how much washing?

[[email protected]]

Hi

So now I'm cycling pretty much every day, I find myself doing a small
wash every other day as I have too few suitable clothes.

Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle? Conversely, is
it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
seven and use daily)? Do the every-day cyclists here have seven pairs
of lycra shorts? What about cycle jerseys - seven as well? If so, it's
going to get expensive!

What would be a sensible amount of gear/happy-medium?

Cheers

cccr

 

[Zog The Undeniable]

[email protected] wrote:
> Hi
>
> So now I'm cycling pretty much every day, I find myself doing a small
> wash every other day as I have too few suitable clothes.
>
> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle?

Not really, although I wear the same pair to and from work.

Conversely, is
> it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
> seven and use daily)?

The washing should get rid of most nasties. For best results peg them
outside to dry so the chmois gets direct sunlight. This kills a lot of
residual bugs.

Do the every-day cyclists here have seven pairs
> of lycra shorts? What about cycle jerseys - seven as well? If so, it's
> going to get expensive!

I have about 5 pairs of shorts, and more jerseys than I care to admit to.

> What would be a sensible amount of gear/happy-medium?

Maybe 3 of each and do some handwashing?

 

[Peter]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi
>
> So now I'm cycling pretty much every day, I find myself doing a small
> wash every other day as I have too few suitable clothes.
>
> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle? Conversely, is
> it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
> seven and use daily)? Do the every-day cyclists here have seven pairs
> of lycra shorts? What about cycle jerseys - seven as well? If so, it's
> going to get expensive!
>
> What would be a sensible amount of gear/happy-medium?
>
> Cheers
>
> cccr
>
it partly depends on how long your commute is.

you could get un/padded cycling underpants/knickers - and wear them under
your shorts.

in times extremis i've worn cycling shorts for several days - but wouldn't
recommend it really.

peter

 

[Danny Colyer]

cccr wrote:
> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle?

In the past I tried wearing the same pair of shorts for two days
running. I wouldn't recommend it, I ended up with horrendous zits on my
thighs.

> Conversely, is
> it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
> seven and use daily)?

That's what I do. I /do/ leave them to dry for a couple of hours before
putting them in the washing basket, though, otherwise the wife complains.

> Do the every-day cyclists here have seven pairs
> of lycra shorts? What about cycle jerseys - seven as well? If so, it's
> going to get expensive!

I've probably got about a dozen pairs of shorts and rather more jerseys
(I wear different kinds of jersey at different times of year). It
doesn't /seem/ so expensive if you collect them over many years - I
bought my first pair of shorts in 1994 and I still wear them occasionally.

> What would be a sensible amount of gear/happy-medium?

YMMV. For summer, I could happily get by with 6 pairs of shorts and 6
sleeveless jerseys. For spring and autumn I need tights/leg warmers,
arm warmers and a gilet. (BTW, if you buy unpadded tights then you only
need one pair; you can wear them all week long with a fresh pair of
shorts underneath every day). For winter I need a bit more, including 6
base layers, but otherwise I only need one of everything.

It's best to avoid team kit. If you buy something plain, rather than
adorned with someone else's advertising, you'll probably only play half
the price. I thoroughly recommend Parrot kit:
<url:http://www.daleswear.co.uk/>

It's also worth taking a look at Prendas Ciclismo and ProBikeKit:
<url:http://www.prendas.co.uk/>
<url:http://www.probikekit.com/>

And, of course, someone's bound to recommend Aldi and Lidl bargains.
VFM is excellent, so it's a good way to build up a decent cycling
wardrobe on the cheap, but I find it's usually worth paying extra for
something more breathable or with a better cut.

--
Danny Colyer <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
Subscribe to PlusNet <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/referral/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Peter]

"Danny Colyer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> cccr wrote:


>
> And, of course, someone's bound to recommend Aldi and Lidl bargains. VFM
> is excellent, so it's a good way to build up a decent cycling wardrobe on
> the cheap, but I find it's usually worth paying extra for something more
> breathable or with a better cut.

Sound advice - it's worth getting some Aldi/Lidl kit (unless the ebay
vultures get there first) as it's so cheap.
Halfords Bicycleline range is also cheap, often discounted and OK (from
personal experience).
They currently have shorts for £8.66 (online, at least)
Peter

 

[Pete Biggs]

[email protected] wrote:
> Hi
>
> So now I'm cycling pretty much every day, I find myself doing a small
> wash every other day as I have too few suitable clothes.
>
> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle?

You won't get horrible diseases if it was just one not-very-long ride and
the shorts are removed and hung up to air straight afterwards. Otherwise
they should be washed before next use.

