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Do you hand wash your bike shorts?

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Do you hand wash your bike shorts?

Old 05-03-19, 06:51 AM
  #76  
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Wait, I am supposed to WASH this stuff?

I thought I was just supposed to knock the mud off and lube after every few rides.
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Old 05-03-19, 06:59 AM
  #77  
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I don’t hand wash anything, it goes in the machine, or it goes in the trash.
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Old 05-03-19, 07:08 AM
  #78  
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Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
Well there's still the electricity needed to shake and spin that drum for 45 minutes.

My washer has a 35 min cycle, would be nice if a slightly shorter one was available
I'm waiting for a "smart" version to come on the market

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Old 05-03-19, 07:21 AM
  #79  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Those of us who tour know it takes longer and more effort to wash with a machine than it does to wash them as part of your shower. I try to avoid shaking hands with with people who don't know that.
But if you ride in le Tour, you get some perks.. on the BMC bus

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Old 05-03-19, 08:18 AM
  #80  
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IT's not dirt and grime! It's called PATINA!
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Old 05-03-19, 08:39 AM
  #81  
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Delicate?

Its more of the sweat thing. Shorts and jerseys get wet from our sweat. And depending on the humidity, clothing can get very wet. Also, the shorts have the padding, more or less. That padding has to absorb all that sweat as well.

To preserve the life of the material, it seems to me that the shorts/jersey needs to be rinsed out. No matter whether you go in the shower, or hand wash, or throw in the washer, the material needs some kind of rinse to remove the sweat.

What happens when you leave the sweaty shorts/jersey on the floor or your hamper, waiting for tomorrow's laundry day? Its going to dry out, sweat included.

Will that dry sweat have some kind of effect on the material? Maybe.

Now the "waste of time", "other better things to do". Like wiping down the bike after a ride? Or cutting your toe nails that get too long that they begin to cut through your socks?
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Old 05-03-19, 08:51 AM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
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.
I sometimes use motel washer and dryer, like a couple years ago I got a room next door to laundry room. Usually easier and cheaper to hand wash in sink.

I had quite the ordeal in Cheyenne once. Gathered our clothes, took the elevator down to the lobby wearing my swim trunks, got quarters at the front desk, walk down the hall to the laundry room, and doh it takes a key card to get in. So take the elevator back up to the 3rd floor, get the key card from my coworker, head back down to start the wash. 45 mins later its dryer transfer time and ugh laundry room closes at 9pm....

Trials and tribulations

But yeah, I do only occasionally wring with towel Comes in handy when you need a quick turnaround though. Once in Salem, OR I checked in at 10pm, washed shorts in sink and it was SO humid I didn't think they'd be dry by morning even with towel wringing.

Last edited by LesterOfPuppets; 05-03-19 at 08:55 AM.
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Old 05-03-19, 02:52 PM
  #83  
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It was bad enough when people felt the need to take a shortcut and use a washboard and a large bucket but some machines are even motorized now. Eventually all these people using them will figure out they are not worth it and you are all being scammed. Throwing a pile of clothes in some device and walking away is just stupid. It gets torn up, destroyed, and harms the environment. Who knows what could possibly be going on in there, you can't see it and for some reason they try to prevent you from knowing because it stops when you try to look or the door is locked. It is just not the place for special biking clothes. Biking clothes is not like other clothes and should be treated special. Why? It's bike clothes that's why, isn't it obvious? I even put mine in a special designated drawer, I don't want it mixing and lingering with my non bike clothes. There is a delima though. I wear a head cover bandana type device at times under my helmet. It is not "bike" specific and I also use it off the bike sometimes when I am working around the yard. I'm not sure if I should give it special bike clothes treatment or just consider it like my other clothes. Maybe I'll just buy two of them and designate them...

Last edited by u235; 05-03-19 at 03:06 PM.
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Old 05-04-19, 08:20 AM
  #84  
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machine wash and hang dry on lines hanging in garage next to washing machine.
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Old 05-04-19, 09:53 AM
  #85  
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Coming Soon!!!
The next thread will be 'Do you wash your hands after hand washing your bike shorts?'
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Old 05-04-19, 10:42 AM
  #86  
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No, I don’t hand wash my cycling shorts/bibs unless I am on a cross country trip where I am camping or in a motel. I always dry the old fashioned way.
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Old 05-04-19, 02:08 PM
  #87  
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same hear...hand washing just isn't that time consuming
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Old 05-04-19, 07:12 PM
  #88  
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If you follow the directions on the clothing it tells you how to wash, no clothing I've ever bought for cycling, or any other clothes, ever said to hand wash, so why would I hand wash? I'm not that anal.

