Eh, I use Charge Knives on all my bikes, nothing remotely plush about that.

Oh – maybe the padding is somewhere else then 😉

When was the last time you seriously tried riding without chamois? That is to say, a number of rides, tweaking your setup, making sure your saddle and your kit works for you, etc?

Are you suggesting that I should change the setup of my bike to ride without padded shorts? 😯

Given the majority of my bike riding* at the moment seems to be on the school run, I don’t bother wearing padded shorts most of the time. It’s certainly not an issue on rides that short, but I can tell the difference, and I don’t need to go on a long ride in normal clothes to tell it will be less comfortable.

* I do lots of other riding, just not on a bike

I wear the ladies version of this:

http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/craft-cool-bike-boxer-254.html

But the best I’ve found is made by Gonzo, from Rose Bikes. Really minimalist and unfortunately it looks as though they’ve stopped selling them. 🙁

aracer – Member

Are you suggesting that I should change the setup of my bike to ride without padded shorts?

I’m suggesting that it might bring things to your attention which are currently hidden by your cushion 😉

I weigh 9 and a half stone btw, only way I could free up enough weight to have a far arris would be to remove a kidney or something. Though hey, I am a weight weenie so maybe I should give that a try.

All jokes aside- it’s obviously nothing that people need to be changing if what they do works well for them. But I’d also bet money that there are plenty of people who think a chamois is a neccessity who would be perfectly happy without. Might take a little effort though.

But, if the OP or other folks are having issues caused by chamois it seems obvious to try. And I’ve heard a lot of people grumping about their chamois on rides and on forums- expensive, sweaty, chafey, smelly, a hassle to keep clean, all that stuff.

Free yourself from these padded shackles, sheeple!

I found washing my shorts without any fabric conditioner made them a bit more bum friendly and i’d recommend aloe vera gel for treating any minor skin irritations between rides.

Try Skins compression shorts under (seams unnoticable) or Skins cycling shorts – expensive but v effective.

I weigh 9 and a half stone btw…

There’s your answer – if you don’t weigh enough to compress the padding in the thinnest of saddles, then you are unlikely to need extra cushioning from a chamois.

Sadly not all of us have the physique of a pre-pubescent girl 😉

OIC- so aracer says I don’t need a chamois because I’m fat, whereas you say it’s because I’m thin? 🙂

Well it has to be one or the other.

Baby Bear says I’m just right.

Course, now I think of it I’ve only been talking about comfort. It’s entirely possible my razor-blade saddle has left me as impotent as a Nevada boxing commissioner.

It’s probably the fur in that case.