# Shorts - womens vs mens & does it really matter?



## mahgnillig

I'm curious as to whether it really matters (other than for style) whether you buy shorts designed for women or men. Is there something about the chamois that is generally different? If you were buying a pair of plain black shorts that were the same size, would you notice a difference?


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## Andrea138

The chamois is usually shaped a little differently, and the inseam is usually shorter.


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## velogy

you will notice the difference.

but you will notice quality before you will notice shape.

take your undies to the dressing room and try on every pair of shorts you are interested in. look to be sure that the pad is not sticking out in the rear and that if you bent over in an areo position on the bike your entire soft tissue area would be covered. 

cost is of primary importance. there are a lot of places you can hit the cheaps in the bike world. shorts is not one of them. please please please heed the advice. you will me much happier in the present and years down the road. 

Capo makes stuff you will not have regrets about later.


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## mahgnillig

Mostly the reason I was asking is because I found some Voler men's shorts on sale for under $10. Seems like too good a deal to pass on considering their stuff is generally regarded as being good quality, especially since I prefer longer legs and a shorter waist height. However, if the men's chamois is going to be uncomfortably different to the women's version, I will pass.


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## cxwrench

the difference between chamois design for men and women is not as great as it was a few years ago, but i'd still recommend you look for women's shorts, and i'd REALLY recommend that you spend more than $10 on shorts, i don't care how much they're on sale.


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## velogy

$10 is a good deal. If you hate them you haven't invested too much and it's a cheap way to really understand the difference. Then you have a cheap pair of shorts for the quick trips to the coffee shop/grocery store. For the long run though...take the advice the same way you take advise from your mom about skin care. She is telling you this for a good reason the you will only understand years down the road.


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## il sogno

I rode with men's shorts for 10-15 years until they started to make woman specific shorts. For $10 they're worth a try.


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## Loraura

Those 10 buck Voler shorts are often their sizing examples for people ordering kits, and will have a voler logo on the legs. No biggie, except the Voler logo on gray is slightly transparent. And covers the top half of your butt.

Think abuot that.

They are seethru enough to see the tag that is attached on the inside of the seam from the outside.


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## California L33

Loraura said:


> Those 10 buck Voler shorts are often their sizing examples for people ordering kits, and will have a voler logo on the legs. No biggie, except the Voler logo on gray is slightly transparent. And covers the top half of your butt.
> 
> Think abuot that.
> 
> They are seethru enough to see the tag that is attached on the inside of the seam from the outside.


And for some reason you end up with a lot of wheel suckers :blush2:


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## il sogno

California L33 said:


> And for some reason you end up with a lot of wheel suckers :blush2:


Yeah, I wouldn't get those shorts.


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## mahgnillig

Ordered a pair to check them out... $8.46 + free shipping  I will be interested to see how they match up to my other shorts, since I need at least 1 more pair for road biking (my MTB shorts aren't comfortable on the road bike). If they are see-through at least I can put some cargos on over the top & wear them for mountain biking or something


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## Pbrink

Where did you find them? If they're a good quality pair of shorts, I could go for a couple pairs myself at that price!


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## Mtn2RoadConvert

I agree that the chamois is shaped a bit different. That being said, my club has been using Voler for our team kits for awhile and the new Trilogy chamois is great. For $10 you really can't go wrong if they fit. Even if they aren't super comfortable for long rides they would probably still work for spin class or shorter rides.


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## mahgnillig

Well, I got my shorts in the mail today. I haven't had a chance to test them out on the bike yet, but first impressions are favourable. They seem to be really well made, with a good quality chamois. The side panels are a lighter weight fabric than the front & back, so they're a little sheer, but not totally see through - the black fabric just appears to be more grey from the side. The front and back panels are good quality heavyweight spandex (you can't see the label or anything else around that area through the fabric). The fit is as you'd expect from men's shorts... a little lower in the waist and a little longer in the leg (this is actually preferable to me since I hate high-waisted clothing of any description).

They only have these in size XS, but I'm 5'2" & 120lbs, and they fit me rather well. Here is the link in case anyone else is interested: http://www.velowear.com/products/1110274PRTXSM.aspx

I'm not going to post a picture of me wearing them (not really into posting pictures of my posterior on the internet), but they look exactly like the picture on the website when they're on.


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## velogy

OMG! Fashion Show please! 

seriously. i'm joking but it would be funny if you did it. just don't post your face.

actually, you right. you shouldn't now that we have been talking about those shorts we'll be able to spot you on the road.


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