# Shorts with the chammy farthest forward



## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Hi guys,

I've just switched saddles to one with much thinner, firmer padding than the previous ones. I've always had some issues with sit bone soreness, but I have to use the current saddle for several weeks. This one is making rides really uncomfortable. However, I just realised that all my shorts (several brands (including Tactic, Exte Ondo NRS and a couple of others seem to have the chammy so far back that I end up with my sit bones not being on the thickest part of the padding but rather, on the thinner areas towards the front. I hadn't noticed the problem before as I could just about live with the softer saddles.

I know manufacturers place their chammy's in different ways - each has their own theory. So the question is, does anybody know of a manufacturer that places the chammy farthest forward? 

I am assuming their is someone anal enough (no pun intended), to have this information at their fingertips.

Thanks


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

Why bother with getting different bibs? I have heard from a well-respected source within the industry that most bibs are actually made by the same company and they just have different brand names put on them... In fact, it's basically common knowledge that the pro riders don't even wear the bibs made by their sponsor company, but rather they're all wearing bibs made by an Italian tailor who precisely measures their nether regions and designs a chamois specifically for them. He's then able to make them look exactly like the cheap bibs that the sponsor company sells to the rest of us to fool us all.... clearly the only answer is a trip to Italy to visit the tailor.

Sorry... I couldn't resist. LOL In all seriousness, to me it sounds more like a saddle problem and less like a bib problem. Have you been fitted? Have you had your sit-bones measured? When they did the measurement, were you sitting up straight or where you leaned forward in the position you'd be in when riding the bike? Hope you get it figured out.


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Ha ha... It's not a saddle width issue. My bike is properly fitted and custom made. It might be an issue with my sit bones being closer to my genitals that other riders???


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

I have no idea which companies place their pads furthest forward. But the following tip from this article on BikeRadar might be helpful in finding a better pair of shorts (see pics in the article):

_With the bib straps on a clotheshanger, the back of the pad absolutely should not be higher than the front of the pad. In our favorite shorts, the dense part of the pad — the saddle-like area — is centered at the bottom, with the front ‘modesty’ cover rising up noticeably higher than the back end of the pad._


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Hi ibericb,

This article is what provoked my question! Up to then I didn't know that companies placed their pads that differently. Unfortunately their article doesn't go into which companies place their pads where.


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

mambo said:


> Hi ibericb,
> 
> This article is what provoked my question! Up to then I didn't know that companies placed their pads that differently. Unfortunately their article doesn't go into which companies place their pads where.


Well they show a several comparative examples in the slideshow at the top. That might help you get started, or eliminate a few others. Note that in their comparisons they looked at BOTH at position fore-aft of the overall pad AND how the thickest part extended from rear to front. As you've figured out, it's not just pad position, but it is where the thick stuff in the pad is positioned. Based on their photos and comments, if I were in your position Panache, Bontrager and Rapha would be at the top of my list to try.

Still, like with saddles, you're on your own to find the ones that work best for you. If you can't find better candidates locally, the nice thing about online retailers is you can order, evaluate, and return for a full refund if it isn't what you wanted. Just pick the seller carefully and know their return policy before you order.


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## jeepsouth (Nov 28, 2011)

I have a similar problem and I guess it is just in the way we're made. I have not done a lot of research, but I have found the Cannondale Domestique bibs to be the best for the type of situation you've described. Second place goes to the Hincapie bibs, Performer series, I think.
BTW, the Cannondale's are way, way better than the others, at least for me. I have tried Pearl Izumi, Mavic, Garneau and Voler, and nothing else comes close to the Cannondale's except the Hincapies, which are in the ballpark.
This is not scientific by any stretch, but I hope it helps some.


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

I used to pull my bibs forward in an attempt to alleviate the very same thing. This was back when my fit was all wonky. With the seat a good 1cm further than before (it was really, realllly back there) all of a sudden every chamois is perfectly placed and when I sit back down I hit that sucker square on, dead in the middle of each cheek pad.

It also used to happen with a particular pair of Castelli bibs, which were too small for me in hindsight.


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## bikepro (Jan 22, 2006)

Just so you know, it's spelled "Chamois". Old school wool shorts used a piece of chamois leather -- the same thing used to dry cars -- to absorb sweat.

Chamois - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

bikepro said:


> Just so you know, it's spelled "Chamois".


