Picking the correct Cycling Pants
Most occasional bicycle riders wear jeans or shorts while riding around town, so they don't see a problem with wearing them on long bike tours. But if you are an experienced bike rider, I don’t have to tell you how important it is to wear cycling pants when you ride. It often takes inexperienced riders a while to find out that skimping on such a vital piece of clothing is a bad idea
I had to find out the hard way how important cycling pants 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 and cycling jerseys for our next tour, and we haven’t had any problems since.
What’s the most critical issue to take into account when you’re purchasing cycling pants and cycle carriers? I think comfort is the most important concern.
And to be comfortable, the tights have to fit properly. make sure that you try the cycling and running tights on before you purchase them, because sizing can differ. You need to have a snug fit for the pants, without being too tight. Check the fit while crouching forward into a riding position, not when you’re standing up.
If the fit on your tights is too loose, chances are that they’ll rub you. That’s what’s nice about Lycra and spandex. They’re tight, yet when they need to stretch, they do.
Bicycling pants ordinarily are made up of spandex or Lycra combined with polyester or nylon.
Nylon does an excellent job of wicking dampness away from your body, so it keeps you comfortable and dry. Nylon loses its color in time, but the fabric itself is very durable.
Polyester is similar to nylon and performs even a little better than nylon for moisture management, because polyester is more hydrophobic. Nylon threads absorb more moisture than polyester, so nylon will feel colder when it's wet and will stay damp longer, which impedes its breath ability. But polyester holds more odors than nylon and isn’t as durable.
Wool has even better wicking abilities than nylon or polyester, and it doesn't retain as many odors. The new merino wool is soft and more comfortable than wool used to be. It's non-allergenic, but it doesn't shed the wind as well as polyester or nylon, and it's higher in price.
The weave of the material is very important. If the yarn on the outside of the garment is skinnier than the yarn on the inside of the garment, capillary action will pull water to the outside. The increased surface area of the thin yarn gives the water more room to spread out, improving the wicking capabilities. This superb brand of construction can be found in certain nylon and polyester fabrics.
Most touring cyclists like bib pants, which lack the elastic waistband that occasionally rubs a rider’s waist on longer trips. And most types of bib tights keep riders cooler. Another good thing about bib pants is they don’t sag or hang if you are bicycling in the rain, thanks to the shoulder straps that hold them in place.
Touring bicyclist's usually own several types of tights; since each one fits differently, they don’t chafe a bicyclist in the same place.