Pants – modal/cotton vs merino for multi-day bike riding

This blogpost on bikepacking gear[/url] got me thinking about pants. (Not in that way.)

I ditched padded underwear a while ago. I find the Selle Anatomica Saddle comfortable enough that I just didn’t need them. So I carried 2 pair of these Icebreaker Merino boxer briefs on our Latin America tour and am still using the same two pair… over 10,000 kilometers later. I am amazed at their durability; they are holding up with out a misplaced thread and I really thought they wouldn’t last a month. Comfortable, thin, soft and dry very quickly.

Most of my riding is done in normal clothes and I’m thinking of ditching padded shorts for longer rides too – I’ve had ‘issues’ in the same shape as the pad in my shorts after longer wetter/sweatier rides…

Howies make similar claims as many make for merino pants for their Modal/cotton boxers and I can get three pairs for the same price as one pair of Icebreaker merino. Anyone got experience of these?

Nobody wanting to talk about pants on a sunny bank holiday? I’m disappointed.

Personally id say ur question is quite unusual

My cover all solution (including LEJOG and other multiday stuff) would be padded shorts next to the skin. ALWAYS washed every night, ideally a quality bib short although padded mtb ‘liners’ are ok for day riding.

Riding in underwear is best done on a Boris bike for short distances imo.

i use edz merino undies for riding. very nice they are too.

Some people can handle non padded shorts, never worked for me, but I know people who prefer no pads.

I find merino just doesn’t handle sweat well, if you don’t sweat much all well and good, but if you do it soon becomes wet and nasty. For cycling man made fibres all the way.

Most of my cycling is done over short distances, wearing normal clothes. I’ve ridden most days in the last week, though never for more than 1.5 hours, in normal boxers with no problems. On longer rides in the past I’ve always used padded shorts, but I’ve often had issues afterwards.

I’ve read about various people riding long distances with no pads, like Kent Peterson and ’Fixie’ Dave Nice[/url].

I’m not much of a sweater, and merino’s been fine for me for jerseys and base layers.