Cycling Underwear

Find a Cycling Underwear Online

If you find biking shorts uncomfortable or unsightly, cycling underwear is a viable alternative as it provides many similar benefits. Although cycling shorts are a wardrobe essential for any serious cyclist, they are not very convenient for bicycle commuters. You do not want to turn up at your office in those tight shorts. Underwear designed specifically for cycling purposes is a more versatile option.

Why You Need Cycling Underwear

You might be the owner of biking shorts wondering you should make an additional investment in biking underwear. Or you could be a novice biker trying to find out what gear you need. Here are some reasons you would want to add this kind of underwear to your shopping list.

Reduced friction: When riding over long-distances, the rubbing between your inner thighs will become more and more uncomfortable. This usually results in painful abrasions. There are several ways in which biking underwear tackles this problem. First, they are usually longer than regular underpants to ensure that the thighs are covered. Secondly, they are made from the right kind of material to reduce friction.

Reduced wetness: This kind of underwear is made from a material that wicks moisture away and allows it to dry faster than normal underwear. Instead of becoming clammy and sticky with sweat, your body will be dry and cool, thanks to your cycling underwear, allowing you to focus on pushing yourself to the limit. The dryness also reduces the chances of you developing blisters in some uncomfortable places.

Shock absorption: On top of the ability to get rid of moisture, biking underwear is made with special padding to reduce the impact of the pedaling motion on your groin and other sensitive places. The padding is just enough to keep your crotch area protected; it will not make you uncomfortable in the slightest. It is deliberately designed to be as thin as possible, especially for high-performance bikers.

Good fit: This underwear, unlike your regular underpants or bikers, will not ride up your thigh as you pedal. The seam is designed such that it remains firmly in place. They are also designed to keep the genitals from moving around during motion.

What To Look For In Biking Underwear

When you go shopping online or at your nearest biking gear store, you will find many different kinds and brands of cycling underwear. Here are a few things to bear in mind as you choose which pair to take home.

Moisture wicking: This should be a top consideration to guarantee your comfort while riding. The underwear should be able to dry off sweat and rainwater quickly.

Your health: Make sure the underwear you select is made from fabric with anti-bacterial properties, especially if you have sensitive skin. Beyond wicking away the sweat, the material should deal with bacteria so that your underwear doesn’t develop bad odors or, worse still, become a source of infections.

Men Vs. Women’s underwear: Cycling underwear has special provisions for men and women. Some men’s underwear will have a pocket to keep the ‘crown jewels’ safe from impact or friction.

Bicycling Underwear versus Regular Underwear

You’ll find that good-quality underwear for cyclists costs significantly more than traditional underwear. Although you might initially be put off by the cost, rest assured your money will be well-spent. Here are some of the key differences between regular underwear and underwear for cyclists.

Greater Inseam Length

Inseam length measures the length of fabric between the crotch of your pants or underwear and the hem of the pants.

In general, cycling underwear will tend to feature a greater variety of inseam lengths than regular underwear.

Underwear for cycling usually extends at least partway down the thigh to protect your inner thighs from abrasions.

For cold weather, underwear with a longer inseam length that extends to the knees or even the calves can come in handy as this will help to keep your leg muscles warm.

Seam Position

Regular underwear may be uncomfortable for cycling as the location of the seams may not be optimal. The seams may cause nasty abrasions where the sun doesn’t shine. Need I elaborate more?

When designing underwear for cyclists, great effort is made to place the seams away from hot spots, especially the genitals and general groin area. Cycling underwear will thus protect your more sensitive areas from abrasions, even during prolonged rides.

Fabric

If your underwear becomes sodden with sweat, you might get some painful blisters in your nether regions or worse, a fungal infection. This is an especially prevalent problem on longer rides.

Underwear for cyclists features moisture-wicking properties. This means that the fabric transports sweat away from your skin and to an external layer of fabric, keeping your skin cool and dry.

The fabric used to make cyclists’ underwear is also of much higher quality than regular underwear fabrics. It boasts greater tensile strength for superior durability.

Padding

Compared to walking or jogging, your nether regions definitely take more of a pounding when you cycle. Thus, shock-absorption capabilities are a must for cycling underwear.

While regular underwear features little to no padding, underwear for cyclists will have generous padding at the crotch area to absorb any impact from bouncing around in the saddle.

The padding is effective but economical. Too much padding is not a good thing either – you’ll feel like you’re wearing diapers!

Fit

In order to be effective, your biking underwear must fit snugly. It should not be so tight that it restricts blood flow, but it should definitely cradle your crotch more tightly than regular underwear.

This prevents abrasion. For men, it’s also especially important to prevent your “family jewels” from bouncing around on the bike seat!

Choosing Your Biking Underwear

New brands and models of biking underwear come and go all the time, so it is difficult to recommend specific products.

Moreover, you are likely to be buying new cycling underwear fairly often throughout your cycling career. Thus, rather than look at specific product recommendations, you should research the attributes all good biking underwear should have:

Anti-Bacterial Properties – Synthetic fabric wicks moisture well, but it tends to smell bad after a long ride. Thus, you must buy underwear with anti-bacterial properties to keep nasty odors at bay. This will also help to prevent rashes and skin infections.

Machine-Washable – Since your underwear is right next to your skin, it picks up a lot of sweat and grime. You are going to be washing them every single time you ride, so make sure they are machine washable. It will save you a lot of time.

Quick-Drying – To avoid the need to buy two dozen pairs of underwear, you better make sure they dry quickly in all weather conditions. In general, the better your cycling underwears moisture-wicking properties, the faster it dries.

Of course, based on your personal needs, you also need to consider factors such as padding and fit. This will depend largely on your measurements. Do your research before buying underwear, and you can look forward to a pain-free cycling career.