Shopping for the desirable Cycling Pants

Casual bicycle riders who ride on Saturdays just to appreciate being outdoors tend to wear anything from blue jeans to standard shorts. But savvy bike riders fully comprehend how important it is to have a great pair of bicycling pants. It usually takes new bicyclist’s a good while to figure out that skimping on such an important piece of clothing is a bad idea

I had to find out the hard way how important cycling pants  and cycle shorts were, after I got rubbed raw on my first tour and could barely sit down for a week afterward. But at least I didn’t split my pants wide open the way my riding partner did halfway through the tour. Both of us bought cycling pants for our next tour, and we haven’t had any problems since.

So, what should you be looking at when you’re shopping for a new set of cycling clothing? Well, I think most experienced riders would say the most important thing is comfort, especially on longer trips.

And to be comfortable, the cycling and running tights have to fit properly. Make certain you try the tights on before you buy them, because sizing can differ. You need to have a snug fit for the pants, without being uncomfortably tight. Don’t check the fit when you’re standing; check them while you’re in a rider’s crouch.

Pants that are too loose will more than likely chafe you. That’s where pants with spandex or Lycra can help, because they fit snugly but they’ll stretch where and when they need to.

Pants normally are made up of spandex or Lycra combined with polyester or nylon.

Nylon is known for its terrific ability to absorb dampness, keeping you dry and comfy. Nylon is long-lasting but doesn’t hold dyes well, so its color fades over time.

Polyester is similar to nylon and performs even a little better than nylon for dampness management, because polyester is more hydrophobic. Nylon threads absorb more water than polyester, so nylon will feel colder when wet and will stay wet longer, which impedes its breath ability. But polyester retains more odors than nylon and isn’t as durable.

Many cyclists used to consider wool too scratchy to wear, but the new merino wool is comfortable and soft. It is non-allergenic and has better wicking properties than the artificial materials. Wool also doesn’t get as smelly when you ride as synthetics, but it’s higher priced and doesn’t shed the wind as well.

The brand of weave in the yarn might be as crucial as the variety of fabric. The best weave features a yarn on the exterior that is thinner than the yarn on the inside. This encourages the wicking capabilities, with the skinny yarn giving the dampness more room to spread out and evaporate. This terrific brand of construction can be found in certain nylon and polyester fabrics.

Bib pants are a favorite choice with serious bicyclist’s because they don’t rub their waist. Bib pants also tend to be cooler. An extra benefit of bibs is that when you’re riding in wet weather, the shoulder straps hold your pants in place, so they don’t hang or sag.

Some of the more serious bicyclist’s will alternate pants, wearing a different type of pants on successive days so they don’t always get rubbed in the same place.