Do you hand wash your bike shorts?
#101
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I always hand wash trolls until they stop bubbling. After a good long soak under a bridge weighted down with cinder blocks I clean 'em, parboil 'em until the skin comes off and tan the hides to make chamois for my shorts. The meat is useful as bait for other troll threads.
Last edited by canklecat; 05-06-19 at 12:26 AM.
#102
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Or he could do as one lady did and stuck his poodle in the machine after washing it!
#103
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#104
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I disagree that bike clothes aren't worn out by washing. I personally think washing causes more wear than wearing them. When I washed and dryed my kits with regular clothes, they only lasted a season. Since using Hand Wash and laying flat to try, they last several years.
#105
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I
I disagree that bike clothes aren't worn out by washing. I personally think washing causes more wear than wearing them. When I washed and dryed my kits with regular clothes, they only lasted a season. Since using Hand Wash and laying flat to try, they last several years.
I disagree that bike clothes aren't worn out by washing. I personally think washing causes more wear than wearing them. When I washed and dryed my kits with regular clothes, they only lasted a season. Since using Hand Wash and laying flat to try, they last several years.
Bicycle shorts aren't "delicate".
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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#106
Senior Member
I agree. It not the material wear and tear I am concerned about. My wife does laundry maybe every other week, I ride 3 - 4 times a week, I don't have 8 kits!
So I get back from a ride, start the water in shower to get it warm (takes a while), put bike stuff in sink filled with warm water with a little detergent (I keep a small bottle under sink and refill from large bottle in laundry room) then swish it around. After shower I swish it around again, rinse, then hang up to dry outside. Its easily ready for the next day.
This is what I think is most convenient for both me and my wife.
So I get back from a ride, start the water in shower to get it warm (takes a while), put bike stuff in sink filled with warm water with a little detergent (I keep a small bottle under sink and refill from large bottle in laundry room) then swish it around. After shower I swish it around again, rinse, then hang up to dry outside. Its easily ready for the next day.
This is what I think is most convenient for both me and my wife.
#107
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All my cycling clothes get a machine wash. Only the wool items do not get a dryer. The merino wool shorts (with a natural chamois) get a hang dry. The merino wool long sleeve jersey gets a hang dry or in rare cases a cool dry.
The wool shorts are not used regularly, as I usually use looser hiking/fishing type shorts with pockets. None of the shorts are padded.
As for durability, the wool shorts are over 20 years old but I have always used smooth leather topped saddles until the Brooks Cambium of last year.
The wool shorts are not used regularly, as I usually use looser hiking/fishing type shorts with pockets. None of the shorts are padded.
As for durability, the wool shorts are over 20 years old but I have always used smooth leather topped saddles until the Brooks Cambium of last year.
#108
Member
Front-loader machine wash on the perm-press cycle (medium spin speed); dryer gets set to "low".
Shorts that I've had for at least five years, wearing probably 50-60x/year, still feel as good as day one.
Back in the olden days of a leather chamois (I had one pair of shorts with the leather....and that was enough!) ...that was a whole other kettle o' fish!
Shorts that I've had for at least five years, wearing probably 50-60x/year, still feel as good as day one.
Back in the olden days of a leather chamois (I had one pair of shorts with the leather....and that was enough!) ...that was a whole other kettle o' fish!
#111
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I just wear the bike shorts right into the shower to wash all the sweat off of them. Then I take them off and wash them with regular soap and water while I'm in the shower. After I finish showering I hang them on a plastic hanger to air dry.
#112
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#113
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#114
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All my fitness gear goes in the washing machine. However, I do use the appropriate wash programme and use a liquid detergent designed to clean fitness clothing - it has added anti-bacterial agents that helps kill the bacteria during a cold wash.
#115
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I always hand wash trolls until they stop bubbling. After a good long soak under a bridge weighted down with cinder blocks I clean 'em, parboil 'em until the skin comes off and tan the hides to make chamois for my shorts. The meat is useful as bait for other troll threads.
Do they tip well?
#116
Senior Member
Not irrational. Washing does wear down textile fibers faster than not washing. But most of us want our kits to be cleaned every now and then, so we accept the normal wear and tear, and accept that all articles of clothing have finite lifespans.
