1. I saw a review of your products and they talked about your chamois being thinner than others. Can you explain to me the differences in your chamois inserts and how they work?

Our philosophy: We are big believers in keeping the padding in the saddle, where it can be more effectively controlled to be kept smooth, full, and long-lasting. We have three basic different types of chamois inserts that each have spacial characteristics and we have matched them for performance and comfort with the materials used for our different types of shorts and tights.

The chamois inserts are made using open cell foam and come in various thicknesses and shapes. The Classic Chamois and Women's Supplex shorts chamois inserts are both 7mm, the Elite chamois is 6mm and the Pro chamois is 5mm. All measurements are when not under any compression.

Since they are made of open cell foam all of our chamois inserts compress fairly thinly. The make up of the Classic, Supplex and Elite chamois is for a thin layer of soft material covering the foam. Each of these is fast drying and the foam is treated with an antibacterial solution at the factory. The Classic and Supplex chamois inserts are similar and have no seams on the seating surface, they have one side-to-side seam in the front where the modesty panel is attached to the front of the foam pad. The Elite chamois is a shaped chamois designed to eliminate padding on the areas that fold down the sides of your saddle into the leg holes. This is to eliminate what some people consider to be unnecessary padding on the sides of the saddle and only place the padding directly above the saddle. To accomplish this, soft terry cloth material is sewn to the padding and fills the void where the chamois insert goes down the leg holes. This creates a seam on each side where these two materials are connected. These chamois inserts are made in Switzerland where we buy them complete.

The Pro chamois has an ultrasuede covering so that it mimics the feel of leather. We designed and make this chamois here at our shop. The concept remains that an artificial leather acts like a real leather chamois. It stays more moist and provides a natural lubrication, cooling and moves like your skin. In order to make this chamois fit the contours of the buttocks saddle interface, we have to put two curved pieces of flat material together to create a curved, potato chip like surface. This necessitates a seam down the center to create the curves. Additionally, the women's version has evolved, from customer comments, to include a void of the ultra-suede down the center to provide a more comfortable and breathable area.

For some applications in wetter areas or for multi day rides where you have to wash and dry your shorts nightly, the Classic, Supplex and Elite chamois inserts may be preferable. The Supplex material is a slightly slower drying than the other more traditional lycra materials and the Pro chamois ultrasuede cover is the slowest drying. That said, the minimalist nature of all our chamois inserts makes them faster drying than thicker or denser foam materials used in many chamois inserts.

Overall, the Classic chamois is the thickest and is seamless, the Elite is shaped and helps eliminate the stuffed crotch feel between your legs, the Pro is designed to give you the feel of leather without the hassle of caring for real leather.