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Do you hand wash your bike shorts?

Old 05-01-19, 09:19 PM
  #51  
spelger
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i wear brand new ones for every ride. wear them and toss them out. easier that way.
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Old 05-01-19, 09:20 PM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by kingston
I have literally not washed a single garment since I got married over 20 years ago.
hey, that's me too. not 'cus i can't, but i get yelled at if i even make the attempt.
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Old 05-01-19, 09:23 PM
  #53  
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Wow, some serious OCD going on in here. Over the last three decades I've only hand "washed" while camping (really just a rinse in a lake/river).

Otherwise it all gets thrown in with my other clothes for a regular wash cycle and dry.
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Old 05-01-19, 09:29 PM
  #54  
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If I'm doing a load of laundry I'll put them in there for the wash/rinse cycle (delicate) then hang them up to air-dry.

I'll also occasionally wash by hand in a bucket of soapy water - put 'em in, knead them a bit, let them sit, knead again, rinse, wring dry, then hang to air-dry. I've also done this in hotel rooms; the polyester materials seem to dry quickly, so if you wash them in the sink when first checking in they should be dry by morning. I also wash gloves this way.

I just wear t-shirts when out riding, I don't own any cycling-specific jerseys.
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Old 05-02-19, 05:16 AM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by sputniky
Wow, some serious OCD going on in here. Over the last three decades I've only hand "washed" while camping (really just a rinse in a lake/river).

Otherwise it all gets thrown in with my other clothes for a regular wash cycle and dry.





A little OCD never hurt anyone. Consider the adage, "better to be safe than sorry."

Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
Mostly true. However, the dryer is rough on some gripper materials and shorts that have elastic. I have some Tyr shorts that have gotten a lot of dryer time and their grippers are deteriorating, leaving black marks on my legs.

I'd still avoid running Lycra in high heat. And DEFINITELY avoid hanging Lycra to dry in direct sun.
At best its hyperbole. Automatic washers (esp. agitator) and high heat drying deteriorates fabric. These are heat molded materials so adding heat will take them out of shape. Just read the wash label.
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Old 05-02-19, 07:03 AM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by downhillmaster
Bottom line stalker.
Do you hand wash your shorts?


& I don't have time to read through 55 posts to find the answer to my own question
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Old 05-02-19, 07:12 AM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by KraneXL
Just read the wash label.
I suggested following the care label once on bikeforums and was insulted, called all kinds of nasty names, informed that the manufacturer doesn't know what they are talking about, given examples of how Adam and Eve didn't follow the care label on their fig leaves which lasted 800 years, etc.


-Tim-
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Old 05-02-19, 09:31 AM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
Mostly true. However, the dryer is rough on some gripper materials and shorts that have elastic. I have some Tyr shorts that have gotten a lot of dryer time and their grippers are deteriorating, leaving black marks on my legs.
That could be a function of the gripper material rather than an effect from the dryer. Plastics, especially soft plastics, can decompose with age. Heat may not have anything to do with it. I have many shorts with grippers on them that are quite old without any deterioration problems.

I’m not saying that the deterioration problem you are having isn’t due to dryer use but it could be other factors as well.

I'd still avoid running Lycra in high heat. And DEFINITELY avoid hanging Lycra to dry in direct sun.
I hope that people aren’t interpreting what I have said about dryer use to mean use high heat settings. I only mean to say that bicycle clothes can be dried in a dryer. The heat doesn’t hurt them. I wouldn’t dry them at the 200°C setting temperature nor, probably, at a “whites” setting. Most dryers I’ve seen have a “sport” setting which is perfect for bicycle clothes.

As for hanging Lycra in direct sun, I don’t see why that should be a problem. We ride them in the sun so why would hanging them in the sun be any different?
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Old 05-02-19, 10:08 AM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by KraneXL
A little OCD never hurt anyone. Consider the adage, "better to be safe than sorry."
Read my post again. It’s been over three decades.

Still safe.

Not sorry.

No hand washing.

No obsessing about washing bike stuff.
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Old 05-02-19, 10:18 AM
  #60  
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I wash most cycling apparel in mesh lingerie bags, on the gentlest cycle, with Dreft (or similar) detergent. Wool jerseys (I have many) get laid flat to dry, other stuff gets about 15 mins in the dryer on the lowest temp setting and is then hung to dry. The stuff is expensive, so I try to take care of it.

It does take a day or two for a jersey or bibshort to finish air-drying, which is when it's handy to own quite a few - in order to keep riding.
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Old 05-02-19, 11:13 AM
  #61  
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Since I ride recumbents and dont need to buy high priced specialty shorts that protect me from my ride, no, my $15 rugby shorts to into the regular laundry. They then magically reappear in the drawer where I find clean ones.
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Old 05-02-19, 11:28 AM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
There is a misconception out there that bike clothes are some how “delicate”. The materials used to make modern bicycles clothes...polyesters, nylon and Lycra...aren’t “delicate”. They are tough materials that aren’t harmed by normal washing and normal drying. Ask yourselves, do you wash your socks as delicates? Do you wash underwear as “delicate”? Would you wash a jacket as “delicate”? All of them are materials you’ll find in bicycle clothes.