I honestly believe that if you bought three identical kits that were subjected to identical rides, but washed one on the most aggressive cycle (it's called "cottons / heavies" on my machine), and put them in the dryer, you washed the second in the most delicate cycle (it's called "hand wash" on mine) and air dried them, and gently hand washed the third (literal hand wash), you'd see three distinctly different lifespans from those garments.
I honestly believe that if you bought three identical kits that were subjected to identical rides, but washed one on the most aggressive cycle (it's called "cottons / heavies" on my machine), and put them in the dryer, you washed the second in the most delicate cycle (it's called "hand wash" on mine) and air dried them, and gently hand washed the third (literal hand wash), you'd see three distinctly different lifespans from those garments.
#118
☢
Not irrational. Washing does wear down textile fibers faster than not washing. But most of us want our kits to be cleaned every now and then, so we accept the normal wear and tear, and accept that all articles of clothing have finite lifespans.
I honestly believe that if you bought three identical kits that were subjected to identical rides, but washed one on the most aggressive cycle (it's called "cottons / heavies" on my machine), and put them in the dryer, you washed the second in the most delicate cycle (it's called "hand wash" on mine) and air dried them, and gently hand washed the third (literal hand wash), you'd see three distinctly different lifespans from those garments.
I honestly believe that if you bought three identical kits that were subjected to identical rides, but washed one on the most aggressive cycle (it's called "cottons / heavies" on my machine), and put them in the dryer, you washed the second in the most delicate cycle (it's called "hand wash" on mine) and air dried them, and gently hand washed the third (literal hand wash), you'd see three distinctly different lifespans from those garments.
#119
meh
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Not irrational. Washing does wear down textile fibers faster than not washing. But most of us want our kits to be cleaned every now and then, so we accept the normal wear and tear, and accept that all articles of clothing have finite lifespans.
I honestly believe that if you bought three identical kits that were subjected to identical rides, but washed one on the most aggressive cycle (it's called "cottons / heavies" on my machine), and put them in the dryer, you washed the second in the most delicate cycle (it's called "hand wash" on mine) and air dried them, and gently hand washed the third (literal hand wash), you'd see three distinctly different lifespans from those garments.
I honestly believe that if you bought three identical kits that were subjected to identical rides, but washed one on the most aggressive cycle (it's called "cottons / heavies" on my machine), and put them in the dryer, you washed the second in the most delicate cycle (it's called "hand wash" on mine) and air dried them, and gently hand washed the third (literal hand wash), you'd see three distinctly different lifespans from those garments.
This jersey is from the late 80's or early 90's - always washed in the machine:
photo credit Lisa (AKA wife)
This is the kinda racing I end up doing at least once a year. Years on the harshest wash-cycle is much gentler than a few hours of these conditions:
photo credit - https://markmanoutdoorphotography.com/
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#120
Senior Member
I live in an apartment and laundry is a once per month carried to the corner laundromat affair. Since I ride daily that means hand washing, which is basically tossing it in the shower, stomp on it for a minute or so when I get in, wring it out a bit, toss it over the sink/toilet to dry, wring the lower edges a second time after the shower. The detergent soak happens once per week. Fairly simple.
#121
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Why do you even care...unless you are the type that follows people around with Petri dishes and submits to laboratory exams daily ???
Does you wife ****** daily....or are you somehow not squeamish about that ???
Does you wife ****** daily....or are you somehow not squeamish about that ???
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When I take my biking shorts off, I toss them down the laundry chute. A couple of days later, they reappear in my dresser drawer. I'm not sure what happens to them in between, and don't particularly care as long as I don't have to be involved.
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#123
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Go to any manufacturer's website and they can tell you the longevity, durability, wearability, care. etc. of their product. Three guesses on how they know that?
#124
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Have "Mikey" wear them (until he refuses) , after leaving item out in the weather, on Funk and Wagnalls back porch....
Inspector # 18 Hanes underwear...she is a tough old Bird !
#125
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I left a response about 8 hours ago but I don't see it, so I will retype it. Wearing clothes of any kind wears them out way faster than machine washing them; so I don't really understand all this anti machine washing mentality business.
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