Are you using chamois cream?

Sometimes less is more. A thicker pad might make things even worse... or not.

I, for one, can't ride with thick padded shorts. I even use tri shorts for road biking.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

If chaffing is your issue, that's likely to just make it worse. Chamois cream would be worth a try.

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Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador

Take a look at De Soto. They have multiple padding options from normal to beefy on the 400 mile bibs.

Ditto above, it is not about the thickness of the pad, but the location and fit. My best shorts are a 30 year old pair of Pearl Izumi shorts I happened to have in an unopened bag. The pad is only a little more than a triathlon pad, but they are great on a 6 hour ride. By contrast, I have a pair of De Soto 400-Mile shorts with a fairly robust pad, and those have more hot spots. You may need to experiment with a few styles to find a fit that works for you and your saddle.

That said, if you want a monster diaper pad, take a look at the De Soto 400-Mile shorts. Lots of folks love them. For me, they are just OK.

I had some serious chafing issues in the past as well.

Unfortunately, no bike shorts or balm could fix it. It was literally THE limiting factor on my bike training hours at one point, very frustrating.

At least for me, the real underlying problem was that I was not positioned correctly on my saddle. I was too far forward on the saddle nose, which led to the saddle nose digging into either left or right side of my pubes and legs, with constant rubbing motions. That's a setup for badness.

I since redid my aerobars and stem for less reach, and pushed the seat forward as far as it can go so I'm actually sitting ON the seat with the big bones of my pelvis, not just perched on the nose of the seat. It really changed everything for me - I'm actually using NONpadded shorts (regular compression shorts!) on a rock-hard pure carbon unpadded seat with no problems now (granted I'm riding <2hrs at a time now, not 100miles at a time).

So it's worth thinking about your seat position/fit as opposed to just adding padding to avoid chafing.

More of the same advice here... it's a little like finding the just the right shoe, more isn't always better and the precise cut & fit can vary from one brand to the next or different models within the same brand. It can be kinda expensive and a PITA (literally, in the case of saddles & shorts) but there's no substitute for trying out different ones to see what works for you, and then buy a couple extra pairs when you find the ideal one.

I found thicker pads kinda spread the pressure around more, which sounds/feels good at first, but after awhile it caused me more problems with mushing softer body parts than if you had more of the load focused on the skeletal structure w/ a thinner pad. Also, my experience w/ a few different brands is that the pad placement varied a bit with regard to body position ~ i.e., whether I was sitting a bit more upright (group rides/centuries, hills, etc) vs tucked in an aero crouch, so it was less a matter of how thick the pad was nominally but more specifically where the thickest part lined up w/ my sit bones or not. One expensive pair I really wanted to like more just wasn't the right cut for me; seemed like I had too much gut and not enough ass, so in effect it shifted the pad further forward so it bunched up under my junk more and didn't leave enough padding under the sit bones; just looking at it in my hands it seemed like ideal construction, but not once I actually tried it out in action.

I find I have less chaffing on thinner shorts. Although I do not chafe often, I found since I only have an issue in 2 areas and only on longer rides, that the Squirt Balm worked well, but it is very very different than a chammy cream.

On the other hand the seat that came with my Speed Concept caused chafing practically every ride in the t**** area, moved the ISM saddle over from road bike and back to normal.

Less is definitely more. I prefer nothing or just a piece of felt. If you're having serious hotspot issues you might also be having a fit issue.

I have had chafing issues for a long time...sometimes not so bad, but recently after some weight gain the chafing came back with a vengence. I could never find a pair of cycling shorts and/or saddle combination that worked. Some worked better than others, but I would always have chafing, especially on rides more than an hour.

My buddy got me to try his Selle SMP saddle and it did feel promising, but even more importantly it got me to try a much narrower and much less padded saddle that I ever have before. I combined that with minimal or no padded shorts (still have chamois, just no padding) such as tri shorts and the chafing has gone away completely. I was even able to complete a ride where I didn't even think about the saddle for the first 45 minutes...normally I would have issues within minutes.

You'll have to experiment, but definitely try less padding in both shorts and saddle and try a narrower saddle too if you haven't yet. I settled on a Selle SMP Stratos saddle just fyi and as an example of a narrow saddle. It is narrow all the way back, not just in the front. For instance, the Specialized Power saddle (143 width) worked kind of but only if I only used the nose and tried to stay off the much wider rear. The SMP Stratos works much better for me and lets me sit in a proper position on the saddle.

Also, just a note that if you go with minimal padding, your sit bones will take a little time to get used to the new situation/pressure. Should get better in about 200 miles.

I have had a lot of problems with chaffing and saddle sores. I gave bibs a try for the first time. They cost more, but are absolutely awesome. Instant results - not a single issue since. I think they helped because the padding doesn't shift and instead stays where it is supposed to be. Just my advice.

I find thicker chamois horrible and have settled on Ale shorts. The chamois are the more minimal and the most comfortable I have found.

+1 on chamois cream.

+1 on Desoto as well, they have everything ranging from a basic fleece pad on their older Forza and their current Carrera shorts, all the way up to sitting on a couch with the 400 mile shorts. I personally like the smallest Ceramico pad (4 mm) on the current Forza line with chamois cream.

If chaffing is your problem perhaps get the husks of the seeds out of your shorts before your ride.