How important are riding shorts vs. a padded seat?

Question

I am buying a new road bike tomorrow. I am heavy...5'10 and 230 pounds. I do not want to be putting on the skin tight bike clothes...why should I just not buy a gel padded seat to start?

Answer 1

If you're concerned about appearances, get a saddle with firm padding, then use mountain bike shorts, which look more like regular streetwear but have a built-in pad.

Answer 2

riding shorts are more important than the padded seat.  Padded seats are generally ineffective, because they reinforce bad seat position.  Making the whole seat squishy, tends to cause you to slump into wrong areas of the seat, placing pressure on soft tissue instead of the sit bones.  If you sit properly on even a hard seat, it shouldn't be too uncomfortable because the load is distributed on the hard sit bones instead of the soft tissue.

The riding shorts add padding to the areas where it matters and more importantly are tight against your skin to prevent chafing.  They also tend to be made of breathable material, preventing your butt from getting soaked.  If you are concerned about the spandex skin-tight look, they have padded tight shorts with a baggy outside layer.  The tight inside layer prevents chafing and provides support to your butt, but the outside layer is loose enough that your skin can still breathe.  A million times more comfortable than a pair of athletic shorts and boxers, and they will get bunched up far less.

Another alternative is cycling specific underwear or simply wearing the lycra shorts underneath a pair of regular shorts.  The important thing is that you want the tight under layer to prevent it from getting bunched up and chafing against your legs.  Talk to your local bike shop, it is a very common issue for people to be uncomfortable in the saddle, they can probably find a solution for you.

Answer 3

What bike shorts do is create a second skin so to speak. The tight fit allows your legs to glide over the sides of the saddle. A padded saddle doesn't do this. Also, bike shorts are comfortable, have flat seams that won't grind into your butt and don't flap in the wind.

Heavily padded saddles actually become uncomfortable with a lot of riding. Seasoned rides don't use them because of this. If you must have some padding use a moderate to light padded saddle with very dense padding. At 230 you will sit right though soft thick padding.

If you would like to use cycling shorts you could wear very light, thin sports shorts over them.

Answer 4

It's your choice, but if you plan to work up a sweat and comfort is really important, you'll wish had worn cycling clothes. I've found that gel seats are more impressive to press down on than to sit on. Most of the things that the average person doesn't like are based on myths when it comes to cycling. Ask yourself this: Why are those type of clothes worn in the first place? Once you find out why, you'll be more willing to wear them. When yuo finally try them, you'll feel awkward riding without them. I used to think the same way. Now it feels uncomfortable to ride with cycling shorts and jerseys. They are that comfortable. You don't have to have a logos on your jersey to be comfortable. Just wear a regular jersey with no print on it. I'm sure you'll find those comfortable too.

Answer 5

Why not both?  Mountain bike shorts have the padding/liner that regular biker shorts have, but look like normal shorts.  For example:

http://www.hossmtb.com/shop/index.php?ma...

Answer 6

if you are serious about riding, then get the shorts.  wear a longer shirt that disguises your "before" physique if you are concerned about appearances.   the shorts are far more comfortable because the fabric doesn't bunch up in your crotch and chafe.  even with a padded seat, if you have "street" shorts on, you will be uncomfortable in less than an hour.  before you spend the $15 or so on the seat pad, try a ride without it.  no matter what you sit on, if you haven't been riding your bum will hurt the first couple of times.  keep at it and the bum will get conditioned.

Answer 7

You should have padded shorts and a good seat.  

A good seat does not mean a padded seat.  Go to your local bike shop.  Plan on spending some money for your seat....it will pay off.

You can get baggy shorts (they usually have a set of padded liners).  

I believe that the gel padded seats can cause more chafing than a better seat.

Good luck!