my
off-seat/on-seat transition! Never had it result in a pedal attack, but
nearly smacked a tree trying to make a corner at the end of a long, fast
descent. Of course finding that you're hooked on the seat during evasive
manouvers usually results in some impacts to the immediate area, so it ain't
no picninc either.

Now I'm wearing the padded underwear stuff under "street" shorts, so I can
pick what relative tightness I want in the outer layer. Got lots of
not-too-loose hiking shorts which work well like this. Prolly will keep my
baggies for the occassional commute to the office.

Gary
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

And I thought I was the only one- figured it was something wrong in my
off-seat/on-seat transition! Never had it result in a pedal attack, but
nearly smacked a tree trying to make a corner at the end of a long, fast
descent. Of course finding that you're hooked on the seat during evasive
manouvers usually results in some impacts to the immediate area, so it ain't
no picninc either.

Now I'm wearing the padded underwear stuff under "street" shorts, so I can
pick what relative tightness I want in the outer layer. Got lots of
not-too-loose hiking shorts which work well like this. Prolly will keep my
baggies for the occassional commute to the office.

Gary
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

And I thought I was the only one- figured it was something wrong in my
off-seat/on-seat transition! Never had it result in a pedal attack, but
nearly smacked a tree trying to make a corner at the end of a long, fast
descent. Of course finding that you're hooked on the seat during evasive
manouvers usually results in some impacts to the immediate area, so it ain't
no picninc either.

Now I'm wearing the padded underwear stuff under "street" shorts, so I can
pick what relative tightness I want in the outer layer. Got lots of
not-too-loose hiking shorts which work well like this. Prolly will keep my
baggies for the occassional commute to the office.

Gary
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

And I thought I was the only one- figured it was something wrong in my
off-seat/on-seat transition! Never had it result in a pedal attack, but
nearly smacked a tree trying to make a corner at the end of a long, fast
descent. Of course finding that you're hooked on the seat during evasive
manouvers usually results in some impacts to the immediate area, so it ain't
no picninc either.

Now I'm wearing the padded underwear stuff under "street" shorts, so I can
pick what relative tightness I want in the outer layer. Got lots of
not-too-loose hiking shorts which work well like this. Prolly will keep my
baggies for the occassional commute to the office.

Gary
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

And I thought I was the only one- figured it was something wrong in my
off-seat/on-seat transition! Never had it result in a pedal attack, but
nearly smacked a tree trying to make a corner at the end of a long, fast
descent. Of course finding that you're hooked on the seat during evasive
manouvers usually results in some impacts to the immediate area, so it ain't
no picninc either.

Now I'm wearing the padded underwear stuff under "street" shorts, so I can
pick what relative tightness I want in the outer layer. Got lots of
not-too-loose hiking shorts which work well like this. Prolly will keep my
baggies for the occassional commute to the office.

Gary
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!

And I thought I was the only one- figured it was something wrong in my
off-seat/on-seat transition! Never had it result in a pedal attack, but
nearly smacked a tree trying to make a corner at the end of a long, fast
descent. Of course finding that you're hooked on the seat during evasive
manouvers usually results in some impacts to the immediate area, so it ain't
no picninc either.

Now I'm wearing the padded underwear stuff under "street" shorts, so I can
pick what relative tightness I want in the outer layer. Got lots of
not-too-loose hiking shorts which work well like this. Prolly will keep my
baggies for the occassional commute to the office.

Gary
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I
was going down a nice steep pitch, and got off the back of the saddle
for balance. Going fast, and coming up to the transition, I go to get
back on the saddle. The rear of the saddle hangs up on the baggies
long enough for me to do a fairly spectacular and painful faceplant,
with optional bike-rides-you pedal-in-the-ass fun!