Lipowear's SitRelief shorts for scrawny butts: Oh so comfy

Hi all,

A friend of mine has developed some underwear that really increase sitting comfort on long rides (at least they do for me). They're called SitRelief Shorts by Lipowear http://www.lipowear.com

These padded shorts have been developed for people who have a medical condition called lipoatrophy (i.e., a loss of body fat, typically in the butt and thighs). While I don't have this condition, I do not have much fat in those areas and even sitting on a Russel saddle on my GS my backside gets a bit sore after a few hours. So I thought I'd give them a try.

My first ride with them on was a 450 mile back roads ride from Albuqeuerque NM to Prescott AZ. The temps that day were moderate to warm (50 in the a.m, mid-80's in the afternoon). When the temp got up into the mid-80's the padded shorts started getting warmer than I'd like. So while my backside appreciated having them on, I did not wear them the next day when I rode from Prescott to San Diego across the desert via Yuma. (Now that day was hot till I got over the mountains.)

After a professional meeting in SD I rode up to see my friend in Orange CA. I was a bit concerned about washing them as they're not cheap shorts. He reassured me that tossing them in the washer and then dryer was OK though and that's how I cleaned them. Simple.

I next wore them on the ride from Orange through the LA basin and up to Pismo Beach (via San Marco pass, sweet). I was glad to have them on for this 240 mile jaunt up the coast. I washed them again when I got to Pismo and then subsequently used them on the ride up the rest of the coast to Seattle. Sweet.

The only downside to these shorts as I see them are 1) the cost [$69] and that I think they're too warm to wear when temps get up into the 90's. That said, my road bike riding shorts are $50 and aren't nearly as comfy as these for riding the GS.

As a disclaimer I have no financial interest in this company. I have known the developer, Terry, for a number of years though and consider him a good friend. I wouldn't be endorsing these shorts for riding though unless I thought that many of you with scrawny, er, lean, back sides might benefit from them. Edit 9/18. See post below about my having invested in the company yesterday.

The fabric is high-tech synthetic, the padding is perforated medical grade foam, and they're made in the U.S.

Serious question here.

I'm a short, wide, neck optional kind of guy. I have muscular legs but no ass :eek1 ...you know. Will the shorts fit someone like me? I've cycling shorts for years under my gear and they work OK, but I'm willing to try something new.

Hi Rog,
Are your muscular legs from riding a road bike? I too ride one and most road bike (i.e., road bicycle) riders I know have scrawny, er lean, rears.

My cycling shorts are only padded inside the crotch. Comfy there but the padding doesn't extend far enough compared to these. The padding on these runs down the back of your thigh to the bottom of the short.

I have a 36" waist and got a size Large and they fit well in the legs but are a touch loose in the waist. I tried turning the waist band over on itself and this helps but I think they may be sized a bit big. Of course YMMV.

P.S. I had a Tiger 1050 too for a year and loved it but could never work out the wind screen buffeting. If I was 2" shorter I'd still have that bike. Sweet ride, terrific engine.

Interested to hear how these compare up to LD Comforts...anyone?

too bad there's no xxl size to fit 38" and up waists

Hi Dan,
I don't think the 34-36" size would be too large. It's a little loose on my 36" frame and have been told that they do stretch a bit with wear. YMMV of course.

Darn!
These are exactly what I've been looking for to accommodate my candy ass, but no one seems to make them in XXL, or XXXL. I wear a 42-44".
Is there no justice for us ass-challenged?

Hi all,
Just wanted to mention that I just got back from a 2000 mi. ride from Seattle to Abq (via the scenic route) and found that these shorts really made the 8-9 hr days in the saddle much more comfortable. I tossed them in the washer and dryer when I did laundry and they laundered just fine. I consider them a part of my essential equipment now.

Dan,
I just learned that in their next production run (within the next 30 days), they'll be making some XL shorts. Since you're 38" they should fit you as they run a bit big in sizing.

Sounds good, let me know when they are available.

Hi Dan,
I'll post something here when they tell me the next batch of shorts are available.

Hi all,
I learned today that the folks who make these shorts are going to keep the price at $69. In my first post I reported that $69 was an introductory price and I have corrected that. They want to keep them as affordable as they can yet still make a quality product (made in the U.S.!).

Hi all,

There's been a change in my financial disclosure with respect to Lipowear:

Financial disclaimer: I'm impressed with the shorts and recently when offered the chance to invest in the company, I took it! So I now have a vested interest in the company.

These sound pretty nice.
I could see myself using those for more than just riding too because I have one boney butt.

Not trying to be a stickler or anything, but this might be better suited for Vendors .

I know what you mean. My office chair is a Herman Miller which is a mesh but also very firm. I hadn't realized how hard the seat was until I sat on it once with my shorts on (under my work pants, of course ). I then realized how much more comfortable the HM seat was with a little padding.

When I first started this thread I did so solely to alert other riders about these shorts with no financial incentive. Since I've invested in the company though, moving it to the Vendors section may be more appropriate. I'll leave that up to the Admin folks to make that call.

Hi all,

If you're interested in these shorts but need a size bigger than Large (34-36), head on over to this thread and let them know what your waist size is! They have committed to making some XLs and maybe XXXLs

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=510773

Hi all,

I promised to let you know when the XL (36-38) and XXL (38-40) sizes would be available. They are now available. They only made a limited run though to see if there's enough demand for these sizes, 10 each. So if you're interested, don't delay. If there is enough demand, they'll make more of these sizes in January.

LDComfort makes your size.

http://ldcomfort.com/store/mens-riding-shorts/

Also: Riding in the heat up to 120 degrees is not a problem for LDComfort. Our dual layer fabric is meant to keep your skin dry. Padding should not be stuffed into your underpants when you ride on a motorcycle. Padding should be a function of the seat/saddle. Trapping moisture against your skin with a foam pad can hurt you in the long run. Millions of miles riden by thousands of riders have proven this true.

I want you to enjoy every mile. :)

Having ridden thousands of miles myself in the SitRelief shorts I respectfully disagree. But then both of us have conflicts of interest in making these statements.

Would be great if a neutral third party with real world experience with these products would chime in. Otherwise perhaps it should be off to Vendors.