# Thickest padding in high quality shorts?



## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Since I can't buy that many pairs of shorts for a personal test, anyone know which good quality brand has the thickest most comfortable padding?


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Special Eyes said:


> Since I can't buy that many pairs of shorts for a personal test, anyone know which good quality brand has the thickest most comfortable padding?


The thickest ones that I've found are Sportfull Total Comfort bib shorts. Got mine m/o from the UK.


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## jeepsouth (Nov 28, 2011)

I have bibs from Pearl Izumi, Hincapie, Mavic, Garneau and Nashbar. The Pearl Izumis are the best padded, by far. FWIW.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

Special Eyes said:


> Since I can't buy that many pairs of shorts for a personal test, anyone know which good quality brand has the thickest most comfortable padding?


I hope you realize that "thickest" is not necessarily equal to "most comfortable." The density of the padding in bike shorts is nowhere near that of bike saddles and so does not provide any significant cushion. The pad in bike shorts is to wick moisture and to prevent chafing. Many people have found that thick padding feels more like "adult diaper" than "most comfortable."


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## ucfquattroguy (Nov 10, 2012)

Kerry Irons said:


> I hope you realize that "thickest" is not necessarily equal to "most comfortable." The density of the padding in bike shorts is nowhere near that of bike saddles and so does not provide any significant cushion. The pad in bike shorts is to wick moisture and to prevent chafing. Many people have found that thick padding feels more like "adult diaper" than "most comfortable."


I can agree with that statement. I've been riding for a while on a pair of Voler shorts. No idea which model. Padding is somewhat thin, but very comfortable and gets the job done. Recently picked up a pair of B'trager "race" shorts. Very thick padding. I feel like I'm going to have to put serious miles on them before I stop feeling like I slide all around the saddle.


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## coupster (Dec 22, 2012)

Check out AeroTech Designs

How to select a pair of men's bike shorts

I'm pretty much down to a chafe protection chamois with minimum padding. But it took lots of mileage with the same saddle to get there.. I understand the need for padding.

These guys do make and sell a good product.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

jeepsouth said:


> I have bibs from Pearl Izumi, Hincapie, Mavic, Garneau and Nashbar. The Pearl Izumis are the best padded, by far. FWIW.


I have a set of PI (about $125 IIRC) and the density of the pad feels like about 25% as dense as the two sets of Sportful Total Comfort that I have. There is no comparison between the two when riding.


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## Blackbeerthepirate (Apr 26, 2011)

Assos FI.Mille S5 is probably the thickest I've ridden. Great for really long rides and you just can't beat it for that super man-vagina look. One of the best pads is the Castelli Progetto X2. The only problem with the Progetto pad is that it comes from Castelli and their stuff is crap IMO. My favorites are my Capo SC 12 and Volta bibs. The Capo pads are thinner but still comfortable for a long ride. I have some Giordana Lasers that I got for next to nothing, that I like too. That Giordana stuff seems to always be on sale. Quality is pretty close to the Assos and Capo. 

Most of the shorts I have, I got to deal with riding in the heat. So while the Assos have the thickest pad, they can be a little warm. Never a problem with sweat though. The Castellis were like riding around with your junk in an oven. They didn't seem to be able to wick your sweat away either.

Try and keep in mind that a thick padded short doesn't always equate to the best quality ride. Bad fitting straps, legs that ride up or weird fit will piss you off well before your a$$ will ache from a bad pad.


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## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

IMO you don't want thick, you want functional. If you spend some time on the web there are tons of reviews. And even within brands the quality varies. PI for example has several different levels of quality and price. and you want to know about how well the shorts wick and breath as well as fit outside of the chamois, if the stitching is well placed, if the fabric feels good.


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## maximum7 (Apr 24, 2008)

There is a difference between dense and thick. Also to tell some one you don't want one or the other is BS. It's personal preference.
I also think that "carbon threaded" and anti-bacterial has all been taken way to far. 

I gave away my Assos Mille bibs because, while the pad was huge and very thick, it was uncomfortable at after 20 mi. and caused my "twins" pain.
My favorite pads are in my Capo Pursuit and Padrone knickers. They are dense, but not bulky. They just seem to disappear. Fabrics are great, but every time I put them on, I hear stretching sounds and a see a loose thread here and there.

My surprise favorites are My Sugoi RS bibs. I hated these bibs at first, but after spending more time in them I started to love the compression and the pad. Love those bibs. 

Runner up is Exte Ondo. Very good pad. Fabrics and fit are excellent. 

MS Tina Gel-lite bibs. The pad is thin, but gel and they work so darn good. They run a little warm, but for under $100, I haven't ridden anything better. Of note: I've used them 1-3x's a week in the summer for 5 years and the pads are still great.

I tolerate the pad in my PI winter tights. Won't waste money on their shorts. 

Solid Color Bib Cycling Shorts - Cento Cycling

BikeTiresDirect.com - Bicycle products, components and accessories


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Blackbeerthepirate said:


> Assos FI.Mille S5 is probably the thickest I've ridden. Great for really long rides and you just can't beat it for that super man-vagina look. <snip> Most of the shorts I have, I got to deal with riding in the heat. So while the Assos have the thickest pad, they can be a little warm. Never a problem with sweat though.


