Reddit reviews Canari Cyclewear Men's Velo Gel Padded Bike Short (Black, XX-Large)

I am a very plus sized girl with a very big butt.

I have used many different saddles, but have finally settled on a Brooks B17s.

Don't fall into the "my butt is big so I obviously need this super wide saddle" thing. It's not true and who cares if your butt completely swallows the saddle, as long as it's comfortable for you.

Brooks saddles can be expensive and since you're a beginner, I doubt you want to pay that much for a saddle. My second favorite has been a Selle Respiro.

When I started out, I didn't use padded shorts. Once I did start to use them, it was a life saver. I am now at the point where I don't need to use them, but I will if I know i'm riding for a longer period of time or if I do two semi-long rides two days in a row.

Plus sized womens cycling clothing is a little hard to come by at a good price sometimes, so I ended up buying some men's padded shorts. My favorite so far has been these Canari shorts. I am pretty big with really big thighs and a 2x fits me pretty well.

With these shorts, you'll probably want to use some anti-chafing cream. I use Her Butt'r, but I'm sure anything you find at your bike shop should suffice. I haven't ever used anything else, so I don't know how they compare.

I found this company called Aerotech Designs that does some plus sized womens cycling clothing. My favorite shorts are these commuter shorts, which i'm actually wearing right now, because i'm about to go for a ride.

As an overweight person, your first instinct might be to wear loose clothing and you're obviously welcome to find out for yourself, but tighter fitting clothes are definitely better while riding. As long as you're comfortable and safe, it doesn't matter what you wear, though.

Also, this has nothing to do with weight or size, but since you're a beginner and i've already typed a large wall of text, I thought i'd throw it in there. I'm assuming you'll be using flat pedals. Make sure the shoes you choose to wear don't have a super cushy sole. You want something that is a little harder. I still use flats and I wear trail running shoes. These Nike Air Terra Kigers in particular. They are kind of expensive, but the sole is nice and hard, but still comfortable. Plus, the sole is very grippy and provides extra slip resistant while using the flat pedals. And they're great for when I want to get off the bike and walk through the woods.

On top of these things:
-Make sure your bike fits you. It won't matter what you wear or what seat you have, if your bike doesn't fit you.

-Give it some time. You will be sore at first no matter what seat you use and what padded shorts you wear. But it's worth it.

-If your hands get sore, try looking in to some grips that give you different hand position choices. I used Ergon grips until I got a bike with drop bars.

-Also, going off the last one, don't be afraid of drop bars if you do get more into cycling and start looking at different bikes. I have a touring bike which has a more upright geometry than most road bikes and I love it.

That's all I can think of right now. I know I wrote a huge wall of text, so I apologize if it's too much. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Also, I just want to add that I don't get money for those Amazon links or anything. I just buy a lot of stuff from Amazon so I had the stuff in my purchase history lol