Shorts for longer distances
Discussion
As I've got more in to biking, so the distances covered have crept up more consistently to the point where a typical ride is 2 hours and there are occasional 4 hour stints. Hardly TdF type stuff, but still...I'm keen to do some 80+ mile stuff and am signed up to a couple this year.
As the time and distance have gone up, so comfort becomes more of an issue and what I'm finding now is that at around 30-40 miles things start to deteriorate on that front. I'm off for a bike fit in the next few weeks and I've bought decent gear to wear. What I've found is that I need a wide saddle, due to seat bone width. What I'm also finding is that the shorts I've bought (Gore and Altura) have fairly similar sized pads in them and if anything, I need a wider pad. The rest of the short fits fine.
Do bigger sizes have bigger pads? Should I compromise on fit elsewhere to ensure a comfy bum?! Are different sizes of pads available in different ranges?
Any advice from any other wide arses out there would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks
As the time and distance have gone up, so comfort becomes more of an issue and what I'm finding now is that at around 30-40 miles things start to deteriorate on that front. I'm off for a bike fit in the next few weeks and I've bought decent gear to wear. What I've found is that I need a wide saddle, due to seat bone width. What I'm also finding is that the shorts I've bought (Gore and Altura) have fairly similar sized pads in them and if anything, I need a wider pad. The rest of the short fits fine.
Do bigger sizes have bigger pads? Should I compromise on fit elsewhere to ensure a comfy bum?! Are different sizes of pads available in different ranges?
Any advice from any other wide arses out there would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks
Much as I like Assos shorts myself I cannot justify them to you on account of cost
In fact I only wear mine for rides of over 4h to save wearing them out - although my first pair are now years old, have been worn countless times and still look and feel new

Shorts will help a lot but also your arse needs to MTFU too, my first big rides of the season always feel a bit 'tender'
The Endura ones you linked to look good although Im not sure why youre looking at Wheelies, Ive just had a skim on Google out of interest and they are much cheaper elsewhere
Good luck!
ferrisbueller said:
Think I've got some of them under the stairs, you can try them for fit if you like. With pants, obviously.From memory they're very compressive on the legs.
numtumfutunch said:
Much as I like Assos shorts myself I cannot justify them to you on account of cost
In fact I only wear mine for rides of over 4h to save wearing them out - although my first pair are now years old, have been worn countless times and still look and feel new
Shorts will help a lot but also your arse needs to MTFU too, my first big rides of the season always feel a bit 'tender'
The Endura ones you linked to look good although Im not sure why youre looking at Wheelies, Ive just had a skim on Google out of interest and they are much cheaper elsewhere
Good luck!
They are the recently launched FS260 SLs in which you can specify the pad width. Cheaper ones are the standard FS260.In fact I only wear mine for rides of over 4h to save wearing them out - although my first pair are now years old, have been worn countless times and still look and feel new

Shorts will help a lot but also your arse needs to MTFU too, my first big rides of the season always feel a bit 'tender'
The Endura ones you linked to look good although Im not sure why youre looking at Wheelies, Ive just had a skim on Google out of interest and they are much cheaper elsewhere
Good luck!
ferrisbueller said:
Use those myself, love them, wear and wash well, even racing wet muddy cross races hasn't destroyed them too quickly as it tends to abrade the stitching in the pad, some other brands don't always last out one of my seasons.I bought a pair of Gore 2.0 bib shorts in early Feb. Despite having a couple weeks off the bike due to injury they are falling apart where the pad is sewn into the shorts (all round) I did check the stitching when i bought them too. Terrible. Maybe its a Friday afternoon batch maybe not, I've got no experience of shorts over 50-60 quid to compare with though.
They are brilliant to wear on long distances, I can't fault that. Just that in slightly less than 2 months of ownership and about 5 weeks of actual use they are coming apart. There's no stitching or anything like that n my saddle for them to catch on either.
Perhaps some longer term users of Gore shorts can enlighten us as to whether I've been unlucky or thats what to expect?
Despite buying at a local chain (an being a regular repeat customer) I'm getting grief about replacement due to the receipt being made of paper that while its been sat on my desk had (unknown to me until i looked for it) turned black so you cant read anything but the shop name and the date. great. (that's a separate moan though)
They are brilliant to wear on long distances, I can't fault that. Just that in slightly less than 2 months of ownership and about 5 weeks of actual use they are coming apart. There's no stitching or anything like that n my saddle for them to catch on either.
Perhaps some longer term users of Gore shorts can enlighten us as to whether I've been unlucky or thats what to expect?
Despite buying at a local chain (an being a regular repeat customer) I'm getting grief about replacement due to the receipt being made of paper that while its been sat on my desk had (unknown to me until i looked for it) turned black so you cant read anything but the shop name and the date. great. (that's a separate moan though)
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