SOBs, aka Seniors on Bikes, can also apply to other names, such as Smarter on Bikes, or Safer on Bikes. One focus of many years of our experience is the importance of bicycling safety. This safety concern is represented by the mandatory requirement of wearing helmets on all SOB sanctioned rides. Other, voluntary options are: participation in the several riding skill classes that are offered, and the use of rear view mirrors. The importance of being visible to drivers is acknowledged by wearing brightly colored jerseys and the use of front and rear lights for daytime use. About six years ago, only one or two of us used rear lights. Now a significant percentage of SOBs use rear and/or front lights. All of the above mentioned actions are aimed towards defensive bicycling.
Over the past several years, we have had several serious injuries due to outside influences and injuries caused by rider errors and misjudgements. Common areas prone to injury/fracture is the hip and pelvis regions which are at enhanced risk due to brittle, aging bones. This recently happened to two people in the last month, one of whom is very close to me. This motivated me to research ways to protect against this type of injury. What I discovered is the availability of compression bike shorts with hip and sacrum pads that are used by the mountain biking community. I studied several different designs and ordered the seemingly most practical ones for road biking, the G-Form Pro-X Compression Shorts. They have low-profile, articulated gel-like pads that are soft to the touch, but supposedly harden on impact to absorb energy. There are two versions, the Pro-X, that does not have a seat chamois, which I have, and the Pro-B that does have a chamois. After talking to a sales rep and reading several reviews, the chamois seems to be minimally effective, which is why I chose the Pro-X. I wear my good road bike shorts under the Pro-X. I have worn them on five rides so far and they are very comfortable and not noticeable, but perhaps slightly warmer.
I have decided that for me, wearing these shorts routinely makes a lot of sense, and I will do so on all bicycle rides. While they might not prevent fractures, they might reduce the severity of an injury, certainly more so than a few mils of spandex. If you see me on a ride, feel free to touch my hips and check them out. Touching my sacrum requires a special permission…
Link below, there is a female version if you search a little. List price is $100, but I bought a pair through Amazon for $70. I ordered a large since I wear on top of other shorts, the medium is a little tight.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JS7YJSK/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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