Added Protection in Racing Mountain Bike Shorts

When individuals get into mountain bike racing, there are many more pieces of equipment that are needed in order to keep the individual safe from serious injury during the course of the race. This equipment includes a couple of different types of racing mountain bike shorts that are layered over the others. Although in regular mountain biking, one does not want to wear any other shorts over the mountain biking shorts because it can cause problems. These shorts, such as the Trek mountain bike shorts, are designed to be worn without underwear and without another pair of shorts over them, so doing so blocks their effectiveness. In racing, however, the riders are going at such high speeds through dangerous terrain with other riders where accidents are bound to happen at one time or another. As such, the equipment needed must be specialized for the occasion, so racing mountain bike shorts come three basic components.

Liner, Padding, Cover

The first type of racing mountain bike short is made of a nylon material in most cases which allows the water to be wicked away from the rider's body during the course of the ride. This allows for more comfort and helps to prevent chaffing. These shorts are usually made to fit tight on the rider's body so that it can be used as underwear.

The next layer is a pair of specially padded racing mountain bike shorts. These go far beyond the padding required for a regular mountain bike rider. They will normally have hip and tailbone pads so that the rider will not injure him or herself on the seat or any of the bars of the mountain bike. This armor is tough padding and curves across the top of the hips, on the top of the thighs, throughout the crotch area, and finally a piece that fits over the tailbone. This part of the racing mountain bike short layering process is essential to prevent fractures in the hip and tailbone area as well as the protection of the buttocks in general.

Finally, there is a cover pair of racing mountain bike shorts that does not have any straps or gadgets that could get caught on the seat of the bike as the rider moves up and down in order to maneuver the bike. The cover shorts can come down to the knee but can also be found in longer versions for colder weather to give the riders a choice in the types of covers that they use for the tip layer.