Why Cyclists Should Always Wear Black Shorts

Random cycling tip of the month:





Which might lead someone to question why they don't wear thicker underwear. The answer, of course, is that cyclists don't wear underwear. It has to do with comfort on the seat. To understand this, we need a bit of an anatomy lesson. If you imagine a diamond in you nether regions with the genitals at the top and the anus at the bottom, then at the two side points (roughly) you will find two bony areas. These are known as the "sit bones," and are what bear most of your weight as you sit in the saddle. If you sit incorrectly and have the fleshy areas support your weight you get the dreaded genital numbness, so it's much preferable to stay on your sit bones. But they're hard, and so is your seat and the road. If you haven't ridden in a while you'll feel a bit bruised and sore until you build up a bit of resistance in the area. And you don't want anything extra there to create problems. You find the sit bones in the crease where the butt tucks under and meets the legs, right where the seam of your underwear runs. Sitting on those seams increases the discomfort tenfold, which is why cycling shorts are made with built-in padding and no seams. Much more comfortable.

Even with good shorts, friction and the repetitiveness of pedaling can eventually move you from soreness to actual sores, which hurt a good deal. So on rides of longer than two hours, most cyclists use products like this: