Mtn biking- what do you prefer to wear on the bottom?

[Moonrocket]

Baggy or tight? Shorts or capris?

I have been really into capris - not sure how much protection they give my knees, but they seem to offer some.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Baggies - really baggy; actually, men's shorts - with a liner (chamois) inside. I started wearing baggy shorts made of tough material when I started riding lift-serviced trails, and I like it so much I wear them all the time. Also: pockets!

 

[altagirl]

It totally depends on what I'm riding. For the most part, I save the lycra for road riding, but I have worn lycra when I'm out on my singlespeed on XC rides. Most of the time I wear baggy shorts though, and I have some capris that I really like as well. Mostly for sun protection - I'm sick of having the goofy tan that starts a few inches above my knees.

If I'm actually looking for protection from abrasions/impact, then I wear knee/shin guards with my shorts. And I have a whole collection of riding shorts that vary from nice and thin and stretchy for hotter weather and lower risk rides to basically moto shorts, which are super thick and abrasion proof and even have padded liners that not only have the chamois seat padding, but padding for your hip bones and outer thighs as well. Totally depends on what I'm doing.

And I know I'm a bit weird with this, but I quit wearing chamois liners for regular riding a few years ago. Started that way when I was singlespeeding, because you're standing so much it seemed silly to wear them, and then I realized that I think I actually chafe less without the chamois. I just wear these https://www.victoriassecret.com/pan...y-victoria?ProductID=125684&CatalogueType=OLS with my riding shorts, and I think they're satiny/slippery enough that it kind of provides a frictionless layer that feels more comfortable (and dry) than a chamois.

Mind you - that's just my weird personal preference, and I still wear riding shorts with a chamois and nothing else when I go road riding. YMMV, obviously.

 

[VickiK]

I wear regular cycling shorts with a stretchy skirt over it because I'm embarassed about having my lycra-encased butt on display. It works for doing the fire roads I typically ride on at Point Mugu State Park.

 

[geargrrl]

I wear baggies over a liner. I've ridden plenty in lycra only, but I prefer the look of something over lycra. I started wearing baggies over lycra when I was doing a lot of advocacy work that involved engaging the DH/FR crowd. I find I like pockets, too.

 

[altagirl]

And my favorite brand lately are these:

I have them in the pink and the KTO color, in the DH knicker length.
https://www.shredly.com/the-dh-knicker/the-kto

 

[Moonrocket]

What do you put in your pockets? Does it not fall out?

 

[bounceswoosh]

My baggy shorts have zippers or buttons on pockets - much like ski pants. What do I put in there? Chapstick, cash, goggle pouch, lift ticket stub ... basically whatever I need readily at hand. Chapstick is the big one, though.

 

[geargrrl]

What she said, they all have zips or velcro or snaps... for me it is usually in some form and if I'm teaching, a cell phone 'cuz I need to keep track of the time.

 

[geargrrl]

Connie those shorts are HOT

 

[geargrrl]

Shredly - chamois liner shorts on sale right now....

 

[geargrrl]

oops. I meant to say, FOOD in some form...

 

[abc]

Baggy or tight? Shorts or capris?

I have been really into capris - not sure how much protection they give my knees, but they seem to offer some.

It's purely, purely personal. And I found little to no rational nor consensus on those. It depends on where you ride, what you ride and who you are...

I'm a roadie through and through. So I don't really care for baggy at all. Even though I owned a couple, which I bought before I realized there's no point. Stuff in the pockets has a tendency to fall out (can you say "creative dismount"?). And the extra layer makes my butt sweat extra!

As for protection, I do own padded tights. But it's often too hot to wear those in the middle of summer. (my thigh sweat A LOT, so I can't stand capris). By the time it's cool enough to wear capri, it's also cool enough to wear full length tight, which offers protection to my shins and calfs from branches in addition to protecting my knees.

Same goes to the top too. I either wear short sleeve jersey or long sleeve jersey, entirely depending on temperature. I don't wear jersey that covers my elbow but not my forearm (true, there're no such jersey available, but I guess I really don't get the point of capris)

For real protection from falling on rocks and such, I have knee/shin guards!

 

[altagirl]

That's funny abc -- we're total opposites.

