Knickers or No Knickers

Should one wear underwear under one's bicycle shorts?

In a word: no.

In a lot more words: no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

Am I making myself clear?

Bicycle shorts are designed to be worn next to the skin. Underwear under bike shorts is unhygenic, unsightly and unsafe. Wearing underwear under padded lycra shorts is like riding with your shorts full of ground glass. It is a one way ticket to chafesville. Don't do it!

Remember the Underwear Nazi manifesto: No underwear under bike shorts for any reason ever. No Excuses.

Got it? Good.

Underwear Nazi
Oh, and did I happen to say "no"?


While the idea of cycling without underwear may seem strange and foreign at first, most serious cyclists "go commando" while in the saddle. This is to help avoid the rubbing and irritation that can come from unfortunately placed underwear seams. In fact, most bike shorts have padding and use fabric to wick sweat and moisture away from your body, negating the need to wear underwear. By choosing the right type of shorts and accessories, you can feel more comfortable about going bare when you're cycling.