Moto-Skiveez offer a budget solution
Some riders go to extreme lengths to maximize the miles that can be endured in a sitting. They’ll spend hundreds of dollars searching for the saddle that suits them best, one that provides the highest level of comfort for the long haul. (Though the phrase is bandied about freely, CC staffers have yet to encounter a seat that truly offers “all-day” comfort.) But what if you don’t have the money for multiple seat swaps, or the energy to sift through an endless stream of online saddle reviews?
There’s a more affordable solution, and it’s right under your cheeks. Moto-Skiveez are comfort undergarments for motorcycling. They’re similar to the padded shorts serious bicyclists wear, but development wasn’t a case of taking a pair of cycling shorts, copying the design, and rebranding. Based in Park City, Utah, Moto-Skiveez worked in conjunction with Italian bicycle shorts pad manufacturer TMF using fancy thermo and pressure sensing technologies to develop pads specifically for motorcycling.
Skiveez come in three styles: Sport, Adventure, and Cruiser — what the company identifies as the three primary motorcycle-riding positions. The shape and density of the pad varies depending on the style. (The Sport pad, for instance, provides more padding in the groin area, while the Cruiser pad has pockets of high-density foam under the pelvic bones and tailbone.) All three are perforated for breathability and covered in a surface fabric impregnated with silver ions to keep you safe from bacteria and werewolves, then sewn into moisture wicking shorts worn directly against the skin.
Being an adventurous sort, James Nixon sampled the Adventure-style Moto-Skiveez. “At first they feel stiff and awkward, like wearing a diaper,” he says. “But after breaking them in they become more comfortable, and I did notice an extension of the amount of time I could spend in the saddle between breaks.”
More saddle time is a good thing, and with Moto-Skiveez the cost is comparatively cheap. There are currently two Canadian dealers: Dualsport Plus in Brantford, Ontario ($65.95), and Action Motorcycles in Victoria, B.C. ($79.99). All three styles are the same price, and are machine washable. Alabaster torso sold separately.
