Why are cycling shorts padded?

[Kermit power]

By which I don't mean why do we have padding at all - that much is self-evident - but why is the padding in the shorts rather than in the saddle?

[CoolC]

And why is that during my youth riding my bike EVERYWHERE I never needed padded shorts, just whatever I was wearing was fine. But now fast approaching 40 just the though of a ride without padded shorts makes me walk like a cowboy.

[P-Jay]

Padded, or huge comfy seats are of course available and feature on town bikes and stuff, for any sporting application they're just too big and bulky, not sure on Road Bikes, but on MTB you really don't want a massive sofa thing between your thighs when you're throwing it about on the trail.

[mrmr96]

Kermit power said:

By which I don't mean why do we have padding at all - that much is self-evident - but why is the padding in the shorts rather than in the saddle?

Possibly it's in the shorts ratehr than the seat, so that it changes where the friction is happening? Since with it being in the shorts the padding will move with your body, but if it's on the seat then you're still causing friction between your body and the saddle?

[Kermit power]

P-Jay said:

Padded, or huge comfy seats are of course available and feature on town bikes and stuff, for any sporting application they're just too big and bulky, not sure on Road Bikes, but on MTB you really don't want a massive sofa thing between your thighs when you're throwing it about on the trail.

Agreed on those big, chunky things, but I'm not sure why the combined total of saddle & shorts should be any greater on a road bike or MTB? Surely the combined thickness of saddle & shorts pad would be the same whether the pad is in the shorts or part of the saddle?

mrmr96 said:

Possibly it's in the shorts ratehr than the seat, so that it changes where the friction is happening? Since with it being in the shorts the padding will move with your body, but if it's on the seat then you're still causing friction between your body and the saddle?

Possible, although I sometimes find, for example if I catch the front of the saddle when dropping back into the saddle, that my shorts and hence the padding can get pulled slightly out of position. This wouldn't happen if the padding was in the saddle. I would've thought that a combination of seamless unpadded shorts and a properly padded saddle would be the best option for ensuring optimum positioning.

[okgo]

They just are.

Padded shorts are far more comfortable and don't cut off circulation like a big fat saddle.

[Kermit power]

okgo said:

They just are.

Padded shorts are far more comfortable and don't cut off circulation like a big fat saddle.

Are people just assuming the saddle would have to be big & fat just from looking at women's shopping bike saddles?

When you go out on your current roadie saddle in padded shorts, the whole lot feels comfortable and not too fat, I would assume? Therefore, if you took the padding out of the shorts and put it in the saddle, why would the total feel any fatter?

[okgo]

Because the pad in the shorts has the right contours and pressure points to stop numbness and circulation cut off happening. Which does happen when you ride a big fat saddle.

[mrmr96]

okgo said:

Because the pad in the shorts has the right contours and pressure points to stop numbness and circulation cut off happening. Which does happen when you ride a big fat saddle.

That's a good point. The shorts keep padding in the right place relative to the parts which need padding. The saddle will only do this if you're sat in a particular position.