![Cycling bib shorts rear](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Cycling_bib_shorts_rear.jpg)
A cycling pad, also known as "chamois" or "bikepad" or "Fondello" (Italian), "Gamuza" or "Badana" (Spanish), Peau (French) is a protective insert that is applied in
cycling shorts
Cycling shorts (also known as bike shorts, bicycling shorts, chamois, knicks, or spats or thigh cling shorts) are short, skin-tight garments designed to improve comfort and efficiency while cycling.
Their useful properties are:
* reduce win ...
with the main purpose of protecting the
groin
In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is ''inguinal'', as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This is also known as the medial comp ...
from the
friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:
*Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of t ...
of constant and prolonged saddle contact. Cycling pads were developed at the beginning of the 1900s and were exclusively made of deer leather up until the 1980s, when technical fabrics were introduced, and allowed for enhanced performance.
The first high-tech thermo molded cycling pads date back to the early 1990s; gel inserts also make their first appearance and are used in addition to polyurethane foams for extra comfort.
It is only in the year 2000 that the chamois is produced with an elastic technology, which allows the pad to move with the cyclist's body. This technology acts as an elastic interface between the cyclist's body and the saddle, and it is these very few square inches that are subject to the pressure of most of the body's weight. For this reason it is essential for a
cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...
pad to be capable of protecting the body from the compression the body exerts in contact with the saddle and from chafing in the inner leg area, that is due to the thousands of pedal strokes and revolutions that a cyclist carries out during a normal workout.
In the 2000s chamois designers began to design female and male specific styles. The cycling pads for men feature deeper channels and the women's tend to feature wider areas due to women's sit bones being half an inch wider than men's.
The cycling pad is the most important component of the entire
cycling short
Cycling shorts (also known as bike shorts, bicycling shorts, chamois, knicks, or spats or thigh cling shorts) are short, skin-tight garments designed to improve comfort and efficiency while cycling.
Their useful properties are:
* reduce wi ...
. Its functions are to:
* Protect the cyclist's body, whose weight exerts vertical pressure on the saddle, supplying maximum protection, particularly at a perineal and ischiatic level, also helping to protect from urogenital disorders, beyond delivering the highest level of comfort possible also through its elasticity, which allows the pad to move with the body. The athlete can then focus and concentrate on his pedal stroke instead of coping with discomfort and annoying pains that can arise due to continuous compression on a limited surface such as a
bicycle saddle
A bicycle saddle, often called a bicycle seat, is one of five contact points on an upright bicycle, the others being the two pedals and the two handles on the handlebars. (A bicycle seat in the specific sense also supports the back.)
The bicyc ...
.
* Supply protection so as to avoid chafing due to pedal strokes. An athlete can easily count an average of 100 pedal strokes per minute, totaling 18,000 revolutions in three hours. Without an adequate cycling pad, continuous chafing can lead to rashes and perhaps even cause the skin to tear.
* Offer a skin compatible, hygienic solution (since cyclists do not wear undergarments beneath their shorts) by absorbing sweat and leaving the skin in the intimate parts as dry as possible, preventing skin irritation. The best cycling pads on the market have bacteriostatic properties, thanks to exclusive fabrics that are developed with carbon thread for instance, a material that is naturally bacteriostatic and antistatic, free from antibacterial treatments, which instead are often chlorine based and may lead to skin irritations, in addition to eliminating the endogenous bacterial flora of the skin, favoring the proliferation of exogenous harmful bacteria and potentially creating resistant strains of bacteria.
* One preliminary study claims that cycling pads allow the athlete to maintain a better posture, reducing adjustments and increasing seating stability. It is claimed reduction of these unnecessary movements saves energy and oxygen.
There are different types of chamois
[chamois] that are intended for different purposes:
*Long distance rides call for a cycling pad with high density foams. Some pads available on the market have up to four different foam densities that come in contact with different areas of the body, some other pads avoid inserts by shaping the foams in different thicknesses. There are also extreme categories, like Ultracycling, for those who race up to 24 hours consecutively.
*A cycling pad for short to medium distance rides will be made with less protection and the pads will be made with lower density foams, that allow for greater freedom of movement on and off the saddle.
Furthermore, there are specific pads designed for special cycling disciplines such as
triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...
,
mountain bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
,
cyclocross, crono time trial, and
indoor cycling
Indoor cycling, often called spinning, is a form of exercise with classes focusing on endurance, strength, intervals, high intensity (race days) and recovery, and involves using a special stationary exercise bicycle with a weighted flywheel in a c ...
.
References
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Cycling clothing