I'm a beginner -Athena class - triathlete and can't stand the skimpy, super short tri shorts, so I had to get these. I wore them for a sprint tri last weekend and they are fantastic! The seat padding is thin, enough to keep you from getting saddle sore, but not thick enough to hold significant water after the swim. They come down to just below the knee so there is full thigh coverage.
The roll over waistband is slightly awkward, it looks bulky folded down, so I left it unfolded - the waistband was covered by my tri top anyway so it gave a much smaller profile.
Other reviewers mentioned chafing and I didn't experience any problem with that. My suspicion is that if you are having chafing, they are probably the wrong size.
As for sizing, they seem to run true to size. I'm 5'9" and 160 lbs, ordered an XL, which fits great although if I lose 5-10 pounds, they'll definitely be too big.