Lycra, in fact, benefits from the heat of the dryer. The heat resets the stretch of the molecule. Lycra is even “set” at the point of manufacture by high heat...about 200°C (over 390°F). A home dryer doesn’t even get close to that temperature.

I’ve been machine washing and drying synthetic bicycle clothes for about as long as I’ve been wearing synthetic bicycle clothes. I have bike shorts and bike jerseys that are as old as 20 years that aren’t worn out or stretched out. Bicycle clothes are much tougher than people think.


cycco, I am one of those misconceived people. What you say makes a lot of sense. Well....from now on everything goes to the washing machine. But, likely on a delicate setting. Thanks.
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Old 05-02-19, 11:50 AM
  #63  
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I hand wash and line dry all my cycling clothing. Should I be ashamed?
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Old 05-02-19, 01:41 PM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
That could be a function of the gripper material rather than an effect from the dryer. Plastics, especially soft plastics, can decompose with age. Heat may not have anything to do with it. I have many shorts with grippers on them that are quite old without any deterioration problems.

I’m not saying that the deterioration problem you are having isn’t due to dryer use but it could be other factors as well.


As for hanging Lycra in direct sun, I don’t see why that should be a problem. We ride them in the sun so why would hanging them in the sun be any different?
Luckily most grippers these days seem to be silicone that is much more durable than the variety of elastics with natural rubbers or other less durable compounds. Those Tyr shorts are from the late 90s.

I hung some shorts out to dry once and forgot about em til 48 hours later. They were even in the shade for half the daylight hours. But they got cooked in the AZ sun. You can see the pattern of areas that were in the shade from the folds resulting from way they were hanging. I'd assume the damage is cumulative, so may be unnoticeable after 2 hours in the sun, but set em out for two hours every weekend and I'd expect to see degradation of materials after a few months.
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Old 05-02-19, 02:28 PM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by sputniky
Read my post again. It’s been over three decades.

Still safe.

Not sorry.

No hand washing.

No obsessing about washing bike stuff.
One word: carrier.
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Old 05-02-19, 03:36 PM
  #66  
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Machine wash on delicate setting, air/line dry. KB
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Old 05-02-19, 06:55 PM
  #67  
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Washer & dryer.
Hand washed in the old days when clothing was wool, with real chamois.
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Old 05-02-19, 06:57 PM
  #68  
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Is it 1969 again?
Hope not, once was enough as far as Kit goes.

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Old 05-02-19, 07:44 PM
  #69  
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Once upon a time, all clothes were washed by hand, and then some wise guy invented the washing machine.

I refuse to hand wash clothes of any sort. I wash mine on the delicate cycle, then hang dry. If my cycling clothes can't withstand that, I'll find another brand that will. Not going back to to the "old days", before washing machines.
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Old 05-02-19, 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Reynolds
I hand wash and line dry all my cycling clothing. Should I be ashamed?
Quite the opposite.
You should be proud
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Old 05-02-19, 10:09 PM
  #71  
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For those that do handwash, and happen to be on the road, this is THE way to get your gear dry after handwashing in a motel room. Hang it up in the room after this procedure (near the super loud fan if possible ) and your kit will be ready to ride within an hour.

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Old 05-02-19, 11:45 PM
  #72  
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I hand wash cycling shorts and jerseys. I give them all a gentle wash in the washer at the end of season before storing. I generally don't have enough jerseys and shorts to make a full load for the washer.
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Old 05-03-19, 03:11 AM
  #73  
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Originally Posted by aspalmat
Once upon a time, all clothes were washed by hand, and then some wise guy invented the washing machine.

I refuse to hand wash clothes of any sort. I wash mine on the delicate cycle, then hang dry. If my cycling clothes can't withstand that, I'll find another brand that will. Not going back to to the "old days", before washing machines.
Lucky you to be able to afford one of those highfalutin washers with a super gentle cycle.
Your bank account is much greater than mine.
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Old 05-03-19, 06:30 AM
  #74  
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Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
For those that do handwash, and happen to be on the road, this is THE way to get your gear dry after handwashing in a motel room. Hang it up in the room after this procedure (near the super loud fan if possible ) and your kit will be ready to ride within an hour.

Honestly, that is harder on the fabric than a washing machine. Most of the hotels I’ve stayed in have laundry facilities...often, it’s why I stay in them...so there is no need for hand washing.
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Old 05-03-19, 06:35 AM
  #75  
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Originally Posted by KraneXL
Lucky you to be able to afford one of those highfalutin washers with a super gentle cycle.
Your bank account is much greater than mine.
You don’t need a washer with a “delicates” cycle. A normal “permanent press” cycle works. On the other hand, even the cheapest washer and dryer made in the last 35 years usually has a “delicates” cycle.

Originally Posted by a1penguin
I hand wash cycling shorts and jerseys. I give them all a gentle wash in the washer at the end of season before storing. I generally don't have enough jerseys and shorts to make a full load for the washer.
I know not of this “end of season” of which you speak. Pray tell what is it?

As for not having enough clothing for a full load, I think the problem is that you aren’t riding enough.
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