Lycra versus mountain bike shorts. The hotly debated topic of bikers. Or maybe it’s not that much of a debate so much as it’s a preference. Shredly wrote a post called, “Why do mountain bikers wear baggy shorts?” I read it because, well, I wanted to know. I wear lycra. I’ve tried wearing baggies but they feel weird, uncomfortable, and like I’m going to catch them on a branch or on someone’s handlebars.

I thought maybe Shredly would offer some insight into why baggies are so much better. And sure, they listed okay points, but it felt like they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel for reasons to invest in some cargo-looking shorts. After reading through their post, I still wasn’t convinced.

Now, I don’t have anything wrong with Shredly. I think what they sell looks cool, but I’m not getting baggies any time soon and here’s why I’ll stick to my lycra.

Baggy shorts give more coverage but…

This is maybe the one point I’ll have to agree with them on. Baggies give you more coverage when you’re out riding. Lycra is strong, but wearing shorts on top of lycra is going to help save your skin should you crash or brush up against bushes, branches, cactuses, or an angry middle-aged male you’re passing on the trail.

Crashing on a mountain bike is different than crashing on the road. Dirt is a bit more forgiving than pavement, but if we were going to take the argument that baggies are better than lycra because of coverage, then why aren’t roadies in them? Because baggies suck to ride in. Yeah, I said it.

When I rode in them, I felt more constricted and less comfortable than lycra. So, it comes down to preference and comfort regarding coverage. Do you want more coverage for your legs but an uncomfortable ride?

There’s less friction with lycra than baggies

I’m no material expert. Actually, I’m not an expert in anything, but I think if you have two layers of something, it’d create more friction than a single layer. The funny thing is that people wear chamois liner under baggies, so you’re adding more material than is necessary to reduce friction. 

Plus, there are skin…lubes…to help with friction while riding. So, I’m going to go ahead and say this is bullshit. I don’t think Shredly’s point of wearing baggies produces less friction. I think it’d cause more when you have a liner + baggies while you’re riding instead of just lycra that’s skin tight.

Mountain bike shorts may give more sun protection, but that’s because they’re longer than lycra

Shredly says mountain bike shorts will cover more of your legs, thus protecting you from the sun. And they’re right. Baggies tend to be longer than lycra, especially some of the brands I see riding up our thighs as we pedal.

Then Shredly said that “some spandex shorts are also thin and you can actually get sunburnt through the material.” This is probably true if you bought shitty lycra from Amazon. Otherwise, most high-quality brands have some sort of SPF protection. In this case, I don’t think Shredly’s wrong, but I don’t think you need to go out and buy baggies for sun protection. Buy superior lycra and wear SPF and you’ll be fine.

The gap between lycra and knee pads isn’t super fun

If you’re wearing knee pads, there’s sometimes a “gap” between where the lycra ends and where the knee pads start. That totally happens to me and I feel like a dork. But, not many people look “cool” in any kind of cycling gear, so we might as well own our dorkiness.

That being said, wearing baggies with knee pads looks substantially less dorky than lycra and knee pads. If you truly give a fuck about what people will think when you show up with lycra and knee pads then get baggies, but more important, find a better crowd to hang out with.

If you own the lycra and knee pads, just make sure to put sunscreen on the skin gap so you don’t burn your skin.

Lycra is far more comfortable than mountain bike shorts, but that’s just me

This is totally subjective and has no scientific backing, but lycra is more comfortable and versatile than baggies. You’ll have your own preference too. The times I’ve worn baggies were super uncomfortable. There’s too much  material flying about, and the whole time I’m worried the shorts are going to catch on something.

The extra material feels too bunch and unnecessary. Granted, when I first started cycling, I was horrified at lycra. It looked like an adult diaper. So, I know things take getting used to, but by golly, baggies feel almost like a hazard more than a comfort.

Style: Lycra vs. baggies

I’ll give Shredly points for their rad looking baggies. If I wore mountain bike shorts, I’d buy them. Plus, when I see people wearing baggies on a mountain bike, for some reason, I assume they know what they’re doing more so than when I look at myself in the mirror with my lycra and mountain bike helmet.

But again, fuck it. I’ll do me and what makes me feel comfortable on the bike (and enjoy my time on the bike). Ain’t no reason to follow the crowd if it doesn’t work for me personally. I encourage you to do the same.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing inherently bad about baggies (or lycra, for that matter), it’s all personal preference. And Shredly sells mountain bike shorts. They’re not going to write a pro-lycra blog on their website. I’m also not trying to pick on them. I’ve just always wondered why people prefer baggies when I’ve never felt comfortable in them. Maybe down the road, I’ll give them another try.

Do you have a preference? Let me know in the comments.

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