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Cycling shorts (also known as bike shorts, bicycling shorts, chamois, knicks, or spats or thigh cling shorts) are short, skin-tight garments designed to improve comfort and efficiency while cycling.
Their useful properties are:
Historically, cycling shorts were made of knit black wool, which hides wear marks caused by sitting on an oiled leather saddle for extended periods of time, with a chamois leather padding inside the shorts in the crotch area, which reduces chafing from the bicycle saddle. Modern cycling shorts are often made of spandex (Lycra) with a synthetic Cycling pad which acts as an elastic interface between the cyclist's body and the saddle, and are produced in a variety of shapes and styles to suit the needs of different riders. On some cycling shorts different materials are often placed on different parts of the shorts to take advantage of each material's benefit, providing a very efficient cycling short. For example, the patterns used for the chamois on women's cycling shorts tend to be quite different from those used for men's. The hem of each leg is usually lined with Elastomer and/or silicone that clings to the skin, keeping it in a fixed position. These shorts made from several panels (or cuts of fabric) fit better and are more beneficial, especially for racers, but cost more.
Short-legged elastic tights commonly worn as street wear, under girls' skirts and dresses, with longer oversized t-shirts, sweat shirts and sweaters, for gymnastics and ballet practice, or under athletic and running shorts, are sometimes also referred to as "bike shorts", but they are typically simpler and lighter garments than those worn by cyclists and generally lack the chamois or faux-chamois lining and may have plain or lace trimmed hems.
In 2021, the Norway women's national beach handball team was fined €1500 for being improperly dressed after the women wore bike shorts instead of bikini bottoms at a European championship match in Bulgaria. Critics derided the fine and the underlying rule. Although the Norwegian Handball Federation announced they would pay the fines, pop singer Pink offered to pay for them. Later, in November 2021, the International Handball Federation changed their dress rules to allow female players to wear some kinds of shorts, specifying "Female athletes must wear short tight pants with a close fit".
The idea of modern bib shorts was a development from the braces (UK) or suspenders (US) that cyclists once used to hold up old-fashioned wool shorts, which had a tendency to become loose and heavy from riders' sweat (the use of braces/suspenders meant the shorts could be held up without an uncomfortably tight waistband). Bib shorts are well-suited to tall riders and riders with protruding stomachs because regular shorts can tend to fall down in the back while riding.
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