Why Wear a Clunky, Diaper-Looking Chamois?
If you’re new to cycling or you’re used to going on casual tours at a reasonable pace, you may not yet have discovered just how vicious the seams of your clothing can be. Normally, the soft, curving seams of your pants and underwear lay low, never revealing the darker side of their nature. Most of the time, they do what they’re supposed to do – rest gently against your body, holding your clothes in place.
As any endurance cyclist can tell you, on longer, more aggressive rides, those seams are your worse enemy. Rhythmically sawing back and forth as you ride, they can literally rub a hole in your skin. Unpleasant bleeding and painful saddle sores can result and keep you off the bike for days.
That clunky, diaper-looking, chamois pad that makes cycling shorts look so weird when they’re hanging in the store can save you. The padding cuts down on chafing and the seams are deliberately sewn to avoid the sensitive areas that are most likely to suffer from merciless, abrasive seams.
Be sure to keep the chamois soft by washing it after every use and applying chamois cream. If your tights don’t have a chamois, wear shorts with chamois inserts underneath. It’s worth it. Trust me, this is one lesson you really don’t want to learn the hard way!