> Conversely, is
> it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
> seven and use daily)? Do the every-day cyclists here have seven pairs
> of lycra shorts? What about cycle jerseys - seven as well? If so, it's
> going to get expensive!
>
> What would be a sensible amount of gear/happy-medium?

Two, three or four shorts & jerseys and wash more often than once a week.

~PB

 

[Alex Clarke]

Pete Biggs wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
>
>>Hi
>>
>>So now I'm cycling pretty much every day, I find myself doing a small
>>wash every other day as I have too few suitable clothes.
>>
>>Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle?
>
>
> You won't get horrible diseases if it was just one not-very-long ride and
> the shorts are removed and hung up to air straight afterwards. Otherwise
> they should be washed before next use.
>
>
>>Conversely, is
>>it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
>>seven and use daily)? Do the every-day cyclists here have seven pairs
>>of lycra shorts? What about cycle jerseys - seven as well? If so, it's
>>going to get expensive!
>>
>>What would be a sensible amount of gear/happy-medium?
>
>
> Two, three or four shorts & jerseys and wash more often than once a week.
>
> ~PB
>
>
Same here 3-4 sets of clothing that usually get washed between each ride
but sometimes get worn twice through necessity

Alex

 

[Clive George]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle?

What a shiny clean bunch we have on URC!

Either I'm prepared to put up with more skegginess, or I'm naturally
cleaner, but I can make cycling shorts last at least a couple of weeks,
which is 13 or 20 miles eack weekday. They don't seem to wander off on their
own too much, they don't get all crusty, and I'm not picking up any horrid
rashes or similar, so it can't be that bad.

There, a nice contrary opinion to confuse the issue nicely

cheers,
clive

 

[Peter Clinch]

[email protected] wrote:

> So now I'm cycling pretty much every day, I find myself doing a small
> wash every other day as I have too few suitable clothes.
>
> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle? Conversely, is
> it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
> seven and use daily)? Do the every-day cyclists here have seven pairs
> of lycra shorts? What about cycle jerseys - seven as well? If so, it's
> going to get expensive!
>
> What would be a sensible amount of gear/happy-medium?

Depends what your daily cycling /is/. Mine, which is short local hacks,
usually 5 miles total or so but sometimes maybe 5 each way and I'm not
Going For It, I never bother with "proper" cycle clothing. For me it's
just not worth the faff of changing.
So I wear what I'd have been wearing anyway, don't work up much of a
sweat, and don't get through any extra washing.

For more serious cycling, one can certainly use shorts etc. for more
than one day, or a week's touring would need a large pile of laundry!
If they're all right for 100 miles in a day I can't see that a single 10
mile trip will make them too unpleasant, unless you're breaking the land
speed record. Worth having two pairs, just in case one gets bathed in
liquid mud, torn etc., but 7 seems to be overdoing it unless you're
covering big distances at speed on your daily cycle.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>,
[email protected] ('[email protected]') wrote:

> So now I'm cycling pretty much every day, I find myself doing a small
> wash every other day as I have too few suitable clothes.
>
> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle? Conversely, is
> it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
> seven and use daily)? Do the every-day cyclists here have seven pairs
> of lycra shorts? What about cycle jerseys - seven as well? If so, it's
> going to get expensive!

I'm not a particularly sweaty person, although I do sweat a lot when
racing or in hot weather. I have, total, 4 pairs of cycling shorts and
one skinsuit. Shorts and shirt that have been raced in need to be
washed, and after a mountain bike ride it's often a matter of getting
undressed in front of the washing machine and just throwing everything
in.

But for ordinary day to day cycling at normal sorts of speeds I wear the
same shorts and shirt for several days running, and don't find this a
problem.

> What would be a sensible amount of gear/happy-medium?

I have a complete set of club strip (winter tights, summer tights, two
pairs of shorts, shirt, jersey, skinsuit, gilet) which are used mainly
at weekends and for time trials; I have plain grey and black clothes for
through the week, tights, two pairs shorts, three jerseys, winter gilet,
two shirts; and I have one Foska Scotland shirt for when I feel like it.

That is, in fact, far more than I need, and I could actually get by with
just club strip (if I didn't feel too showy-offy wearing it during the
week) of just the blacks (if I didn't feel that I need to support my
club).

A lot of socks is a good plan, though, and more than one pair of mitts (I
have four pairs which get regular use).

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

X-no-archive: No, I'm not *that* naive.

 

[David E. Belcher]

Zog The Undeniable wrote:
> > Conversely, is
> > it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
> > seven and use daily)?
>
> The washing should get rid of most nasties. For best results peg them
> outside to dry so the chmois gets direct sunlight. This kills a lot of
> residual bugs.

