Riding with Aunt Flo

Since 2001, over 90,000 cyclist's have joined Cycling Forums to discuss topics from general cycling to equipment, training, racing and travel or vacation destinations (especially in europe during the tour de france). We also feature an great deals in our online store, 100's of articles, classifieds and product reviews.

Hey ladies,
I am so new to my road bike, that today became the first day I had to deal with Aunt Flo and ride. (Never bothered me on my hybrid, but that seat so huge, doesnt' much matter) I do have a cut out seat, so that was helpful, and I wasn't uncomfortable. But I wondered if there are any trade secrets out there. I mean, I just wore the nice padded bike shorts over my undies, but it felt silly. I had real hesitation about sticking things to my chamois though... And then I wondered, if it had been a real long ride, would I have gotten sore from the little bit of "extra padding" I was wearing? I know I was told that even wearing underwear under your bike shorts can cause problems. Oh dear...

Hope this isn't too graphic.

I considered putting "Ladies only" in the title, but knew that I'd get more men reading this thread than women!:rolleyes:

What I wear depends on whether I'm having a heavy flow day or I'm coming to the end of the cycle. I have never worn underpants at any stage.

If it's just light spotting then I don't wear anything - I just let the chamois mop it up. It does wash out, but you might need to put a bit of extra laundry detergent on the chamois and soak it for a while

If I'm having a heavy flow day, then I need to wear both a tampon and a pad. If you're wearing tampons, you need to either tuck the string up inside or do as I do, and run it back in a straight line. If you let it dangle where it likes, you can end up with it bunching in the wrong place and causing chafe.

My preferred pad is known as the Libra Goodnight Flex down here in Australia - it's a heavy flow pad with wings. I just stick it directly to the chamois and stick the wings down the sides. You need to make sure it's stuck down really flat, with no small ridges or raised bits because that can set up a focus for chafe. I've never had any problems except for the adhesive coming unstuck on really hot days.

Too funny about putting "for ladies eyes only". You definitely got that one right. Like a moth to a flame . . . . . . You're damned if you do, damned if you don't though, probably. The good news is the topic will scare them all away like the plague. And, well my dollar's on the fact that over half of them don't even know who Aunt Flo is. :D

I cannot attest to this personally, but I have been told by a couple of ladies along the way that they sell womens underwear especially for cycling, that has a wicking effect, for those that just shudder at the thought of going commando. I only half paid attention at the time, so I cannot recall where they said they got them. If you are interested in that option, you might check Nashbar online. I think that might have been where they said they got them, but I'm not sure.

What I wear depends on whether I'm having a heavy flow day or I'm coming to the end of the cycle. I have never worn underpants at any stage.

If it's just light spotting then I don't wear anything - I just let the chamois mop it up. It does wash out, but you might need to put a bit of extra laundry detergent on the chamois and soak it for a while

If I'm having a heavy flow day, then I need to wear both a tampon and a pad. If you're wearing tampons, you need to either tuck the string up inside or do as I do, and run it back in a straight line. If you let it dangle where it likes, you can end up with it bunching in the wrong place and causing chafe.

My preferred pad is known as the Libra Goodnight Flex down here in Australia - it's a heavy flow pad with wings. I just stick it directly to the chamois and stick the wings down the sides. You need to make sure it's stuck down really flat, with no small ridges or raised bits because that can set up a focus for chafe. I've never had any problems except for the adhesive coming unstuck on really hot days.
Thank you so much for your reply. I was sort of intimidated by the whole thing, but everything "worked out fine" thanks to your advice. I knew I didn't want to wear anything under those shorts!