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If you are riding a bike a reasonable distance, you’re likely to get a bit warm, so shorts are often the best thing to wear on your bottom half.
It all comes down to personal preference at the end of the day, but any cycling short needs to be lightweight, so you can move freely on your bike, and quick drying, in case you are caught in a shower.
Most are made from synthetic materials, similar to walking trousers and jackets.
When it comes to cycling shorts for riding to work, you basically have three options:
- Lycra shorts
- Lightweight, quick-drying shorts
- Lightweight, quick-drying shorts with a padded Lycra lining
Lycra cycling shorts and bib shorts  >Browse now
Lycra cycling shorts are often what divides the man in the street from the cycling enthusiast, and can be what puts many people of riding to work.
So, first off – there is no need to wear Lycra when cycling. Plenty of people ride their bikes every day without squeezing themselves into a pair of figure-hugging shorts.
However, there is a good case for wearing Lycra cycling shorts. The fitted fabric is quick to dry and wicks moisture away from your skin. Plus many models of cycling short are padded, making it much more comfortable to ride long distances.
Lycra shorts come in standard models or bib shorts (a one piece that goes up and over your shoulders). While the latter may look completely ridiculous, they won’t fall down and you won’t get a cold back when you top lifts up.
Lightweight, quick-drying shorts  >Browse now
Without resorting to Lycra it’s quite acceptable to wear a pair of normal shorts to ride to work.
But make sure they are light, loose fitting and quick-drying – you want to comfortable when cycling into work. Synthetic fabrics are the best for this.
Don’t use a standard pair of cotton or denim shorts – if there’s any rain they’ll soak it up and take ages to dry off.
These kinds of shorts are absolutely fine over short distances but on long journeys in the saddle, your backside can get a bit sore.
The best of both worlds is a pair of lightweight shorts with Lycra underneath. You can buy the two separately but now many manufacturers include clip-in Lycra liners in their cycling specific shorts.
Features to look out
- Pockets! You never know when you might need one.
- Lycra liner – to keep you comfortable
- Hard wearing fabric – with all the movement in your legs, you’ll want a durable pair so you don’t have to keep replacing them
- Quick drying – if it rains on the way to work, you want to make sure they’ll dry by the time you have to ride back. Nothing worse than getting into a pair of wet shorts.