Seems like it would help keep the shorts from getting stinky.
Edit 1: friction is the answer
Edit 2: sorry for this edit – i was trying to make a new post, but Blorp for some reason took me to editing this one instead. Trying to put it back the way it was…
I think he is saying if you wear an outside pad, not a tampon, you need something to stick it to that won’t be moving around.
I commute on an electric bike, in my work clothes, and seriously hope to never take a ride so long that I need gear. 6 miles or so is my limit.
I know that the padded bike shorts are supposed to be form fitting and minimize friction, but I have no personal experience about whether a menstrual pad would move less with or without wearing underwear under the bike shorts.
But if the extra underwear is for reasons of higyene instead, I am not sure why more men wouldn’t do it too. It sounds like the rich person answer is to just not worry about it and buy new shorts whenever your wear out from direct contact with skin.
I feel you on the bike commuting. Even when i was commuting short distances, I’d get to work way too sweaty. I’ve started riding an electric scooter to work instead, and now I’m not sweaty at all.
I would wear padded bike shorts when I plan to be biking for half an hour or longer. Thats when i start having back problems without padding.
It seems like people don’t typically wear underwear under them so I’ll have to look for tips to cut the stink. I already have some special soap for technical fabrics from amazon but it doesn’t do much.
Do you have a vagina? They have discharge. I’ve never had a penis before but they seem drier. If you have a vagina then by the end of the day you’ll likely have visible discharge stains on your underwear, so maybe women bike riders would prefer the underwear, idk. (I cycle but don’t wear bike shorts so idk about that.)
No vagina here. But i do have two holes that both sometimes have discharge. Sometimes visible. For complete disambiguation, this is the urethra and anus. It’s not like a lot, but it is unpredictable, and sometimes enough to leave a smell and sometimes be gross. Usually the anus.
They wouldn’t stain the outside of the shorts but they very well might stain the inside.
If women would prefer to wear underwear to protect their expensive bike shorts, I’m not sure why i wouldn’t either, except for the friction issue people mention.
Vaginas are a 3rd hole full of fluids that you do not have. You aren’t grinding your penis head into the seat.
I am grinding the balls and anus, which are also gross and emit fluids, just to a different degree. Up above they mentioned women may wear underwear if they’re also wearing menstrual pads. I’m trying to find out if that is because the underwear keeps the pad in place better, or if it is as an additional layer for leakage. In the second case, if some people wear underwear as a barrier for body fluids, despite the chafing, that is what I’m trying to ascertain.
Do you wear underwear with padded bike shorts?
Women also have buttholes and urethras… Vaginas are a lot wetter and leave more discharge. It’s not just about protecting expensive bike shorts. It gets uncomfortably damp and feels unpleasant. (I have never worn bike shorts to be clear, I just mean being commando in general).
I am specifically talking about protecting bike shorts
The comment you replied to is talking about hygiene, and you asked why the hygiene would be different. I explained.
My context is the whole comment chain, including the original question. I’m trying to make an informed descision and see what other people do, vagina-having, or no.
Bike shorts are close fitting like underwear anyway, except that they’re also really expensive, so it is not comparable to going commando in my mind. As other people in the comments have said, bike shorts tend to get soaked with sweat also, so they’re going to be damp either way, though they are a wicking material. The commenter mentioned wearing underwear over pads or menstrual products, which I’m still trying to understand if the underwear is as a protective barrier, if it helps the pad stay in place better, or both. Because as a protective layer to contain leaks, it is similar to what I’m trying to do.
I’m interested in protecting my shorts from body fluids to help them last longer, which is different from the “feeling uncomfortable” and “visibly showing” part of what you’re saying, so I am seeing the difference in what you’re saying. It might be worth it to someone for those reasons, regardless of protecting the shorts.
Since you don’t wear padded bike shorts though, I still haven’t heard first hand if anyone makes a trade off between the advantages of wearing underwear under them, vs. the friction cost.