inspiredcyclist

We Answer All Your Questions About Choosing and Using Cycling Shorts.

Questions About Cycling Shorts We're Answering Today:

  • FAQ 1: What Are The Key Things to Look For When Buying Cycling Shorts?

  • FAQ 2: Why Should You Even Bother With Cycling Shorts?

  • FAQ 3: Should You Choose Cycling Shorts or Cycling Trousers?

  • FAQ 4: What Is The Difference Between Women’s And Men’s Cycling Shorts?

  • FAQ 5: What Cycling Shorts Actually Do For You?

  • FAQ 6: Why Beginner Cyclists Get Confused with Information Available Online About Choosing Cycling Shorts

  • FAQ 7: Why Does My Butt Hurt?

  • FAQ 8: Should You Choose Cycling Shorts With Braces?

  • FAQ 9: Should I Wear Underwear Under My Cycling Shorts?

  • FAQ 10: How To Wash Cycling Shorts?

  • FAQ 11: Are There Cycling Shorts Designed Specifically For Women?

  • FAQ 12: Which Cycling Trousers to Wear on Cold Days?

  • FAQ 13: Is It Worth Changing Between Summer Cycling Shorts and Winter Cycling Pants and How to Choose Winter Gear?

FAQ 1: What Are The Key Things to Look For When Buying Cycling Shorts?

6 things to look for when buying cycling shorts are:

  • Mesh harness,
  • Insole shape,
  • Material from which the insole is sewn,
  • Material from which the shorts are made,
  • Seamless technology,
  • Production quality.

FAQ 2: Why Should You Even Bother With Cycling Shorts?

Cycling shorts are one of the main and most important items of clothing for every fan of this type of physical activity. It is difficult to imagine a cyclist without cycling shorts, leggings or even regular shorts.

However, probably all cyclists realize that cycling shorts are more than just a piece of clothing that covers the lower limbs. Especially if you are covering long and demanding routes, comfortable and well-fitting clothing is essential. Therefore, cycling shorts with an insert are the best for all more demanding biking trails.

How are cycling shorts different from the standard shorts you would normally buy at a sportswear store? Virtually everything is different. Highly resistant, flexible and breathable material, removable and ergonomically shaped gel insert. The cut is adapted to cycling. These are all advantages that conventional fashion cannot offer you.

FAQ 3: Should You Choose Cycling Shorts or Cycling Trousers?

The main difference between cycling shorts and cycling trousers is, of course, when the products are used. Riding on warm days in long cycling trousers will not always be comfortable – high temperature does its job of exposing you to the possibility of overheating the body. This alone is one of the basic criteria for choosing this type of cycling clothing.

Summer shorts – ok, but what kind? Loose and easy to move cycling shorts, or maybe tight-fitting, flexible and close-fitting cycling shorts? The choice of cycling shorts is not easy and depends primarily on the individual preferences of the cyclist.

Thus, in addition to the above, the choice of cycling shorts should primarily take into account factors such as: the type of cycling (road, trekking, enduro, downhill, etc.); weather conditions, cyclist preferences. Of course, an important aspect will also be the color scheme, which cyclists also pay special attention to.

When riding a bike, our body rests on three points – hands, feet and bottom. This third point of support takes on as much as 60 percent of the full body weight of the cyclist. In addition, our buttocks and perineum are in constant motion, exposed to abrasions while pedaling. That is why the right choice of cycling shorts is so important.

Cycling Shorts for Winter - 13 FAQ

FAQ 4: What Is The Difference Between Women's And Men's Cycling Shorts?

The difference is due to the different anatomy of men and women and is mainly due to the different shape of the insole. Sitting on the saddle, our body is based on sciatic tumors, which are much wider in women than in men

As a result, the inserts in women’s cycling shorts are larger, wider and, due to the structure of the genitals, also have more foam in the center of the insole. 

Men’s cycling shorts, on the other hand, have inserts with a more elongated shape.

Check Out Our Top Picks Cycling Shorts For Women

Check Out Our Top Picks Cycling Shorts For Men

FAQ 5: What Cycling Shorts Actually Do For You?

Regardless of whether you are looking for women’s or men’s shorts, the insole must be made of a soft-touch material with an antibacterial coating. Shorts must be tight. They must be made of thermoactivated (breathable) material that quickly transports moisture away

Ideally, they will be made in seamless technology (so-called flat seams), because each seam on the inside of the thigh is guaranteed painful abrasion, even after a short trip. 

It is also important that the legs have an anti-slip element on the inside. Most often it is a silicone strip that prevents the material from curling upwards.

FAQ 6: How Beginner Cyclists Get Confused with Information Available Online About Choosing Cycling Shorts?

Cycling shorts are the topic most often discussed on cycling forums. The pattern is always the same. The novice cyclist asks, “What are the best cycling shorts for me?” Sometimes he will add his picks found in some online store. The average budget is somewhere between $ 20 and $ 49.

Most often, such a person is recommended a specific model of shorts, advertising it with the words “I wear such shorts and they are ok”. It is also difficult to find advice on choosing an insole, cut or the quality of workmanship of specific shorts. 

Today is the time to change that!

FAQ 7: Why Does My Butt Hurt?

The hands, bottom and feet are the three points of support for your body when you cycle. This is where your body weight rests when you pedal. The bottom is the most stressful. 

