Cutting Loose: Specialized Mountain Bike Shorts

There are some individuals who are hesitant to take up mountain biking because of the gear that has to be worn, especially on long rides. As the sport has become more popular, there have been more clothing companies that have joined in developing mountain biking clothing that fits the needs of different types of bikers. Today, there are mountain biking shorts made for kids, men and women, specializing in their individual needs. Specialized mountain bike shorts allow individuals to have the comfort of extra padding in the buttock area of the shorts so that the area does not get as sore during the course of a long bike ride.

Past and Present

In the past, there was not a huge variety in mountain bike shorts, which made some individuals uncomfortable. Although there are still spandex mountain biking shorts on the market today, there are looser styles as well, providing specialized mountain bike shorts for individuals to choose from. The spandex style of mountain biking shorts are made to look like 'tights,' which exposes the body of the individual who wears them. This made men and women shy away from wearing these shorts. The men did not want to wear the shorts because they did not want to have everyone able to see all of the parts of their lower body. In addition, since underwear is not worn with any of the specialized mountain biking shorts, the tight version of the shorts can be particularly uncomfortable for men to wear.

For women, wearing the spandex style of specialized mountain biking shorts can be uncomfortable because it is so revealing. Many women are not used to having others able to see all the parts of their buttocks and legs. These shorts expose any flaws that the woman might have in those areas, which no woman wants others to be privy to. Companies have now found a solution to the issue by developing more specialized mountain bike shorts that are in other styles, such as a looser fitting short. Today, these shorts have pockets in them and look like a regular pair of shorts. In fact, it is almost impossible for anyone other than the mountain biker to tell that he or she is wearing the specialized mountain biking shorts rather than a normal pair of comfortable shorts. However, these shorts still have the padded 'chamois' in them so that they provide the same comfort as the traditional style of shorts provided.