I stink
#51
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Could you be specific on the better stuff? My understanding is some synthetics are a little better at delaying the stink due to treatment with triclosan or silver particles. My synthetic kit is either Castelli or Assos. There is no way I would wear either for more than a couple hours stinkless whereas I can wear merino or other "wools" for many, many days and the odor will be far less than one day in a synthetic jersey. Some people just do not smell very well (ineffective noses)
Weekday training rides are shorter - typically a hour to a hour and fifteen - and I mostly use cheaper Decathlon roadsuits and jackets which aren't as good in that regard and pick up smells more readily if I'm not meticulous about hygiene. My winter kit is also from Decathlon's top shelf line, but that is rarely required except when I go to the mountains for winter holidays, or an unusually cold spell, or if I want to do an easy ride on a really cold day, and you can't pick up a smell if you are impersonating an icicle.
I have some merino wool stuff but outside of merino socks I am just not very enchanted about it; the merino base layer just does not wick sweat nearly as well as synthetic ones do; bitto for the jersey. Merino socks are rather nice for both running and cycling in winter.
(Decathlon, for the unfamiliar, is an European - French actually - big box sporting chain which is great value and goes from cheap and functional kit to really good stuff which is 90% as good as the finest kit of renowned manufacturers at half the price.)
Last edited by Branko D; 11-30-21 at 12:58 AM.
#52
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Just discovered something
Used a brand New Jersey unwashed for a strenuous ride. I was surprised that it still had the stench at the end at the underarm areas - not as strong as my older jerseys used to have, but it was still there. So something about my BO and polyester tends to trap in the smell. Interestingly enough, my underarms themselves don’t smell as strong.
I was using no deodorant or antiperspirant, so I may change that next ride.
I was using no deodorant or antiperspirant, so I may change that next ride.
#53
Me duelen las nalgas
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I just use Tide or Gain, whatever they make for stinky active folks. Both brands work equally well. I soak my cycling and jogging clothes for 20-30 minutes to give the enzymes time to work. No need for vinegar, borax, baking soda, etc.
The only synthetic fabric I've tried that won't come clean no matter what I tried were some cheap poly t-shirts from the tractor supply store. The BO funk was locked into that fabric. They cost only about $3 each so I just tossed 'em out.
The only dietary funk I've noticed comes from some pungent curry powders and similarly spicy stuff. I can smell it the next day after eating spicy food when I'm jogging or cycling. Especially the really funky stuff like galangal root and fenugreek. And I noticed some extra nose funk after taking Prednisone last month for an upper respiratory inflammation -- steroids do a number on our hormones. But just from eating red meat or pretty much anything else, nah, never noticed any problems.
The only synthetic fabric I've tried that won't come clean no matter what I tried were some cheap poly t-shirts from the tractor supply store. The BO funk was locked into that fabric. They cost only about $3 each so I just tossed 'em out.
The only dietary funk I've noticed comes from some pungent curry powders and similarly spicy stuff. I can smell it the next day after eating spicy food when I'm jogging or cycling. Especially the really funky stuff like galangal root and fenugreek. And I noticed some extra nose funk after taking Prednisone last month for an upper respiratory inflammation -- steroids do a number on our hormones. But just from eating red meat or pretty much anything else, nah, never noticed any problems.
#54
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Well folks, I still stink
Turns out getting the clothes extra clean is helping, but I still smell after a hard ride.
my family even said so after I walked by 😀
my family even said so after I walked by 😀
#57
Method to My Madness
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#58
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There are people who shower and put on deodorant before a ride and people who, to put it politely, don't smell very well That said, better fabrics seem more... resistant to smell. I have a bunch of cheap dry-fit running shirts (which does get me more sweaty because, well, moving a whole lot slower and all that) which I got participating in races and the like which will start to smell fifteen minutes after a run. The root cause might be that I often don't shower before a run but only afterwards, but the better stuff I have doesn't seem to smell nearly as readily after a run.
#59
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I commute every day in kit, hang the sweaty kit @ work, change into fresh work clothes and put the same kit back on at the end of the day. It's cheap commuting stuff, not the good kit.
I shower in the morning before my commute, apply antiperspirant after the shower in the morning (Nivea* atm) no extra deodorant during the day, I don't shower @ work but me and the kit only stink when I get home after 2 sweat cycles.
edit : * double checked it's Dove Men + Care.
edit 2: forgot to mention that all my kit is washed on the normal 'coloured' 40°C program, no extra steps, hanged to dry. Anything that stinks is usually sorted with vinegar.
I shower in the morning before my commute, apply antiperspirant after the shower in the morning (Nivea* atm) no extra deodorant during the day, I don't shower @ work but me and the kit only stink when I get home after 2 sweat cycles.
edit : * double checked it's Dove Men + Care.
edit 2: forgot to mention that all my kit is washed on the normal 'coloured' 40°C program, no extra steps, hanged to dry. Anything that stinks is usually sorted with vinegar.
Last edited by Schlafen; 12-07-21 at 04:54 PM.
#60
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Putting any cycling kit in the dryer seems a good way to lock in the permastink. I can't imagine washing kit right after a ride, mainly for the sake of wasting water & energy for such a small load. This is coming from someone that rides 3 to 6 days a week typically.
What works for me is to hang dry clothes as soon as I take them off. Wash 'em when I have enough to justify a decent size load. Occasionally I'll add some distilled white vinegar to the water. I also add a splash of OdoBan every time I wash cycling kit.
What works for me is to hang dry clothes as soon as I take them off. Wash 'em when I have enough to justify a decent size load. Occasionally I'll add some distilled white vinegar to the water. I also add a splash of OdoBan every time I wash cycling kit.
#61
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Replaced the old clothes washer with a new one, recently. It's a G.E. "commercial" grade, with an "automatic" water level setting. It'll self-adjust for the load's size. So long as I put in a smaller amount of detergent along with the "anti-stink" (sanitizing) liquid for the rinse cycle, it comes out completely decontaminated. Yeah, it does mean running the laundry several times a week (even daily). Of course, it still goes through the cycle, so from a power standpoint it's still costing a little, but that doesn't cost but ~$30/yr or so. I figure that's better than having whatever little gremlins growing on the kit for a day or two until the next laundry day.
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#62
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Another vote for the synthetic materials. I had to wear compression socks to control swelling after I shattered the holy heck out of my tibia (12 screws and a plate). I never smelled anything as bad as those socks. Regular socks ...even my shoes and boots ....nothing. Those socks. Rank !!
#64
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I can't compare organic vs synthetic because I have always just used synthetic materials, but I could technically use them 2-3 rides in a row without washing them before they start to smell bad. I sweat like a pig most of my rides, FYI. No pain = no gain.
#65
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Used a brand New Jersey unwashed for a strenuous ride. I was surprised that it still had the stench at the end at the underarm areas - not as strong as my older jerseys used to have, but it was still there. So something about my BO and polyester tends to trap in the smell. Interestingly enough, my underarms themselves don’t smell as strong.
I was using no deodorant or antiperspirant, so I may change that next ride.
I was using no deodorant or antiperspirant, so I may change that next ride.
Anti-perspirant and deodorant are for clubbing, not for riding. And showering BEFORE a ride is just stupid.
#67
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Another trick to eliminate stink is to shave your underarms.
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