How to Select a Bike Short - An overview

The best way to choose a bike short is to understand your options. Most bike shorts have a padding sewn into the saddle area. The padding in the short ranges from thick to thin. The thickest pads act as shock absorbers with thick foams or gel pads. The seat padding also will reduce abrasion and cushions the butt. If you are just starting to ride, or the longer your ride, the more density you need in a chamois pad. The elite pads are designed for long distance riders and are engineered for the male anatomy. A more seasoned bicycle rider may want a thin pad in their bike shorts so that it prevents abrasion and yet feels invisible. Using a thin chamois pad is also popular in triathlon shorts where the short is worn for swim, bike, run.

Bike shorts are worn without underwear

The padding in the saddle area of a bike short is often called the chamois pad even though the pads are rarely ever chamois leather anymore. In the 1970's and 1980's bicycle shorts had a leather chamois pad sewn into the saddle area for the sole purpose of preventing abrasion. Back then the chamois was lubricated with an oil to create a "slip" so the cycling motion was smooth against the skin. The use of anti-chafe creams and lubricants continue to be an important part of cycling as these creams combined with snug bike shorts do wonders to enhance the comfort of a cyclist.

Today, most chamois pads are made from high performance synthetic fibers like Coolmax brand polyester or polyurethane fibers. The surface of a chamois pad is usually hydrophobic which means they stay dry. The chamois pad is often treated with an antibacterial or silver ion finish to diminish the growth of bacteria which may lead to saddle sores. A clean chamois pad is an ideal way to prevent saddle sores. Today's synthetic chamois pads are machine washable. Machine washing of a chamois pad is important to remove all bacteria.

Types of Bike Shorts

Gel filled chamois These pads are ideal for beginners and cyclists who are moving up in their mileage and rides of shorter duration under 50 miles.
Thin padded Bike Shorts are great for experienced cyclists who are comfortable on their saddle or for triathletes who want one garment for swim, bike, run
Dense Pads in Road Bike Shorts These pads are in the elite category and are best for high mileage and century rides over 50 miles
Underwear and Liner Shorts These garments are worn under your normal looking shorts or pants, they are usually mesh with a chamois pad
Baggy / MTB - Baggy or loose fitting bike shorts are often called ATB or MTB Mountain bike shorts. They are often sold as two shorts in one, a padded liner inside an outer short.
Bib Shorts - are compression bike shorts without a waist held up with straps or suspenders. This is most often used by experienced cyclists

