Cycling pads, history and women specific solutions with Elastic Interface

I had the great pleasure of visiting the Elastic Interface headquarters to chat about the history of the cycling pad, where their company fits into the mix and what kind of women specific solutions they have developed and why.
Head of marketing Irene sits down for an interview where I ask her all my burning questions like: what is the origin of the pad and why is it called a chammy/chamois/shammy, how many units do they produce, what are some trends in womens cycling and what are their dreams for the future of cycling pads.
Irene explains the core-three women specific cycling pad models which they have developed based on user feedback and research. She goes on to show me the various constructions of the WP1, WP2 and WP3 models.
I learn that the WP1 is the top seller currently and offer the standard protection. It targets those women who feel the need for a more substantial and continuous support throughout the perineal area. The pelvic tract area is developed to support the rotation of the pelvic bones while pedaling, and paddings are skillfully placed according to anthropometrical parameters.
The pad we use in our shorts is the WP2 road performance pad which has a pressure relief zone by using lower density foams in the perineal area, while guaranteeing the same support and protection of always throughout the rest of the pad.
Finally, the WP3 is a construction intended for those women who are extremely sensitive to compression. Additional relief is delivered by using thinner and lower density foams in the genital area, minimizing pressure. In this solution, the ischiatic padding is raised and the perineal area features a medium-density padding only. The pelvic tract area is developed to support the rotation of the pelvic bones while pedaling, and paddings are skillfully placed according to anthropometrical parameters. I will be testing this pad in the next weeks!
Irene also explains the relevance of the type of riding you are doing (MTB has different pelvic tilt compared to road cycling for example) and the relevance of personal preference for density of padding and duration of riding.
Overall, I learned A LOT and had a lot of fun with Irene and Martina, looking forward to seeing how the future of womens comfort evolves!

[@richcole3931]

learned a lot. thanks

[@bengt_axle]

My first shorts, purchased in 1985 or so had a real leather chamois. They were made in Italy by Sergal of Lycra and the chamois which was unpadded, and had no stretch. To clean them, you hand washed them with ordinary soap and put them out in the sun. They became a little tough after that, so you added a few drops of baby oil to soften it. The purpose of chamois was to reduce friction from the fore and aft and side to side movement. The padding was all in the saddle, but the first two or three rides of the season were always uncomfortable, because the skin had not yet toughened up. There was no such thing as women's saddles or women's bib shorts at the time.

[@alexe.5277]

Ich mag die meisten Polster von elastic Interface…wobei es da echt große Unterschiede gibt. Kalas verarbeitet sie auch, SUPER! Finisseur (deporvillage-Eigenmarke) nutzt ebenso Polster dieser Firma (oder hat das zumindest getan), die meinem Hintern leider nicht passen 😢😅. Danke für das Video ! ❤

[@aliceeditz5052]

Please make more short videos with your pee friendly cycling shorts, like the "which friend are you" one but maybe a bit longer, they are so funny!

[@rickr530]

I don't know what I'm watching or how I got here. These are the largest sanitary pads I have ever seen.