Washing and drying Bibshorts - Silly question I expect

daniel_b

Evening all,

when you wash your bibs, do you wash them inside out with the pad exposed?

I don't at the mo, but have started putting them out to dry like this as the pad seems to dry faster, not being pressed in on itself if that makes sense.

Cheers

Dan

steve_kay

I wash them inside out for 2 main reasons really. 1) I don't want the design print on them rubbing against other things in the washer and coming off and 2) they're inside out when I've taken them off. You're right though about the pad drying quicker if It's on the outside when hung up to dry

apreading

Steve_kay wrote:

I wash them inside out for 2 main reasons really. 1) I don't want the design print on them rubbing against other things in the washer and coming off and 2) they're inside out when I've taken them off. You're right though about the pad drying quicker if It's on the outside when hung up to dry

+++ all 3 of the above reasons ^^^

arran77

You're right it was a silly question, it went wrong when you said.....

when you wash your bibs

You should get your wife or girlfriend to do it for you

I have been reliably informed by Mrs 77 that inside out is the way to go as this means that the sweatiest part :oops: ie the pad will get the best wash and the black (or whatever colour they are) of the shorts will stay a stronger colour for longer.

monkimark

Wash them? I though we were just supposed to pop them in the freezer overnight?

drlodge

Never really thought about it - my shorts automatically get turned inside out as I take them off, and stay that way until I pack them in the chest-of-drawers.

tlw1

arran77 wrote:

You're right it was a silly question, it went wrong when you said.....

when you wash your bibs

You should get your wife or girlfriend to do it for you

correct

arran77

matthew h wrote:

arran77 wrote:

You're right it was a silly question, it went wrong when you said.....

when you wash your bibs

You should get your wife or girlfriend to do it for you

correct

The BB guide to laundry...

Strip off out of smelly sweaty cycling gear and dump it on the landing for the wife* to pick up, launder and put away while you shower, fettle with the bike, chill out and relax

*the current wife in matthew h's case

navrig2

Just received my new Etxeondo bid shorts.

Washing instructions:

Wash in cold water, inside out.

So that is the one and only piece of clothing we have bwteen the 4 of us which spocifically says wash in COLD water.

That's going to happen then?!!

drlodge

40 deg gentle wash, as per most of my clothes!

navrig2

drlodge wrote:

40 deg gentle wash, as per most of my clothes!

+1 perhaps even 30 deg simply because thats what the machine offers.

fatsmoker

I don't have enough pairs of shorts to be able to wait for them to be washed, so I take them into the shower with me and wash them in shampoo. Bad idea?

apreading

fatsmoker wrote:

I don't have enough pairs of shorts to be able to wait for them to be washed, so I take them into the shower with me and wash them in shampoo. Bad idea?

'Cos they're worth it?

steve_kay

Why not just wash them at 30 degrees with other similar coloured clothes? That's what I do

daniel_b

Thanks chaps!

LOL

30C with Halo wash is always what I do, but now inside out for wash and dry

I don't tend to let the missus do it anymore, she has put gloves in with the velcro open that eats lycra too many times :shock:

Miles253

I wash mine inside out for all the above reasons, but never on a gentle wash and always with a light tumble dry, at about 30 degrees. They are all alright so far. Now, do people zip up their jerseys

Brommers76

Plus my good shorts go in a wash bag to avoid getting tangled or otherwise damaged.

macleod113

wash my commuting stuff daily, due to the stench of dried sweat the other half has banned from the house when I used to hang up to air dry.
I just tend to throw them into the washer as they fall but that's mostly inside out. small amount of liquid detergent in a ball thingy and they are done quickly. air dry on the clothes rack.

now the real question is should we spin them? I do and no probs so far. anyone else had any issues?

keef66

I can't imagine spinning would adversely affect lycra, but I'd be nervous about tumble drying it. Mind you, my bibs spent 2 hours at nearly 30c on Saturday according to my Garmin...

daniel_b

I always zip up jerseys, as the time my gf didn't part of the zip caught on my Surface hoodie :-(

My nothing special washing machine has a sport, and sport intensive program - only difference from normal programs being that the spin speed is lower.

I've never had any issues, with it.

Never tumble dry, always hang out or in the house - technical clothing of this ilk seems to dry in no time at all really, so don't see the need for it.

Schoie81

As everyone else says, I wash mine inside out purely because I figure (given a dry ride) the dirtiest part of the shorts is the inside, so makes sense to have that on the outside in the washer - although my logic may well be flawed. Always line dry too - first reason, haven't got a tumble drier, second reason, as mentioned above, they seem to dry really quickly anyway so see no need to tumble dry them.