Adding:
I own several Assos shorts and knickers with the Mille_S5 pad. Very comfortable, and they don't get too hot up here in Norway. The importer told me that the new S7 T.Cento bib short, which is the successor to the T. FI Mille_S5, gives less warm nuts due to it's aptly named Kuku Penthouse. Comes at a price though, as it will be as expensive as the current T. FI.13_S5 when it hits the market late February.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

Special Eyes said:


> Since I can't buy that many pairs of shorts for a personal test, anyone know which good quality brand has the thickest most comfortable padding?


Thick does not necessarily mean more comfortable. Personally prefer dense to thick. In fact the thickest I have are Performance. But soft. Can't stand them. 

My favorite for density was Descente but they seem to only do custom these days. 

Louis Garneau also seem dense but have only tried one pair. 

As someone else mentioned, Aerotech do seem thick and still comfortable.


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## Bill2 (Oct 14, 2007)

I have one old pair of shorts with the thick "diaper" pad and yes, it feels comfortable when you first start out but after awhile the stuff compresses down and doesn't offer much cushioning. The most comfortable shorts I have the pad's a bit thinner but more resilient and long-ride cushiony: Sugoi Evolution and Voler. Also an Italian brand of bibs: Re Artur


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Great replies, thanks. I really do mean density. The PI's have the sculpted shape that is more comfy than many. We need the right padding in only the exact right places not your whole butt. Aerotech has a decent pad, but the garment material is thin and unsupportive.


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

De Marchi Contour Plus are the most dense I've used. They are only really thick/dense right under the sit bones though so there's no bulk where it would be bad to have it. They have the best pad, for me, of everything I've tried.

They retail around $200 but last I looked it was really easy to find them around $100.


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## DaveG (Feb 4, 2004)

Probably the most dense chamois I own out of many, many bibs I've used are the DeSoto 400's. The chamois is also probably the largest I've used (in terms of area). They are one of my favorites for long rides. I find many of todays thick, super-sculpted, multi-layered chamois to be more gimmicky than useful. The more elastic the chamois the better, in my experience


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## al0 (Jan 24, 2003)

"Thickest" is not equal to "most comfortable", for many peoples (me including) it is just opposite, especially on long rides.


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## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

Another vote for PI for thickest. 

For most comfortable I would say LG


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

CleavesF said:


> Another vote for PI for thickest.


How thick are they?


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

My favorites for long rides are Sugoi's new RSE shorts. They use a perforated gel in the meat of the pad which is probably too thick for many riders but is the first pad I've run into that keeps its loft after 70+ miles. They are expensive but worth it if you really need padding.

Warning: these are designed with racers in mind so they run very small. I have always worn small shorts but in the RSEs I am more comfortable in larges. Go figure...


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## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

Mike T. said:


> How thick are they?


At least 3/4" of an inch. I mean they're like texas toast.


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## jnbrown (Dec 9, 2009)

I also like Sportful because the padding is dense but not to thick.
I have the Saxo Bank ones. Also have Exte Ondo and they are pretty good but the pad is a little on the thin side. Also have Gore Ozon and they are also good but the pad a little more squishy and they run really big, size small is too loose on me but medium in the other brands fit good and I like a tight fit.


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## Troy G (Sep 30, 2013)

Do the Sportful Total Comfort fit small or is their size guide generous. After I take my measurements I am a 2XL chest, an XL for waist, and a 3XL for height. Any size advice as I will be ordering online and would like to try and avoid the hassle of having to test an online vendors return policy.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

bradkay said:


> My favorites for long rides are Sugoi's new RSE shorts. They use a perforated gel in the meat of the pad which is probably too thick for many riders but is the first pad I've run into that keeps its loft after 70+ miles. They are expensive but worth it if you really need padding.
> 
> Warning: these are designed with racers in mind so they run very small. I have always worn small shorts but in the RSEs I am more comfortable in larges. Go figure...


I took another look at my RSEs and wanted to modify my statement: 

The thickest, most dense part of the padding are the two sections that go under the sit bones. They rather resemble in size and shape the raised sections of the old touring saddles. The rest of the chamois is actually quite thin, except for two raised grooves (about a third of the thickness of the sit pads) on either side of the penile nerve that everyone is trying to protect from contact with the saddle.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Troy G said:


> Do the Sportful Total Comfort fit small or is their size guide generous. After I take my measurements I am a 2XL chest, an XL for waist, and a 3XL for height. Any size advice as I will be ordering online and would like to try and avoid the hassle of having to test an online vendors return policy.


They fit small and they're well known for fitting small.


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## colorider7 (Jun 14, 2012)

Another vote here for Assos Mille. I have tried numerous high quality brands (Castelli, Sugoi, Rapha, Primal, DNA, top end PI etc.) and have found Assos the most reliable / comfortable / best fitting / functioning for everyday riding (including epic long rides for hours upon end in the saddle).


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks, everyone, for the great comments.. I went with the Sugoi RS and thanks Mike & Brad for the tip on sizing. You were correct.


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