I love capris (on my road bike, most of the time I wear capris, even when it's 100 degrees - the ones I have are designed/proven to stay like 7 degrees cooler than bare skin even though they are black) and love 3/4 length sleeves (that cover your elbow but not your forearm). That's kind of a comfort thing when I'm downhilling - if I've got elbow guards on, I don't want space between the sleeve and elbow guard (where I get a ridiculous suntan stripe on my arm), and the 3/4 sleeve goes over the top to ensure no overlap, but without the overkill of full length sleeves. (And I have a whole pile of 3/4 sleeve jerseys, so they definitely make them!)

And oddly enough - the hotter and sunnier it is, the more covered up I am. I have found that I'm cooler the more I keep the sun off of my skin, so light colored long sleeves and even darker colored capris that keep the sun off of my thighs and knees keep me cooler than having the sun on my skin. It's possibly also related to the fact that my calves and forearms almost never sunburn, but my upper arms and thighs do. And I generally hate the feeling of sunscreen on my skin, so I'd rather wear light colored lightweight layers instead of sunscreen whenever I can.

 

[abc]

That's funny abc -- we're total opposites.

I wonder if it may have to do with humidity?

All this talk about clothing keeping the rider cooler, no one in my club does it! I don't see anyone wearing 3/4 length sleeve jersey in the east, nor capris either. When it's 90 degrees and 90% humidity, I see a lot of sleeveless jersey (on the road)! I even went for sleeveless on trail rides if the trail I'm riding has few obstacles that could potentially cause me any "involuntary dismount"!

Another thing, about "keeping the sun off the skin" is usually not a requirement for many of the northeast rides. We got trees!

 

[altagirl]

^ Yeah - most of the rides I go on, the might not be a single tree big enough to hide under for shade. When you stop for a break, especially down in Moab, you tend to have to sit under mesquite bushes for a little cover. If you stand up, you're back in the sun.

That, and interestingly, some of the guides I know out West recommend cotton t-shirts in summer. Because the main thing to keep you cool is sweat, and if you wear quick drying tech fabrics, they don't hold the sweat long enough to cool you down. Which I can relate to - on long road rides, I wear white sunsleeves (like a bolero top with long sleeves), and at every stop, soak it completely in water - 5 miles later and it's dry as a bone. But it's a nice refreshing treat for a little while anyway...

 

[abc]

With high humidity, sweat take forever to evaporate off bare skin! Never mind off clothing in hope it may cool the skin.

So really, on hot humid days, you want to bare as much of your skin as you possibly can. Tank top or sleeveless, short tri-shorts. I would even ride helmet-less! (although when it gets that humid, I don't do "real" ride but may still bike commute -- it's mostly on bike path)

Trees: on hot sunny days, we have choice of roads that are mostly to entirely tree-lined so we're out of the sun!

This thread is a good example of gear/strategy that is location dependent! Skis that work well out west doesn't necessarily work in the east, or vice versa. Add to that, big mountain vs small hill, crowd, etc... one needs to keep advices/suggestions in context.

 

[Skibuilder]

I like capris for downhill. They work better with my knee/shin guards. Sometimes on cooler spring/fall days I will wear my hiking pants. I wear baggie shorts for trail riding as I don't use the guards and work up a sweat much quicker.

Another thing, about "keeping the sun off the skin" is usually not a requirement for many of the northeast rides. We got trees!

I have to keep sun off my skin or I burn horribly, even with sunscreen. I am OK if I stay in trees the whole time, but if I am using lift access I have to wear long sleeve so that I don't get burned on the lift! I usually like techwick or similar long or short sleeve.

 

[abc]

By the way, this is the first time I heard the word "capris" used in cycling garments!

 

[volklgirl]

Lift-served and fully padded is the only time I can stand wearing baggies. I move around on the bike all the time, so the outer short is always bunching up around my upper thighs, or getting caught on the nose or back of the seat. Frustrating!

Not a fan of having my HUGE ass showing in lycra shorts, so I wear longer (men's) tech shirts rather than cycling jerseys. Not an ideal solution, but it's better than nothing. I've also started wearing long sleeves most of the time....better protection from sun, tree bark, and gravel, plus it just seems to stay cooler that way. Full tights over chamois shorts in the spring and fall.