how much washing?

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>
Peter Clinch <[email protected]> wrote:
> [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!

Two sets - wash in the evening, drape over the rear luggage to air as
you're riding along the next day. Although to be honest if kit isn't
stinky I probably wouldn't bother - after a day's touring all that fresh
air and sunshine can make you smell like you've just fetched your gear
from the washing line anyway, with maybe a hint of seaside saltiness.

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>
Arthur Clune <[email protected]> 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? Holidays excepted
> of course.
>
>
Why not? With modern fabrics it takes minimal effort. Does anyone
still use real chamois inserts?

 

[David E. Belcher]

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? ;-)
>

Hmm - this seems to be veering towards "Uxbridge English Dictionary"
territory ;-)

David Belcher

 

[wheelist]

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

This makes sense. It relates to how far you travel vs the amount of mud in your pants - the Skeggy Beach equation.

 

[Iain Norman]

On 7 Jun 2006 12:33:28 -0700, [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

For my short 8mile commute I have to have a new pair of shorts
everyday.

If I don't have a clean pair or shorts and a clean jersey every day
then they smell of stale sweat when I get to work and I get horrendous
rashes.

But I'm a fat sweaty ******* of course.

 

[[email protected]]

Zog The Undeniable 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?
>
> 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?

That's exactly what conclusion I came to today. The main reason for
asking was that I could quite happily wear both shorts and jerseys for
a few days but it gets a bit pongy. Was wondering whether this was
accepted or not and I got quite a few interesting responses!

Also, thought I'd found a bargain on cyclestore - half price
Specialized shorts in small but, on ordering, it turns out they've sold
out.

Cheers

cccr

 

[[email protected]]

Peter wrote:
> <[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.

That's the thing - I'm not working at the moment (hence the expense
point about daily fresh clothes) and suddenly the one pair of shorts
and short sleeved jersey are doing alot more miles than it's used to!

cccr

 

[[email protected]]

Danny Colyer wrote:
> 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.

In those days I had a pair of old army trousers and a cotton t-shirt
whatever the distance!

I think my saddles are a bit too hard these days - I couldn't cycle on
them without padded shorts for more than an hour.

> > 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/>

Cheers for tip - will have a look. I don't think I could face buying
any team kit anyway - am far too slow and my saddle's not high enough -
it wouldn't look right!

> 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.

The pair I have doing all the miles is an old Ronhill pair. Not too bad
but I might try and get something a bit more comfy, or maybe just try
out another type for 'interest'.

Cheers

cccr

 

[[email protected]]

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

Maybe I'll try an experiment - do a couple of hundred miles over the
next week or so and see what state they're in (or maybe the bits of my
body in contact)!

So, they do wander off on their own a little then?!

ccrr