So, you couldn't figure out what in the world they were talking about?
I guess you eventually figured it out.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Voler shorts have the chamois pretty far forward.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Just wear your normal shorts back to front


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## Mcfarton (May 23, 2014)

Mike T. said:


> Just wear your normal shorts back to front


Lol like kris kross


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Thanks, guys, Voler, Hincappie and Cannondale That points me in the right direction!


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

bikepro said:


> Just so you know, it's spelled "Chamois". Old school wool shorts used a piece of chamois leather -- the same thing used to dry cars -- to absorb sweat.
> 
> Chamois - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Hi Bikepro, I started riding in the era when real "chamois" shorts were the only option, but everybody I know uses "chammy", and anyway, is it really correct to call the inserts "chamois" when they really aren't made with chamois any longer?


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

mambo said:


> Thanks, guys, Voler, Hincappie and Cannondale That points me in the right direction!


Funny, because in the BikeRadar article from one year ago, Hincappie shorts were the ones with the pad rotated the most rearward. Maybe they changed in 2014.


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## bikepro (Jan 22, 2006)

duriel said:


> So, you couldn't figure out what in the world they were talking about?
> I guess you eventually figured it out.


Sure, and Kat can also be use to spell "cat" but do you really want that?


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## dcgriz (Feb 13, 2011)

mambo said:


> Ha ha... It's not a saddle width issue. My bike is properly fitted and custom made. It might be an issue with my sit bones being closer to my genitals that other riders???


I am trying to picture this.........

IMO, your issues are not with your anatomy but rather with your saddle width, your saddle fore-aft and maybe your overall bike fit. Custom does not mean a whole lot just because it's custom.

Take a piece of carboard, put it on a flat surface and sit on it. The distance between the two depressions your sit bones will make + 2cm is the saddle width you should be using. Then, the saddle needs to be positioned so your butt rides on the wider part of the saddle. Lastly, you need to rotate your pelvis when you ride to get the best fit between sit bones and saddle.

Regarding bibs, Assos Mile have the best chamois I have found, both in quality and coverage. These are the shorts I use when I do over 200 miles at a clip. For 40-80 mile rides most bibs will be ok if your fit is good.


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## bvber (Apr 23, 2011)

Mike T. said:


> Just wear your normal shorts back to front


For the victims of transporter malfunction.


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## ghettocop (Apr 19, 2014)

I own and frequently wear bibs from Sportful, (several models), Cuore, Capo, and Pissei. I also have older bibs from Performance and PI. The Pissei Bibs seem to be made with the entire chamois applied slightly more forward than the others. The model of these is (Cuore Italiano). Kind of hard to find as they are an Italian based company. My shops kits are made by them and they retail for around 170.00. There seems to be an excessive amount of counterfeiting with these for some reason which I don't quite understand as they are not popular. So stay away from all the 39.00 ones that pop up all over the internet.. The Chamois should be made by EIT.


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Saddle width is correct as measured by Retul as well as body geometry and San marco systems. Done the cardboard thing too!


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

Are you sure you're getting the right size bibs?

I know the exact issue you are trying to address as I went though it myself and turns out I just needed a size smaller bibs.


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## cnardone (Jun 28, 2014)

Jay Strongbow said:


> Are you sure you're getting the right size bibs?
> 
> I know the exact issue you are trying to address as I went though it myself and turns out I just needed a size smaller bibs.


I have this 'Forward' issue with 2 bibs and not with the other 2. The 2 without the issue are size L and have the most compression. The 2 with the issue are XL and are not tight at all. When riding I pull down the leg to get the chamois in the right place. They are 2 big I guess.

This site has been a great resource for me. Just a big thanks to everyone who contributes.

cmn


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## ChadoftheNW (Dec 15, 2014)

Etxeondo - Helping riders to fly since 1976

Well, like others have said yoy must start with the fit and then the saddle position.
Assuming you have done that basic stuff I would say check out Etxeondo bib shorts.
I have tons of bib shorts and was sent a couple of these by the company and while extremely nice I was "what's up with the padding up there"? My but was well covered but the padding seems very "long" in a not so bad sort of way. 
Competitive Cyclist has these in stock. Not an everyday short for those in the American market but well know in the Euro shops.
They are made in the Basque region of Spain - a area known for it's quality garments and cycling equipment.
a short list of cyclist that have used these fine shorts:
DELGADO, KELLY, INDURAIN, ROMINGER, OLANO, JALABERT, ZULLE, BELOKI, ULLRICH, VINOKOUROV and CONTADOR,


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