Padded cycling shorts are not only suitable for hard-core roadies, but every cyclist can benefit from riding in shorts that have premium quality chamois. They lessen pressure points, stop chafing,make you comfortable when cycling, and dissipate road vibrations.
Putting on padded cycling shorts has more advantages than a pair of ordinary training shorts. The key benefit is coziness. However, there are several other benefits of wearing padded cycling shorts.
If you usually cycle a bit further than the end of your lane, well-padded cycling shorts are essential, and here’s why.
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Coziness
The cushioning in cycling shorts makes your ride as cozy as possible. If you’ve ever cycled to any place wearing jeans or hemmed underwear, you’ll find that the sewing between fabric pieces stick together, move, and usually scratch the skin of your “sensitive parts” until it’s sore.
The cushioned area in the pair of shorts is called chamois, and it’s specifically designed for comfort.
Temperature Regulation
Stay cool when cycling is important, not just for your performance but for general enjoyment as well. Padded cycling shorts with a technical chamois padding help wick moisture away from the body.
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A contemporary chamois is manufactured using performance materials that have the same effects as professional cycling equipment – comprising breathable outside layers so that the air disseminates near your body throughout the ride.
Vibration Regulation
Road impact,also called high-frequency vibrations, is caused by the rolling of hard rubber tires on a rough road surface. A road will still cause vibrations when cycling, even if it’s smooth.
When cycling, high-frequency undulations move through your bike’s tires, through your bike’s frame, and to your body. A chamois (padding) depresses these waves and distributes shock that can cause pain while cycling.
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Durability
Padded cycling shorts are long-lasting since they’re particularly designed for riding, dissimilar to other equipment types that you might want to wear on a ride. If you’re heading out on the roads or trails or moving around a lot in the saddle – irrespective of standing up to gain more strength on the climbs or just going about to inspect the position of other road users, you should put on padded cycling shorts.
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All these movements put a strain on your apparel and may cause your bike seat or your preferred shorts or pair of jeans to wear out. This is why it’s good to stick to something suitable and reliable.
Going Commando
The latter is less of a benefit than something you should do while wearing cycling shorts. As stated above, eliminating rubbing or scratching at the seams that you’ll find in ordinary clothing or training equipment is the greatest strength of padded cycling shorts.
Padded cycling shorts are supposed to be put on without underwear. That’s correct! You should wear nothing else but cycling shorts.
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Putting on underwear between your skin and shorts won’t have any benefits. Don’t put it on. You may feel somewhat strange at first, but as soon as you get used, you’ll be more comfortable.
After looking at whether padded cycling shorts are essential, do you ask yourself if they work? Well, here’s the answer.
Do Padded Cycling Shorts Really Work?
Yes, they work perfectly.
First of all, padded cycling shorts address one of the most usual concerns among riders: chronic pain in the buttocks and genitals that’s frequently caused by the force on the saddle on crucial pelvic areas if you sit for a long time.
If you don’t have the correct padding, cycling may also press the sciatic nerve that passes through your lower back, to your hips, and down every leg, in some people. Several cyclists can feel the pain almost instantly after beginning, while others may begin feeling it after 30 minutes or one hour.
This can lead to pain in your hips and back and may even cause hypoesthesia in your feet. It may press a nerve in your pelvis known as the pudendal nerve, which leads to numbness or needles and pins in the venereal area.
Sitting on a stiff seat may also provoke your “sit” bones or the bony bones in your butt – which can be painfully sensitive if you sit for too long, leave alone on a bike seat.
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However, padded cycling shorts offer adequate cushioning (known as the chamois) that safeguards you against this pressure. They also lessen friction between the seat and your genitals, which can cause uncomfortable rubbing.
By putting on the right padded cycling shorts, you get ultimate performance potential while reducing the risk of leg and crotch numbness. This is crucial because cycling with numbness not only causes discomfort, and can also affect your shape and potentially lead to injuries down the line.
Besides, it’s not just about cushioning with cycling shorts: the moisture-wicking material, smooth seaming, and compaction in most shorts make you feel better when riding your bike.
Bottom Line
If you have trouble sitting while cycling, the first thing you’ll think about is trying a new seat. However, the best investment is a good pair of padded cycling shorts. Padded cycling shorts improve your riding coziness by offering three very important benefits.
To begin with, the cushioning in the shorts offer additional padding between your butt and your bike’s seat. The padded area provides a sleek interface unlike normal shorts and even most athletic shorts that have a seam at the middle, resulting in a rough and uncomfortable surface. The cushioning is called “chamois” as it was made of chamois fabric.
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Secondly, padded cycling shorts lessen friction by offering a snug-fitting material that moves with you when pedaling instead of scratching against your skin.
Thirdly, padded cycling shorts ensure moisture management. Spandex, Lycra, and other technical fabrics used to make padded cycling shorts enhance the movement and evaporation of perspiration away from your skin.
Cotton, used in blue jeans and other “normal” shorts and pants trap the dampness and grips it next to your skin, which may lead to excessive rashes, heat, and bacteria growth.
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