indyfabz

I’m also a shower washer of my bibs and jerseys when a shower is available.

Tourist in MSN

A quick note, I mentioned using a clothesline above for drying. Unless you are in a dry desert, you should assume there will be a heavy dew at night, so bring your laundry into the tent at night. I mentioned on previous threads that I also put a saddle cover on my leather saddles at night in case of dew.

Your post was specific to bike shorts/bibs but it has evolved well beyond that. I also bring civilian clothing to wear in town on days off, on the plane, in campsite, in hostels or motels, etc. Everything I bring on a camping bike tour is quick drying including my towel. Jeans do not dry fast, they stay home. Exception, I often bring some bandanas that are used for lots of things including hot pads in the kitchen, the bandanas are cotton and are the only thing I bring that do not dry fast.

I commented above that I do sink laundry where I bring my own soap and drain stopper. Several have commented here that they do laundry in the shower. I do not see much difference other than sink laundry allows for a soap wash and rinse later. Shower wash often means you may be using a coin op shower where sink water is free. Choose whichever you prefer.

It has been a year and a half since I did my tour in Canada, so I do not recall which was most prevalent for showers, Loonies or quarters, but I think I mostly used Loonies but some camps used quarters, tried to keep a stash of coin to use for showers.

pdlamb

I learned the hard way about dew. Left a laundry load on the line overnight at Mineral, VA. Clothes were still a bit damp as the sun went down, but they were dripping wet the next morning.

If it's only a one or two bits of clothing, you can get them dry by tucking an end under bungee cords, assuming you've got a tent bungeed on the rear rack. And assuming it's not raining that day. A few hours with a 10-12 mph breeze will dry most things.

djb

let's face it, we've all done this.

And how much dew can vary so much from one site to another, temps, if you're in a low area near a river, how much air is moving etc. I just generally don't take the chance and bring stuff in the tent with me, a few times putting dampish wool socks that I want to wear on morning inside the sleeping bag with me to dry out during night.
My off bike clothes can go a while without cleaning, shirt, pants so I tend to do them on a planned rest day if needed. Off bike undies and socks generally dry well , no cotton, and can be strapped to rear of bike as needed easily.

Happy Feet

If it's good weather, placing the pad side out in direct sunlight for a couple of hours also has a beneficial anti bacterial effect

Re: Showers

IIRC most showers now are loonies. At least the ones I've visited in the last few years. Usually NP showers are free with camp spot. But only in the developed areas like L Louise, Banff, Jasper. The chain sites are rustic.

Funny story about that. Last year I spent 4 weeks camping in and around four NP's on two hub and spoke tour/paddleboard trips. Because of covid and physical distancing they closed all the showers. It became a ritual to head down to one of the mountain lakes for an evening dip (no soap). Let's just say- Lake Minnewanka in September is c o l d !

cyccommute 

I’m not following your point here. Most all bike shorts have padding. Bibs shorts just happen to have straps that go over your shoulders. They aren’t functionally different from bike shorts except in that one respect.

I have bib tights that I wear in winter. I like them because they are warmer than waist high tights but I do find them to be a hassle doing the things mentioned above. I also don’t like them on my bare shoulders because they chafe a bit. I almost alway wear my bib tights over a jersey that is layered under other jerseys. I don’t know that I would want the straps on my bare shoulders while sweating profusely...which is something I do even when it’s 20°F.

But that’s me. If you find them comfortable, go ahead and use them.

Happy Feet

I have always worn waist high cycling shorts but on long days in the summer found it a bit "sweaty" in the groin area and wondered how that might play into developing saddle/friction sores. So, I bought a pair of bibs with the hopes that not having a waist band would hold the fabric a bit away and allow better air flow. Can't say I found it any different.

But that experiment went out the window when I found cycling underwear. Basically a lightweight short with padding, meant to be worn under other shorts. Bingo! They are sheer (er) but not that bad and breath great. In the summer I use these when doing longer less populated routes and add a pair of light nylon running shorts to my kit to slip over when I stop in towns. For the OP, in a group, that might not be as good

cyccommute 

Jeez, just use a dryer! This whole “handwashing/line drying” thing is the hard way. If I’m somewhere where there is a shower, there is likely a laundry nearby too. People act as if Lycra is somehow “delicate”. It’s not. It’s a tough, synthetic material that is set with higher heat then you’ll find in even commercial dryers. It may even benefit from a bit of heat. I found this back in 2008:

I’ve been machine washing my bicycle clothes for much longer than that article and I have bicycle clothes that are older than that post...that I still wear. I have had to handwash my bicycle clothes a few times because there wasn’t a laundry around (it happens) and I have really noticed exactly what the article above says. The shorts feel floppy and baggy compared to the snap of a machine dried Lycra garment.

Tourist in MSN

I found that laundry on the back of the bike got more road dust than it does on top of my front panniers. But I have never found anything to dry very quickly while riding, probably because I do not strap it on in a way that it can flap in the breeze. So, I am more inclined to not even try to dry it during the day while moving, instead just bundle it up so that it can get enough air to prevent mildew.

Attached photo is quite poor, I did not realize I had a sweat smear on the lens, sorry. The orange on top of the front pannier is my towel wrapped around some other damp laundry. Photo was in Key West, so everything will be damp with that high of a humidity.

Jno

I assume that, like me, you have the inclination to think about biking and, with covid, the time to think about biking. Over the past few months I’ve launched threads on any number of topics and each has given me lots of useful info, even as the threads spiral. In this case, I was wondering if using bibs cleaned with limited or suspect water or dried with insufficient or unreliable sunlight meant they’d quickly be too skunky to use. None the less, it looks like most people seem to feel they can keep them clean on tour and that’s good enough for me. Thanks.

