Pretty self-explanatory. I (male if it matters) had never realized that nothing under was possibly the best choice and lived with chafing from bunched up underwear after longer rides as expected as I adjust to distance. Wore a compression style underwear and lots better but googling for best under the shorts advice I read that nothing is the standard. I never knew!
So what do you do?
When I wear bike shorts, I go commando.
Nothing IS standard. When I first started wearing bike shorts 35 years ago, I tried some special “no seam” underwear. Not the worst but not great. So I stopped the under britches.
Now I almost never have chafing or any pain. The Lycra alone with nothing underneath also makes for ideal moisture wicking.
You forgot to list Chamois Butter.
Just sayin’.
When I started mountain biking I wore loose over-shorts that had standard chamois padding built in, and underwear underneath. I rode with XC-race types who wore road shorts and went commando, so they looked at me like I was on glue.
It wasn’t very comfortable, so then I switched to no underwear, which was better.
But then I switched to no underwear, no liner, and just paper-thin nylon shorts, like knee-length swim trunks, almost. Tons of cool ventilation and plums swinging like Tarzan, but who cares as it’s so comfortable. No chafing, no rashes, nothing.
Aren’t bike shorts designed to be worn as the innermost layer of clothing? Kind of like Under Armour clothing?
The whole point of cycling shorts (like the ones you see the Tour riders wearing) is that they go on first. If you needs something else, that goes on over the shorts.
When I was riding, I wore shorts with padding, nothing else. On the handcycle, bike-style running shorts with the built-in brief.
Yup.
I never knew anyone wore anything under them.
I always thought they were made of a nylon spandex(lycra) blend, but wikipedia says usually just spandex. Maybe it’s the artificial chamois pad that’s nylon. At any rate, they’re made with those materials to avoid chafing. Wearing something under them defeats that, since just about any other fabric will chafe.
When I did a lot of mountain biking, I never wore anything under the weasel squeezers. If I needed pockets I’d wear cargo shorts over them, but the cargo shorts tended to hang up on the nose of the saddle on steep descents. That would often cause a :eek: moment.
They make mountain biking shorts which have a padded inner short. They aren’t bad. Not as good as regular bike shorts but a nice compromise when you are out in public.
They make mountain biking shorts which have a padded inner short. They aren’t bad. Not as good as regular bike shorts but a nice compromise when you are out in public and/or need pockets.
The ones I have, are a little tighter than regular shorts in the groin so that they don’t hang up much. They also have a different material on the inner thighs so they slide against the seat.
Nice user name / post.
On the Tour de France, after a crash, you occasionally get rather graphic proof that competitive cyclists wear nothing underneath.
Well, that explains a bit. My ex-dance partner* used to cycle over to my place for practice in what I thought of as his unnecessary “Tour de France” regalia. A whole 3 miles, that is. I’m not saying I made a habit of thinking about it, but after many hours of practicing Latin dance, I was fairly certain that the bike shorts were the only garment worn below. 
Glad to know that that wasn’t just his personal idiosyncrasy.
*We taught beginner’s dance classes together and wedding dance choreography, etc.
Yes, if you’re going to be walking around much at one end or the other of your ride, the rest of us would all love it if you’d wear something over the biking shorts. Otherwise it just looks like you’re smuggling small fruit.
On the other hand, if you want to go free-balling like Shamozzle, that’s fine too as long as the shorts are long enough to cover all eventualities.
I make these remarks as a potential observer, not as a participant.
Road cycling shorts (or bibs) are designed to be worn with nothing underneath. They have (synthetic) chamois in them to both provide cushioning & wick moisture. The lycra/spandex is also designed to compress your muscles to help prevent/delay muscle fatigue.
Do not buy cheap cycling shorts! While you don’t need to spend $200 (& up), cheap ones look like good ones but are significantly inferior. I’ve seen cheap ones where the padding is akin to covered foam rubber. Doesn’t have anywhere near the cushioning & the materials, instead of being moisture wicking actually create extra moisture in that region, which can lead to saddle sores & there’s just enough lycra to be form fitting, whilst not doing anything for muscle compression. One can tell the difference on long (or even medium length) rides.
The bike short IS the undergarment. It took me a few rides with damp, bunched cotton briefs to accept this. I do wear gym shorts over the bikes short because nobody wants to see that.
Two words. Pearl Izumi.