ManOfKent

I'm sure I read on one item of kit the other day not to dry in direct sunlight. I've often put mine on the line but they dry quickly indoors, even in the spring when it isn't particularly warm but the heating isn't on. Jerseys in an hour or two, shorts overnight, and I've been known to put on still-damp kit if I need it in a hurry - it gets sweaty soon enough anyway. Never in the tumble dryer, not least because I don't have one.

keef66

ManOfKent wrote:

I'm sure I read on one item of kit the other day not to dry in direct sunlight. I've often put mine on the line but they dry quickly indoors, even in the spring when it isn't particularly warm but the heating isn't on. Jerseys in an hour or two, shorts overnight, and I've been known to put on still-damp kit if I need it in a hurry - it gets sweaty soon enough anyway. Never in the tumble dryer, not least because I don't have one.

So what happens when you're out riding in it at this time of year? On Saturday I was constantly soaked with sweat and at the same time drying out in the sun. Who makes cycling kit that you can't expose to sunlight??

apreading

keef66 wrote:

ManOfKent wrote:

I'm sure I read on one item of kit the other day not to dry in direct sunlight. I've often put mine on the line but they dry quickly indoors, even in the spring when it isn't particularly warm but the heating isn't on. Jerseys in an hour or two, shorts overnight, and I've been known to put on still-damp kit if I need it in a hurry - it gets sweaty soon enough anyway. Never in the tumble dryer, not least because I don't have one.

So what happens when you're out riding in it at this time of year? On Saturday I was constantly soaked with sweat and at the same time drying out in the sun. Who makes cycling kit that you can't expose to sunlight??

Its a bit different when air is circulating around the fibres though - direct sunlight in windy conditions would not heat the fibres as much as still air and changes in direction one the bike etc would mean that it isnt always exactly the same spot in direct UV for a constant period.

Also, after washing there may still be some dilute detergent on the clothes, despite being rinsed, which may react with the fibres in direct sun but which might be largely removed by normal drying so not there or less concentrated when riding on the bike?

Just a few thoughts on some very subtle but possibly relevant differences between riding on the bike and hanging in the sun straight after a wash...

dennisn

Personally, I have mine hand washed, with holy water, on the thighs of virgins.

Seriously, I can't believe people are so obsessed with the how's, why's, and wherefore's of washing cycling shorts. Toss into wash, add detergent, hang to dry, done. These kind of post's remind me of the how to clean a chain topic's. Way too much thought put into doing something that's as simple as can be. :roll:

CiB

Quite right. I posted the other day (but then deleted it as it was a bit 'argumentative') about how these shorts are designed to cope with a sweaty 15-stone bloke riding in them for any number of hours per day jumping up and then landing on them repeatedly with quite some force, and then we wonder out loud if it's better to wash them inside out.

mrushton

dennisn wrote:

Personally, I have mine hand washed, with holy water, on the thighs of virgins.

Seriously, I can't believe people are so obsessed with the how's, why's, and wherefore's of washing cycling shorts. Toss into wash, add detergent, hang to dry, done. These kind of post's remind me of the how to clean a chain topic's. Way too much thought put into doing something that's as simple as can be. :roll:

Until recently I was a bit like that but in the end it's expensive polyester. A decent non-bio eg Ecover or Surcare seems to work fine esp. with a measure of Napisan thrown in (thanks for that tip, recent poster). The Napisan is a cheaper version of what Halo does - an antibacterial agent. Halo is good btw. I have tumbled dried stuff, but only for 30 mins on a low setting then air dried the items in the house or garage

drlodge

dennisn wrote:

I can't believe people are so obsessed with the how's, why's, and wherefore's of washing cycling shorts. Toss into wash, add detergent, hang to dry, done. These kind of post's remind me of the how to clean a chain topic's. Way too much thought put into doing something that's as simple as can be. :roll:

Exactly. clothes + detergent -> washing machine then air to dry. They're just clothes, but manufacturers will dictate silly instructions just to cover their ar$e.

navrig2

apreading wrote:

keef66 wrote:

ManOfKent wrote:

I'm sure I read on one item of kit the other day not to dry in direct sunlight. I've often put mine on the line but they dry quickly indoors, even in the spring when it isn't particularly warm but the heating isn't on. Jerseys in an hour or two, shorts overnight, and I've been known to put on still-damp kit if I need it in a hurry - it gets sweaty soon enough anyway. Never in the tumble dryer, not least because I don't have one.

So what happens when you're out riding in it at this time of year? On Saturday I was constantly soaked with sweat and at the same time drying out in the sun. Who makes cycling kit that you can't expose to sunlight??

Its a bit different when air is circulating around the fibres though - direct sunlight in windy conditions would not heat the fibres as much as still air and changes in direction one the bike etc would mean that it isnt always exactly the same spot in direct UV for a constant period.

Also, after washing there may still be some dilute detergent on the clothes, despite being rinsed, which may react with the fibres in direct sun but which might be largely removed by normal drying so not there or less concentrated when riding on the bike?

Just a few thoughts on some very subtle but possibly relevant differences between riding on the bike and hanging in the sun straight after a wash...

So folks are worried about drying a pair of shorts in sunlight at this time of year when it is very likely that the same shorts will have been on your backside in the sun for longer than they will take to dry. :roll: