Cycling Shorts

Cycling shorts are designed with the cyclist's safety and comfort in mind. The less the cyclist has to worry about his or her clothing, the more focus and energy there is to spend on the sport.

Biker shorts and bicycling shorts are other names often applied to cycling shorts but they are interchangeable descriptions. As a rule, they are long enough in the legs to cover the thighs and they are tight fitting to decrease wind resistance.

There was a time when cycling shorts were almost always made from black wool but wool can be hot, is often itchy, and becomes heavy with perspiration after a while.

Spandex has now become the fabric of choice for cycling shorts. It is a more breathable fabric than wool so it's cooler and it clings to the body more smoothly than does wool. This smoother fit improves wind resistance and reduces the risk of getting things dangerously entangled with the cyclist's clothes.

Cycling shorts were once outfitted with a chamois panel in the seat of the pants to provide padding during long biking events and to minimize chafing and rashes that frequently occur from the repetitive pumping of the legs over a long period of time. The original leather chamois has been replaced with a synthetic chamois and, as would be imagined, the panel is cut differently for men's cycling shorts than it is for women's shorts.

Taller cyclists often choose cycling shorts that are held up with a bib and straps that fit over the shoulder like suspenders. These cycling shorts without tight-fitting waistbands are often referred to as bibshorts.

Cyclists with generous tummies seem to prefer bibshorts, too, since the waistband on standard shorts has a tendency to roll down uncomfortably below the belly.