How to choose a size and fit your bike shorts Fitting into spandex shorts is very easy for most everyone because the shorts are very stretchy. This means you could wear a size too small or a size too large and still be comfortable while cycling. Bike shorts usually have a chamois pad sewn into the saddle area of the garment. This pad needs to be stretched smooth across the crotch area to maximize it's performance to protect the rider. With a pair of bike shorts on your body, you should be able to run your hand across your crotch area and feel smoothness without any bunching. Bike Shorts work best when they fit snug with the chamois pad held close to the skin. When bike shorts are too large, the chamois pad moves around and may create an opportunity for rubbing or abrasion. The features built into bike shorts often are built around the function of the cyclist who is riding. There are many types of cyclists on the road, so there is a similar variety of padded bike shorts. Leg grippers or some type of leg compression is essential for cycling shorts to stay in place. With the constant motion of the muscles during exercise, the shorts tend to ride up if they don't have some type of compression or grip on the legs. Below are some examples of men's cycling shorts with their prices and chamois pads. You can see from the images below the variety of prices and thicknesses available in the chamois pad. Beginners want a thicker pad, triathletes use a thinner pad, long distance riders have several choices but generally prefer a dense pad. Aero Tech's padded cycling shorts are for men who ride bicycles. email us with questions: cyclewear@aerotechdesigns.com
Men's Bike Shorts - Made in USA Below are some examples of bike shorts for men. If you notice the chamois padding is engineered for the placement of the bones on the saddle. The different densities and thicknesses are designed to provide shock absorption where it is needed. Men's bike shorts typically have a groove cutout in the center of the pad for the male anatomy to sink into.
Top Shelf Cycling Short $49.95	Gel Padded Spandex Touring Short $69.95	Men's Pro Bike Shorts $39.95	Black Pearl Cycling Short $44.95	All American Bike Short $54.95
Top Shelf - Long Distance chamois pad - Most Popular, 3 colorways	Side Pockets and Gel Pad for extra comfort and long distance	Pro Pad Multi Layer is Not so thick. Ideal for anti-chafe, 4 colorways	Black Pearl Chamois Mid density Available Tall or Short, 4 colorways	All American Black
10 MM thick	12 mm thick	7 mm thick	8 mm thick	10 mm thick
Padded Cycling Shorts The shorts listed below show the different types of shorts available. Each individual who rides has a different opinion on what makes up a good pad and bike short. With all of the different preferences, you can see there is a short developed for all types of riders.
Classic Padded Bike Short $29.95	Men's Century Thick Padded Cycling Short 69.95	Basic Bike Shorts $19.95	Wild Print Spandex Lots of Choices $39.95	Men's Gel Padded Bike Shorts $39.95
Men's Classic Black (Thick), 4 Colorways	Men's Century Thick Padded Short	Formaggio Pad	Multi Layer Pad - Not Thick	Gel Chamois Pad
12 mm thick	10mm High Denisty	6 mm Thick	7 mm thick	12 mm Thick
Baggy and Loose Fitting MTB Shorts This category of bike shorts are actually two shorts in one. A baggy exterior and an internal liner or bike underwear. The baggy and loose fitting bike shorts are ideal for casual riders who do not want to wear spandex. Getting ready to choose a loose fitting (aka 'baggy") bike short is easy when you have choices. Most of the mountain bike shorts are two shorts in one. A loose outer shell made of nylon and an internal stretchy padded bike short. We have found that many people who want the baggy bike short look are not just mountain bikers. More often the buyers of the loose fitting shorts want a more casual and normal looking short. They are usually referred to as Mountain Bike Shorts or MTB shorts. Some refer to them as ATB or all terrain Bike shorts. There are many brands of shorts and the differences are subtle and significant, so you need a little time to find the right pair for you.
ATD Padded Cargo MTB Shorts $54.95	Outlaw Bullet Mountain Bike Short $64.95	ATD Mens Bicycle Commuter Multi-Sport Shorts $39.95	ATD Bicycle Touring Shorts $69.95	ATD Men's Commuter Pedal Pushers - Capri Length $39.95
Black Pearl Chamois Pad Mid density	Black Pearl Chamois Pad Mid density	Stretch Woven Commuter	Molded 3D Pad is light and breathable	Stretch Woven Commuter
8 mm Thick	8 mm Thick		6 mm Thick
Bicycling Clothing
Men's Cycling Gel Pad Underliner $49.95	Mesh Bicycling Underwear $39.95	Gel Padded Mesh Cycle liner Short $39.95	Aero Tech Top Shelf Bib Short $59.95	Triathlon Tri Shorts $39.95
Elite Air-Gel Underliner (Thick and Dense)	Breathable Perforated Elastic Interface Pad Very Cool	Gel Chamois Pad	Top Shelf Long Distance chamois pad	Triathlon Pad
15mm Thick	6 mm Thick	12 mm Thick	10 mm Thick
Exercise Shorts and Unpadded Fitness Shorts This category of bike shorts are ideal for multiple sport activity. The spandex shorts offer compression - which reduces fatigue and helps you recover faster. The unpadded shorts offer up excellent range of movement without restriction. Ideal of multiple sports like running, soccer, yoga and general fitness
ATD Unpadded Cycling Skin Shorts $29.95	Compression Workout Short $19.95	High Performance Fitness Shorts $29.95	ATD Mens Commuter Multi-Sport Shorts	Men's Swimming Jammers $29.95
Not Padded - Good for Recumben Riders. Has Grippers	Not Padded 5 colors Available	Not Padded several colors and prints	Not Padded good for commuters and casual rides	FINA Swimwear
Written by: Cathy Schnaubelt Rogers