Woman’s chamois: how to choose, fit and wash it

The cycling chamois ensures the highest level of comfort when cycling, regardless of the distance you are going to ride.
Choosing the right pad allows you to ride comfortably and with suitable protection.
When looking for a pad, therefore, it is important to look for a high quality product and a solution tailored to the rider’s physical features.

The pads on the market, in fact, are not all the same: there are pads suited to men’s anatomical-physical conformation and those suited to women’s conformation.

A man should never use a woman’s pad, and a woman should never use a man’s pad. Indeed, shorts protectors are designed and engineered specifically for the male and female anatomy. Consequently, it simply wouldn’t make sense to wear a pad designed for a person who has different anatomical characteristics.

Wilma, a French women’s cycling clothing company, in partnership with Teosport, has launched the Bloody Queen, the first menstrual pad integrated into cycling shorts. This revolutionary product allows women to combine practicality and long-term hygienic protection in one single exclusive product.

The pad is designed to absorb the menstrual flow without leaving any spots on the cycling shorts. It allows women to peacefully enjoy cycling, removing the stress associated with managing their periods while cycling.

Let’s take a look at how to choose a women’s cycling chamois and how to correctly fit it to avoid painful consequences on the body.

How to correctly choose a woman’s cycling pad

The female body anatomy is very different from the male body anatomy. In addition, women’s body anatomy involves a distance between the bones of the pelvis that is greater than that of men.
And, of course, genitals also have a different conformation.In short, women’s pelvis is wide, and furthermore, the pubic angle is wider than that of men.

Women’s pads are designed and produced to prevent too much pressure at the pubic area as weight is moved forward on the saddle.
The genitals must also be protected from unpleasant rubbing, as well as being annoying in the short term, it can cause cystitis or other pathologies, such as vulvo-vaginitis.

For this reason, women’s bike pads are marked by more substantial padding and a larger, more rounded surface area.

When choosing a women’s bike pad, it is also important to consider the type of bike used and its anthropometric characteristics, which significantly influence the choice of pad.
Wearing an inappropriate model is very likely to lead to pain in the perineal area, skin redness caused by rubbing, but also to increased peaks of pressure in the ischial or perineal area.
All of this causes the body’s weight to shift forward, causing the cyclist to adopt an unnatural posture.

The best way to use a woman’s chamois

You should never use underwear under your pad, because, in addition to being unsuitable for sport, it is not able to absorb sweat quickly.
In fact, pads are made and designed to be in direct contact with the skin, so that they can adjust to the body’s anatomy.
In order to use them correctly, then, it is important to carefully check both the saddle back and the saddle height: two very important aspects for comfort and health in terms of performance.
It is also important to pay attention to the perfect placement of the pad inside the shorts, and once placed, it must be completely tight to the shorts, without any additional protrusions that could reduce comfort and performance on the bike.

How to wash the cycling pad

The pad, as well as cycling shorts, should be washed immediately after use, as the sweat released could damage the material.

As regards washing, it is most recommended to hand-wash the pad; in a washing machine it should be washed at a temperature of 30 degrees, as higher temperatures could damage the item.
It is recommended to use a gentle detergent and also to avoid using fabric softener, as it can reduce the lift of the foam.
Finally, it is a good idea to let the pad dry outdoors, avoiding direct exposure to sunlight.

​​To find out more, read our tips for washing our pads.