Seems like it would help keep the shorts from getting stinky.

Edit 1: friction is the answer

Edit 2: sorry for this edit -- i was trying to make a new post, but Blorp for some reason took me to editing this one instead. Trying to put it back the way it was...

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[–] 34 points 3 months ago (2 children)
  • [–] 29 points 3 months ago

    you wash it after every ride anyway. on the plus side, you get no underwear rashes that you would definitely get if you wore underwear.

    and my personal favourite reason: your underwear doesn't "cut" int your belly.

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  • [–] 25 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    My understanding is that unlike undies the bike shorts don't have seams that will rub as you pedal so they're meant to be used as the base layer.

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  • [–] 13 points 3 months ago (6 children)

    Let me ask a parallel question:

    Why don’t people wear underwear under their swimsuits?

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  • [–] [S] 11 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (5 children)

    That one is more clear to me: a soaking wet underwear is not comfortable.

    Also, swimsuits do not seem to atract body odors. If anything they get chloriny

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  • [–] 14 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    underwear under bike shorts would also be soaking wet though.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 months ago (2 children)

    Hasn't been for me but maybe I'm not riding long enough.

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  • [–] 7 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Maybe if the underwear is not wet, it's not time for bike wear. This is for endurance and sweat management.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 months ago*

    I thought the padding was to not get back pain. Right now I'm limited to about 30 min on the bike before i have to call it without shorts. With padded shorts i can go like an hour or more. This is mountain biking.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago

    Chaffing and moisture management. Underwear is more often than not cotton. Putting a layer of cotton between you and the lycra would trap moisture. And yeah, the chaffing would be unreal.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

    Why would that be necessary, like Mamil, I wash those padded shorts after each use.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Nothing, and I repeat, nothing prevents stink if you're not washing after every ride.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago (6 children)
  • [–] [S] 2 points 3 months ago (5 children)

    I do. I still don't like getting poop on clothes if i can avoid it, hence underwear.

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  • [–] 7 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    Ignoring possible medical conditions; that seems like a fairly easy problem to solve.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 months ago (3 children)

    Do you know something I don't? I use a bidet, I wipe. I shower. But still my underwear smells like ass. I figured this is the point of underwear: to protect the clothes.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Yes, underwear will help keep you from getting poop on your bike shorts. No, underwear will not keep ass sweat and smells out of your bike shorts for more than a couple minutes. So it depends on use case. As long as you are dingle berry free, an extra layer of fabric isn't going to help much for smells.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 months ago*

    I think I'll have to disagree with you because underwear does make a big difference for other clothes, so why wouldn't it help with bike shorts?

    You're going to have some particles from the anus and urethra that leak out while you ride, making your butt smell like ass. They can either be absorbed by the (relatively cheaper and easier to wash) underwear, or the expensive padded bike shorts. The shorts will still get sweaty and get washed after every ride, but they'll have less skin and body fluid particles in them.

    I get that most people can't wear underwear underneath because of the added friction. Still stands to reason that if this wasn't an issue, the underwear would help protect the padded bike shorts.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    I always wore underwear as it was extra padding for the prostate.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago (1 child)

    Quick question, does your bike seat have the padded part or is it just the tube?

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 months ago

    I am not sure what you mean by "tube". My seat has minimal padding and is pretty firm. All the bike people I've ever met have told me to never get the padded seat, always get the padded shorts.

    Mine looks like of like the "men's recreational" but without the air gap, here:

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