When sitting in the saddle, about 60% of your body weight is based on two points in your pelvis called sciatic tumors. If you feel a burning sensation after training or a ride, know that your buttock muscles are squeezed between the surface of the saddle and the sciatic tumors. 

I have a road bike and a MTB and often do over 100 miles a day, so trust me – I know everything about butt pain!

Cycling Shorts for Men - 13 FAQ

FAQ 8: Should You Choose Cycling Shorts Without Braces?

This question is asked very often. Many believe that cycling shorts without braces look more aesthetically pleasing. It is, of course, a matter of taste, but we will try hard to convince you that it is worth investing in shorts with braces

We have at least several arguments for this. Thanks to the harness, the pants do not come down while cycling and the insole is always where it should be

Thanks to the harness, there is no need for an elastic at the waist, so it does not stick to the stomach. In addition, they look exactly like cycling shorts without braces, because the braces are covered by the T-shirt. 

As for the harness itself, it is important that they are made of mesh material that guarantees ventilation.

Cycling shorts with braces increase ride comfort, and that’s it! You do not believe me? Give it a try. 

Just remember to choose shorts with mesh braces. It increases sweat wicking compared to a harness made of a uniform material. 

The shape of the insert and the material it is made of is basically the most important aspect of buying shorts.

FAQ 9: Should I Wear Underwear Under My Cycling Shorts?

This question is asked even more often. 

So let’s clear this up once and for all. 

Cycling shorts are put on the naked body. You do not wear panties underneath them, because each additional layer of material inserted between the skin and the shorts may cause unpleasant abrasions

Here, maybe it is worth giving one more advice – do not buy white cycling shorts made of thin, translucent material.

FAQ 10: How To Wash Cycling Shorts?

Once we choose the right cycling shorts, it is worth knowing how to take care of them so that they serve us as long as possible. 

You should not wash the shorts in strong detergents as they may irritate the sensitive skin of the perineum. 

There are special liquids for washing sportswear on the market. 

But it is also a good idea to wash them by hand in plain gray soap. Gray soap does not contain chemicals that adversely affect technical materials and membranes. This is the cheapest and easiest way.

Cycling Shorts for Woman - 13 FAQ

FAQ 11: Are There Cycling Shorts Designed Specifically For Women?

More and more clothing companies are introducing special technologies and amenities dedicated only to women. Most often it concerns the type of harness and the possibility of more efficient handling of your needs while cycling. If you want to deal with your needs more efficiently during trips, you do not have to give up trousers with braces.

Women’s cycling shorts should: fit, but not too tight, provide good air circulation and, above all, provide maximum comfort

When looking for women’s cycling shorts, it is also worth paying attention to the minimum number of seams or the use of flat seams technology. Thanks to this, the rides will take place without irritation and burning redness. 

Therefore, high-quality workmanship should always come first!

FAQ 12: Which Cycling Trousers To Wear On a Cold Day?

In the autumn and winter period, when the temperature and weather conditions are much more demanding for our body, our body needs the highest level of clothing. Therefore, choosing the right winter cycling pants is one of the most important issues if you want to train also in winter.

Well-chosen long cycling pants will not only have a positive effect on the comfort of riding, but above all, they will protect us from dangerous frostbite.

The choice of winter cycling trousers with an insert differs slightly from the choice of their summer counterparts, because the ride itself in the autumn and winter season has its own rules. 

In this case, the greatest attention should be paid primarily to the materials from which they are made. Cycling long pants are made of various materials depending on the degree of thermal insulation

On the market, we can find long pants, which are suitable for riding at 12 ° C, as well as those that will allow us to comfortably cycle in sub-zero temperatures.

When choosing winter cycling pants, it is best to look at models with bracesThanks to the suspenders, the pants will not move over the body, which would be very uncomfortable if you put on several layers of winter clothing. 

In addition, the harness additionally protects our lower back against the cold and prevents cold air from entering, which, as you might guess, could end up with a cold and severe back pain.

FAQ 13: Is It Worth Changing Between Summer Cycling Shorts and Winter Cycling Pants and How to Choose Winter Gear?

Of course, as in the case of summer pants, the insole is also very important here. Usually, designers use a slightly thicker insert in winter cycling pants, which will allow for better thermal insulation of female intimate places. 

It is worth paying attention to whether the cycling pants we choose have additionally insulated membrane inserts. Ideally, pants should have additional panels that protect sensitive areas, such as the knees, lower abdomen and back, from the cold.

Let us remind you that the temperatures in the fall and winter vary greatly. Therefore, manufacturers of cycling clothing offer us cycling pants with different material thicknesses. 

It is worth checking the recommendations for cycling at a certain temperature, which are provided to us by the seller on the website. Such information and other details related to the technologies used will allow us to make a well-thought-out purchase, because, as you know, pants are not equal to pants. 

Those dedicated to the autumn aura are usually characterized by a lower material density and the level of insulation. They are most often made of a mixture of materials such as elastane, polyamide or polyester. Thanks to such fabrics, they are more stretchy and have better sweat wicking. However, they will not necessarily work well during temperatures around freezing.

 

When buying winter pants, it is worth paying attention to their finish. As with summer variants, it’s best to choose the option with flat seams. A zipper at the bottom of the leg will certainly be a great help in putting on long gaiters. 

Opinions on this are divided as some riders complain about the buckle breaking. Nevertheless, the fastening at the bottom of the legs makes putting on and taking off the pants much more convenient.

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