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I didn’t have a go-to “uniform” when I first started using my Peloton. Instead, I vacillated between a variety of different activewear combinations — Under Armour shorts plus Lululemon boxer briefs, Vuori joggers plus SAXX underwear, etc. — hoping that something would click. One week, I just faithfully wore Tracksmith running shorts. I’m an avid runner, so I approached my newest cardio pursuit with a typical sensibility: prioritize garments that know how to handle sustained movement.
Every brand I name-dropped makes great stuff. So, it’s not like I was falling off the bike or finding uncomfortable blisters in the shower. But the best part of owning a Peloton is you can hop on it every day. It’s designed to be “better than your best excuse.” (The instructors love that line.) There are 10-minute climbs, just as there are hour-long classes. In order to consistently benefit from the bike, I needed a bit of consistency in my wardrobe; entertaining a daily mystery box of potential chafing, overheating, or bunching in the nether regions wasn’t part of that plan.
The key? Stop dressing like a runner, start dressing the part. Peloton users and road cyclists don’t necessarily fit in a Venn diagram. For many trainees, especially in the COVID era, an indoor stationary bike is simply a tool to get into shape — not indicative of a long-held passion for cycling. But in order to maximize one’s results on the bike (which, for many, might just mean showing up), it helps to actually gear up like a cyclist. To that end: it’s time to get acquainted with Rhone’s Basic Cycling Short.
On a fundamental level, Rhone releasing a pair of cycling shorts is a godsend because it spares you from having to sift through neon lycra options at a bike shop or on the internet. There’s a reason people resist outfitting themselves like weekend warrior triathletes. But that intimidation barrier drops considerably when you’re shopping a familiar activewear brand. And — coming from someone who’s covered those labels quite a bit — this is most definitely an activewear brand’s take on the cycling short: subtle colorway, no oversized logo, commitment to specs.
In line with one of its core tenets (“We spend up to four times more on fabrics than the big box brands”), Rhone made these shorts with a recycled nylon Italian lightweight knit material. It’s silky soft on the skin. Soft-hold elastic helps the shorts cling to the waist, preventing them from hiking up. They’re designed to be anti-chafing, moisture-wicking, and quick-drying, and the entire operation is built with anti-odor technology, which helps for those multi-day streaks.
Meanwhile, that sewn-in, molded chamois — the whole reason people wear cycling shorts — offers a happy medium on the padding front. Some cycling shorts tend to overdo it down there. That’s no good. If you can’t fill out the padding, it’ll bunch up. A form-fitting construction, though, keeps the cushy platform in place, even when you’re cranking the output into the 400s and above. A chamois worth its salt dampens the vibration from the bike, while eliminating pressure points from riding the saddle.
Ultimately, that’s a high-level way of saying it’s comfy. I’ve tried sitting on the Peloton without my Rhone cycling shorts. I could’ve been in my head, but my tailbone felt sore almost immediately. This should be an automatic purchase after you pay for your Peloton, and you should feel free to take them out on the roads once temps warm up, too. They accommodate any form of cycling. Whatever you choose, a word to the wise: no undies with these shorts. All that anti-moisture tech is built to take you as you are, not to handle whatever (cotton, god forbid) briefs you might wear in between. Trust the process.
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