So according to the instructions of all of my cycling clothes, machine wash on gentle and cold water with no bleach, and tumble dry low heat, but I usually just hang dry all my cycling clothes especially the shorts since I don't think the padding takes kindly to heat even though they say it's ok to do.
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Old 05-04-19, 07:16 PM
  #89  
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Originally Posted by tkamd73
I don’t hand wash anything, it goes in the machine, or it goes in the trash.
Tim
This.
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Old 05-04-19, 07:31 PM
  #90  
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No.

In the machine on gentle cycle, then hang to dry.
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Old 05-04-19, 10:12 PM
  #91  
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Originally Posted by greatscott
If you follow the directions on the clothing it tells you how to wash, no clothing I've ever bought for cycling, or any other clothes, ever said to hand wash, so why would I hand wash? I'm not that anal.
Conserve water and energy? Provided you don't have a full load. I have a Chines shirt that I hand wash simply because it bleeds. Lest I end up with all my white shirts turning pink.

So according to the instructions of all of my cycling clothes, machine wash on gentle and cold water with no bleach, and tumble dry low heat, but I usually just hang dry all my cycling clothes especially the shorts since I don't think the padding takes kindly to heat even though they say it's ok to do.
Nowadays, washers and dryers have become significantly more sophisticated, so hand-washing garments may be optional. Some driers have moisture sensors or can tumble with no heat. That is if you're lucky enough to own one them.

Unfortunately, some of us have to depend on the laundromat or complex's laundry room and even on the low setting the agitator is still pretty rough. Hand washing remains the most economical, unless you have a full load.
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Old 05-05-19, 07:06 AM
  #92  
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Machine wash and line dry at home. For my upcoming Trans Am race, probably hand wash every 3-4 days.
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Old 05-05-19, 07:24 AM
  #93  
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+1 for literally NEVER washing my kit. I just find it on the drying rack, no questions asked.
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Old 05-05-19, 02:45 PM
  #94  
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Almost all my kit is Assos. And, even though every piece was bought at sale price, I can't afford to trash any of it. So, everything gets hand washed in cold water and line dried.
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Old 05-05-19, 03:23 PM
  #95  
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10-15 day road trip coming up for me. Gonna machine wash/hang dry 4 jerseys and 2 shorts before hitting the road.

Then... HANDWASHING FIESTA everyday
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Old 05-05-19, 06:00 PM
  #96  
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Originally Posted by bruce19
Almost all my kit is Assos. And, even though every piece was bought at sale price, I can't afford to trash any of it. So, everything gets hand washed in cold water and line dried.
I've owned lots of cycling gear over three+ decades of riding. Much of it on the pricier side. All of it machine washed except for a few road trips where it's been hand washed while camping.

I've never been worried that putting cycling clothing, or any clothing for that matter, in a washing machine is going to result in clothes that are "trashed."

Where do folks get this irrational fear of washing machines?
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Old 05-05-19, 06:15 PM
  #97  
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Imagining myself hand washing something (washboards, wringing, twisting, whatnot?), I'm thinking this would be quite a bit harsher than the machine which just moves the crap around in sudsy water.
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Old 05-05-19, 06:26 PM
  #98  
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Did he just put Assos shorts in a washing machine?

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Old 05-05-19, 09:02 PM
  #99  
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Originally Posted by Hypno Toad
Dang! You must really impressive yourself to think anybody cared enough to stalk you!

You've posted over 500 times in a year, you (& your troll-adjacent post) are kinda hard to miss on BF.
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Old 05-05-19, 09:07 PM
  #100  
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Originally Posted by KraneXL
Conserve water and energy? Provided you don't have a full load. I have a Chines shirt that I hand wash simply because it bleeds. Lest I end up with all my white shirts turning pink.Nowadays, washers and dryers have become significantly more sophisticated, so hand-washing garments may be optional. Some driers have moisture sensors or can tumble with no heat. That is if you're lucky enough to own one them.

Unfortunately, some of us have to depend on the laundromat or complex's laundry room and even on the low setting the agitator is still pretty rough. Hand washing remains the most economical, unless you have a full load.
Some dryers? All but the lowest costing ones have moisture sensors these days, and even the lowest costing ones will tumble with no heat.

Todays washers use as much water as it does to hand wash!

I haven't been to a laundrymat in years so I don't know what's available in those anymore. The last time I was at a laundrymat they had this very cool washing machine that pumped the agitator up and down instead of twisting back and forth, today they only the lowest costing machines use agitators, anyway that pump machine I never had any wrinkled clothes from that action! For some reason they weren't out on the market very long, not sure what caused their demise, this was back in the 80's, that pump action created less wrinkles than my modern machine that doesn't have an agitator!

I do sometimes hand wash though, when I'm touring! I just wash in a basin at some park and hang to dry.
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