Do you hand wash your bike shorts?
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#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.
Otherwise it all gets thrown in with my other clothes for a regular wash cycle and dry.
#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.
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.
#55
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A little OCD never hurt anyone. Consider the adage, "better to be safe than sorry."
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.
I'd still avoid running Lycra in high heat. And DEFINITELY avoid hanging Lycra to dry in direct sun.
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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.
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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#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.
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.
#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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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.
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.
#63
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I hand wash and line dry all my cycling clothing. Should I be ashamed?
#64
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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?
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?
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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Machine wash on delicate setting, air/line dry. KB
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Washer & dryer.
Hand washed in the old days when clothing was wool, with real chamois.
Hand washed in the old days when clothing was wool, with real chamois.
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#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.
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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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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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.
#73
☢
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.
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.
Your bank account is much greater than mine.
#74
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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.
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 School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#75
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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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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!