Hannah Bussey finds out how to choose the most comfortable pad to suit your style of riding
If you’ve already had a bike-fit, searched high and low for a bike saddle that suits you, but are still uncomfortable when riding, the chances are that the answer to your problem is directly beneath you.
We don’t talk nearly enough about the crucial point of contact between you and the bike: the padding in your cycling shorts.
So what is the best chamois? How much padding should you opt for? And exactly how do you factor in soft-tissue protection?
Define your body
According to research and development manager at Elastic Interface, Denis Bertoldo, anatomy is, rather unsurprisingly, the most important factor to consider when selecting the right chamois for you.
Bertoldo told me that Elastic Interface – who supply chamois pads to cycling short manufacturers all over the worldworked directly with the University of Padua, Italy, to research and define chamois parameters that respected men’s and women’s anatomy.
“These parameters [were] our starting point to develop our products” says Bertoldo, adding that when looking specifically at the gender differences for selecting the right design, “men need a central channel to maintain good blood flow and reduce numbness” while “women’s anatomy is more complex, so we studied different options in the perineal area. Some women need full support, while others prefer to have a pressure-relief area”.
Working out which shape suits you might be as simple as examining the pad in your best-loved shorts and opting for those with similar designs in future, though a bike-fit using pressure mapping technology could also help to determine your needs if the former approach isn’t successful.
The right padding
Once you’ve made choices depending upon your gender and anatomy, it’s time to be honest about the amount of time you spend on a bike.
Fergus Niland, Santini creative director, noted, “comfort also relates to rider weight and resistance of the sit bones. Ultimately both are physical.
“The more weight is sitting on the pad, the more it will deflect. Gel, such as silicone inserts, have in the past been useful here because they offer up a lot of protection without deforming.
