When it comes to the trainer, I try not to break the bank on shorts. It is a good place to save a few bucks. For starters, you are not riding for hours in the sun. In addition, nobody really sees you if you are riding in your own house.

I find myself using a pretty plain pair of bontragers, I think they are the Solstice. They are under $50. Not sure if they are the low-rise that you mention, but they are simple. I also see the Canari Velo mentioned here as good spinner shorts.... I find Canari's to be basic but decent. They last a long time.

I have two pair of Santic bike shorts I got on amazon for less than $25 each. Just be careful with the sizing. There is some padded mountain bike underwear you can buy that fits your description of low rise I think they are less than $20 since you are not leaving the house you can just wear those by themselves

I use unpadded compression shorts on the trainer.
I have a few pairs. I think they are all Skins A400 shorts bought in clearance sales for about €20-€25. I occasionally use them for running as well but mostly they are my trainer shorts.

You move differently on a trainer compared to outdoors. I found that padded shorts that were perfectly comfortable outdoors were less so on the trainer. Also the padding soaks up sweat and since you're less well ventilated indoors even when using decent fans, it can stay there. Given the padding is there primarily to deal with bumps, which don't exist on the trainer, I decided to do without as an experiment. I was pleasantly surprised to find I was almost as comfortable without the padding when I got on the bike and unlike the padded shorts, I stayed that way.
I think it's over 2 years since I used tri/cycling shorts on the trainer.
I'm sure the saddle will be a factor here, but with an ISM Attack this works great for me. I'm sure I am a millimeter or two lower on the saddle than if I used tri shorts as I do outdoors but I haven't found it a problem. The difference compared to bulkier cycling bibs would be bigger but I find them even worse on the trainer and rarely use them on the tri bike anyway.

Did you adjust your saddle height when going with non padded shorts ?

No, as mentioned in my post there is a small drop in position due to no padding but I don't find it a problem. Most tri shorts have pretty minimal padding anyway. The difference is much less than switching between normal cycling bib shorts and tri shorts.
You could adjust to compensate but I see no need.

Do you only own two pairs of shorts?

I use my nice bibs. Probably need them way more inside than out.

---

Human Person

Why? Because you move more relative to the bike?

Definitely move less indoors. At least I do.

---

Human Person

I think I move more relative to the bike during the pedal stroke but I possibly move around more in terms of shuffling about.
Outside the bike is not constrained either laterally or longitudinally, so it makes sense that the relative movements and/or forces between you and the contact points will be reduced. For example as your centre of mass moves outdoors the bike moves toward your centre of mass more than you move towards it. When the bike is fixed in place on a trainer, all of the movement is you.

I use whatever bibs are clean, but my main rotation are the shorts where the chamois is still in decent condition, but the fabric is starting to fade from the sun so that it would be uncouth to wear them outside (without giving whomever is sucking your wheel on the group ride, and observation window into uranus...). Once I then manage to kill the chamois indoors, then they are truly ready for the bin...

I’m not sure I understand the mentality of different (and certainly not cheaper shorts) for the trainer. (1) trainer is more uncomfortable and (2) I spend far more time on it than the road so, if anything, I lean toward my most comfortable shorts or bibs on the trainer.

Not even joking here —

The trainer is where I wear the prior-year onesie commemorative Kona race suits that I buy cheap at the Zoot outlet at various races. It’s also where I wear outdated club kit shorts. And for really long trainer bike rides, it’s where I wear those bike shorts that are just a bit too transparent and worn to be seen in public.

---

Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

I prefer shorts over bibs on the trainer. The straps serve no purpose on the
trainer and I don’t like trashing my good bibs inside.

On the other hand, those shorts need
to have a solid pad. I spend a lot of
time stationary in the aero position and it can be uncomfortable. They don’t have to have the same finish as my outdoor kit, but the stitching and pad
have to be on point.

I looked at Canari and there are reviews saying the stitching and pad are inferior. I’ll probably stay clear of them.

I must be missing something....What purpose do the straps serve on the road that they don’t on the trainer? I just like feeling tucked in with bibs.

The onky reason I avoid bibs indoors in the summer is they are hotter. In winter, I like them indoors.

Within 10 minutes on the trainer I’m not wearing a tech tee or bib straps on the
trainer. It’s too hot.

Also, I’m more stationary (in the
saddle and aero mostly) inside so the straps serve no purpose.

In your case, you have good reasoning to wear bibs inside based on your preferences.

Likewise.
The purpose of bibs is to support your shorts with straps over your shoulders rather than relying on a waistband which then must be tighter, with a drawstring or elasticated and is far less comfortable as a result, especially when in a cycling posture. That's as true indoors as out.

Sanders wears shorts on the trainer (pink).

I'm with Sharon, whatever is old, cheap, but not dead yet. I also tend to jump on my indoor trainer anytime I have a chance... and it's not unusual to be wearing sweats, swim shorts, running shorts, whatever. I'm not going to funk up something clean, when I'm already wearing something funky. I also agree with the Ai_1, in that I don't need the padding so much indoors, unless it's a really long ride. It's not unusual for me to do a 2 hour ride in running shorts. They breathe a lot better than tights of any kind.

---

Athlinks / Strava