Years ago, I found a great jock strap for running, the Sportjock by Techspand, a local Wellesley, MA company. These jocks predate widespread public use of the Internet – Techspand.com is now apparently a company that recruits for the video game industry.
After years of use, these jocks are in pretty sad shape. But I haven’t been able to find a good replacement. With something as personal as a jock strap, I’d prefer to see it before I buy, and nothing in the stores I’ve been to has been anywhere near as well designed. A surprising number of jocks have a ribbed pouch, something that leads to raw, chaffed thighs after a few miles. And many jocks seem to be more of a girdle, with wide, excessively sturdy waistbands.
So I’ve kept using my old jocks well past when they should have been replaced. But the stitching is falling apart, the elastics are dried out, and the cloth is ragged, so it’s time to move on.
I searched the Internet and found a number of web sites with a wide array of jocks, briefs, and thongs for athletic use. After perusing these sites for awhile, I couldn’t help but notice that there was another use for these that I had been oblivious to. Besides keeping men comfortable during exercise, jocks are also good for “lifting and holding you forward when you go out for a night on the town.” The models and the ad copy they use make it pretty clear that this presentation isn’t necessarily intended to attract women, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Anyhow, I ended up ordering two jocks from FreshPair, whose motto is “Buy underwear in your underwear.” They have free delivery, so I can try a jock and order more later without wasting money on shipping charges for multiple orders. I’m trying the $9 Bike Performance Elite Jock Strap and the $24 Calvin Klein Tech Active Jock Strap. They both look pretty comfortable. Since I’ll be wearing them running, if they happen to attract anyone, they’ll have to catch me.