Unca_Sam

Just socially distance, and that pesky BO problem isn't so difficult to get around.

Here to help .

djb

cycco- a lot of places I've been touring there havent been driers, so thats part of it. I'm also ok with air drying when there is time, so its not really a complaint on my part at all. And unless its rainy, im fine with having stuff dry out out on my rear rack.
But yes, I like how using a dryer does seem to tighten stuff up overall. I guess part of it is that my padded bike shorts are smalls, and I dont really want them getting "tighter".
Oh, and yes, I too can't stand how bib straps feel on my shoulders, pretty much why I never wear the one pair of bibs that I own.

Jno, yup with proper care and a bit of common sense, its fairly easy to keep stuff non funky. And yes, using a washing machine and dryer is nice when available and if convenient, and if you're ok with using them for your clothes (I'm always a bit skeptical of some dryers and dont want to take a chance with my nice stuff, despite what Cycco says)

Oh, funny story. Years back my wife and I were doing a week long supported trip by Velo Quebec called Le Grand Tour. One rainy afternoon when my wife and our friend decided to call it quits for the day because of heavy rain, I continued on my own and ended up riding with a group on road bikes. Was fun riding fast in a group even in the pouring rain, but then we all started to laugh because one of the dudes hadnt rinsed his bike shorts properly the night before, and all these big soap bubbles were coming out the back end of his shorts, just like out of a cartoon.
Looked really funny and he just laughed at himself and came out with a good joke in French about forgetting the rinse cycle or something, kinda fun and made up for going along in pouring rain.

79pmooney

There's an easy way to get the comfort benefits of bibs and the ability to do nature's tasks after you suit up. Save's money over the long run also. Clip-on suspenders. Doubters will point to the tight waistband but the suspenders stretch and loosen those waistbands quickly.

A real plus over bibs is that suspenders can be adjusted easily when they stretch. Bibs require sewing. (For those of us who have objects that need real support, this can be the difference between great rides and bad memories.) It also simplifies buying shorts that are comfortable as strap length no longer matters.

Drawback is you will be one of two suspender wearers here. (There may be others but if so, the silence id deafening.)

Unca_Sam

^^^^^^^^
This guy wears suspenders!!


I'll admit my experience is limited, but aren't the clips and adjusters metal?

fourfa

FWIW on my 3 month tours I've taken 3 bibs, wore them every day. Me personally I found I could wear each for two days, and a third was acceptable if I had to. A simple rub with soap in a sink will do. A swim in a passing lake now and then with the bibs on is great on a hot day, and sort of halfway to a wash I tend to get hot more often than cold, so I really can't stand multiple layers of inner/outer/etc. I keep town clothes in the very top of one pannier for the occasional nice sit-down lunch.

I do avoid dryers when it's easy, as the concern isn't the lycra (takes dunno 10+ years to wear out) but the padding. When I was younger I barely noticed, but now I can really tell which bibs have been on tour and are basically toast. No sense shortening that lifespan unnecessarily with more heat. Perhaps that's not scientific but when there's an option I'll hang dry, when there's not I'll tumble dry.

Also I've found one way to dry damp bike shorts quickly is with body heat - wear them to bed inside a sleeping bag for a while. Not ideal with dirty sweaty ones you just wore, but after a sink wash not so bad

headwind15

I saw poo mentioned here, but for me, I drink a lot of liquids, so for me it is the ease of being able to pee. My first pair of lycra shorts was in 1980 and they were bibs. I would definitely not consider going back to bibs.

indyfabz

While I don’t sleep in them, I put my next day’s riding clothes inside my sleeping bag even when they are dry if it’s going to be chilly at night.

indyfabz

I climbed part of the way up to the rim road of Crater Lake with that guy. He was riding a fixie. I would never question his decisions as to what works for him. Just sayin’.

veganbikes

I generally don't not ride in bibs. However yes, do what works for you.

Unca_Sam

You got me all wrong. I don't question that 79pmooney is a hard man. I was simply enhancing his self-deprecation. I'd still like to see what suspenders work.

Tourist in MSN

Do not need them for my bike shorts, but they are great for my rain pants.

mstateglfr 

I understand a website called 'clothing dictionary' declares its OK to dry lycra, but forgive me if I dont place much value in what a random website claims.
To be clear- I am not calling you wrong and I am not wanting to get into a predictable chemical analysis argument over what lycra is and what is it withstand, yada yada yada.

If it isnt detrimental to the clothing, it is odd that so many clothing brands- from cheap to expensive and from made in Asia to Europe to the US- say do not put their cycling clothing in a dryer. Either it shrinks the clothing which is detrimental, or it decreases the lifespan of the clothing which is detrimental. Again, this is in their opinion- the opinion of the companies that make this stuff.

I have dried a few jerseys before because they were club fit and too baggy, so I dried them in an effort to shrink em a little. I have not dried my bibs as I dont want them smaller and they still 'snap' even after line drying. Most of my jerseys are line dried too because they are already tight so why would I want to risk making them too small?

Everyone can and will do what they want to do, thats fine. I decided to post only because I find it odd that so many companies declare absolutely no drier use, yet so many users ignore it and their results are perfectly fine.

Happy Feet

Now I am curious how members carry a dryer on their touring bikes?

I use front panniers on my rear rack and there's no way one would fit in those, or my HB bag. I put a front basket on one bike but that won't hold even an apartment sized dryer.

Rage

I swiped this tiny little hair dryer my wife had and never used that is perfect for this application. Don’t know where she got it but it’s a con air and it’s foldable. Not much bigger’n small binoculars .
Maybe look around on Amazon for same or similar?

Tourist in MSN

Or the generator for power, as a dynohub does not deliver enough power for that.