Men’s Cycling Padded Liner Shorts
Padded cycling underwear is the perfect way to transform your favorite casual shorts into high quality and performance-geared cycling apparel. Not everyone wants to have that “roadie” look walking past your co-workers in the morning and sometimes we all want to be able to stop for a snack mid-ride without everyone in the corner store eying our…outfit.
Padded bike underliners give you this option and provide all of the support, comfort and muscle compression that you expect from your cycling shorts. And just like regular spandex bike shorts, padded underliners give the rider endless chamois pad options from thick to thin, from dense to lightweight and flexible.
Multi-Sport Uses
Because padded underwear gives your wardrobe a lot of flexibility, you can match your padded shorts to your current needs. Headed out for a weekend tour with a lot of sightseeing along the way? Try our Touring Underliner that is lightweight and flexible, allowing for plenty of comfort off the bike when you’re walking around to check out the sights. This chamois pad is also popular in our triathlon product line because it wicks moisture well, dries quickly and offers support while in the saddle without compromising your movement while swimming and running during a triathlon race.
Or are you hitting the mountain bike trails and need a supportive chamois pad that can handle the rigors of a wooded trail? Grab your favorite baggies and check out our Elite Air Gel Underliner, which uses a thick and dense gel chamois that supports your sit bones and absorbs vibrations better than foam-based chamois pads.
In addition to cycling, padded underwear can be used for rowing, horseback riding and motorcycle riding. In all applications, the lightweight and breathable fabric will wick moisture and breath better than traditional cycling shorts. You will still get valuable muscle compression from the fabric, however. Muscle compression is an essential aspect of all cycling and exercise apparel because the fabric will gently compress and massage your muscles during exertion. This promotes blood flow through your muscles and helps to limit the buildup of painful lactic acid during and after your workout is complete.
Fabrics
Polyester and nylon are the two most popular materials that are knitted with spandex to create the soft, wicking material of Aero Tech Designs’ padded underliners. All of these materials are synthetic, meaning that they wick, rather than retain, moisture. They also breath really well so that you don’t overheat, even when wearing a baggy shell over them.
Fit
All padded cycling shorts and underliners are designed to be worn without underwear and they are meant to fit snug against your skin. This makes sure that the pad stays in place during your ride and it also helps your body take advantage of the short’s muscle compression benefits. If the padded liner shorts are loose then you risk chafing from loose, bunching fabric and a shifting chamois pad, leading to painful saddle sores.
Inseam
Padded liner shorts typically will have shorter inseams than bib shorts or road shorts because they’re designed to be worn underneath an outer layer. Not wanting to show past the inseam of your outer shorts, liner shorts will have a shorter inseam. Additionally, leg elastics are usually used instead of leg grippers to help keep the shorts from riding up as you pedal.
Care Instructions
We recommend washing your padded cycling liners in a washing machine with mild detergent. Modern washing machines clean all the bacteria better than handwashing and since cycling shorts are made from lightweight and synthetic fabric they wick moisture very well and dry quickly. For this reason, you can wring them out after taking them out of the washer and hang them to dry in a well-ventilated area so they’ll be ready for your ride the next day.
Padded Bike Shorts are Designed to be Worn Without Underwear
Cycling shorts and padded underliners are designed to be worn right against the skin. Most underwear is cotton, which holds moisture instead of wicking it away. This can introduce a layer between your skin and your shorts that chafes, retains sweat and breeds bacteria. No one wants to chafe while they ride or develop saddle sores so be sure to get a good fit (snug, like a second skin) and enjoy the ride! Ride Longer, Feel Stronger.