Plus, an awful lot of cycle shorts these days have synthetic chamois
pads - sometimes with an antibacterial treatment - rather than the real
stuff, and so don't suffer as much if not washed ASAP, as well as
coping much better with repeated washing (esp. if you use a machine
rather than hand-wash).

David Belcher

 

[Arthur Clune]

[email protected] wrote:
>
> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle? Conversely, is
> it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have

Like many people here, for short round town trips I just wear normal
clothes and wash them whenever I'd normally wash them.

For 'proper' cycling I always wear a clean pair of shorts, but usually
make tops last 2-3 rides (less in summer, less for MTB'ing etc).

I shove shorts in the laundry basket when I get back and leave them
there till the washing next gets done. That's usually twice a week
though.

Arhtur

--
Arthur Clune

 

[Arthur Clune]

David E. Belcher wrote:

> coping much better with repeated washing (esp. if you use a machine
> rather than hand-wash).

Does *anyone* hand wash their shorts these days? Holidays excepted
of course.

--
Arthur Clune

 

[MSeries]

[email protected] wrote:
> Hi
>
> So now I'm cycling pretty much every day, I find myself doing a small
> wash every other day as I have too few suitable clothes.
>
> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle? Conversely, is
> it OK to leave them unwashed in the basket for a week (if you have
> seven and use daily)? Do the every-day cyclists here have seven pairs
> of lycra shorts? What about cycle jerseys - seven as well? If so, it's
> going to get expensive!
>
> What would be a sensible amount of gear/happy-medium?
>
> Cheers
>
> cccr

I don't reserve different shorts for different bikes, oh when you side
cycle you mean ride, I see now. I wear the same shorts for my 5 day
commute, no problems at all. My ride is 15 mins on a morning 25 on an
afternoon. I don't know how many pairs of shorts I have, loads. Same
with jerseys, loads, more then 7 for sure. I don't use a clean one
everyday, no need to.

For a weekend ride and remember my weekend rides can be upto 27 hours I
will start with a clean jersey, shorts socks, vest and maybe change
part way through.

I am a cyclist, my attitude to attire is like it is for non cycling
gear, I have a good chocie of kit and enjoy the variety. My kit gets
dropped on the bedroom floor when I it needs washing and the soigneur
returns it clean and folded a day or two later. I have a laundry bag
dedicated to cycling wear, things don't get placed in here whilst they
are still sweaty, they are aired first. They rarely stay in this bag
for long before getting washed, depends how busy the lsoigneur is I
guess.

 

[POHB]

<[email protected]> wrote
>
> Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle?

Give 'em a sniff

 

[David E. Belcher]

Arthur Clune wrote:
> David E. Belcher wrote:
>
> > coping much better with repeated washing (esp. if you use a machine
> > rather than hand-wash).
>
> Does *anyone* hand wash their shorts these days?

Nope, slinging them in the machine is just too easy! But I mentioned
hand-washing since my first ever pair of cycling shorts were Santini
ones with a genuine chamois pad, and machine-washing [1] did the insert
no favours at all over time....

David Belcher

[1] Or maybe it was the choice of detergent, since this was usually bio
rather than non-bio powder.

 

[David E. Belcher]

Clive George wrote:

> Either I'm prepared to put up with more skegginess

Interesting word - does it define the degree to which something
resembles a Lincs. seaside resort? ;-)

David Belcher

 

[Peter Clinch]

David E. Belcher wrote:
> Clive George wrote:
>
>> Either I'm prepared to put up with more skegginess
>
> Interesting word - does it define the degree to which something
> resembles a Lincs. seaside resort? ;-)

Or, by association, the degree to which something is /so/ bracing? ;-)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[MSeries]

Clive George wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > Is it OK to wear lycra shorts for more than one cycle?
>
> What a shiny clean bunch we have on URC!
>
> Either I'm prepared to put up with more skegginess, or I'm naturally
> cleaner, but I can make cycling shorts last at least a couple of weeks,
> which is 13 or 20 miles eack weekday. They don't seem to wander off on their
> own too much, they don't get all crusty, and I'm not picking up any horrid
> rashes or similar, so it can't be that bad.
>
> There, a nice contrary opinion to confuse the issue nicely
>
> cheers,
> clive

I don't use fresh stuff everyday either. Even when I cycled across
America I didn't use clean stuff every day. Its not that bad.

 

[David Martin]

Peter Clinch wrote:
> David E. Belcher wrote:
> > Clive George wrote:
> >
> >> Either I'm prepared to put up with more skegginess
> >
> > Interesting word - does it define the degree to which something
> > resembles a Lincs. seaside resort? ;-)
>
> Or, by association, the degree to which something is /so/ bracing? ;-)

<tenuous>
Incoming!
</tenuous>

...d