Bib Short Care

[ViaPagliano]

After a ride I usually just soak my bib shorts in a bucket of warm water and soap, hand wash, and hang dry.

Is this the right way to do it? I've noticing that a lot of my bib shorts (albeit sub $100 castelli and santini shorts) are starting to come undone where the chamois is located, and near the leg grippers.

Am I doing something wrong?

How often do you throw your bibs in the actual washing machine?

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

After a ride I usually just soak my bib shorts in a bucket of warm water and soap, hand wash, and hang dry.

Is this the right way to do it? I've noticing that a lot of my bib shorts (albeit sub $100 castelli and santini shorts) are starting to come undone where the chamois is located, and near the leg grippers.

Am I doing something wrong?

How often do you throw your bibs in the actual washing machine?

Never machine wash, and always use cold water! Are you wringing the bibs? You should squeeze the water out instead of twisting or wringing. Are you using mild soap like Woolite? The only other thing I could think of is that your bibs are a size too small considering where they're falling apart. I've owned both those brands of bibs and they've lasted years before any stitching has come apart.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Seriously.......never in the washing machine!!??

For years I have always just thrown all my bike kit in the machine at once and washed on a warm cycle. Never had any problems with my Bibs.

Why cold water and why never in the machine?

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Simple, warm water expands fibers and stitching. You can always tell who machine washes their bibs because the material becomes so thin sometimes you can see skin tone through it. Washing machines really beat up clothing, even on gentile cycle, hand wash and they'll last much longer. In Europe, at least where I've been, most people don't even use drying machines for their normal clothes because it doubles, even triples the life span of clothes. I actually machine wash everything but the bibs nowdays.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Forgot to mention water quality too. If you have harsh or hard water, it doesn't matter how gentile you are washing, it will eat cycling clothes much faster. Where I live we probably have the best water quality in the metro area, and my cycling clothes reflect that. I have old historical jerseys that were worn a ton and even raced in that date back almost 20 years and they still look new. Oldest bibs I have are some old Assos sportline 15 years old that I only use on the trainer in the winter months, still like new. Handwash/cold/mild soap. Be nice to your clothes and they'll last longer.

 

[ViaPagliano]

Never machine wash, and always use cold water! Are you wringing the bibs? You should squeeze the water out instead of twisting or wringing. Are you using mild soap like Woolite? The only other thing I could think of is that your bibs are a size too small considering where they're falling apart. I've owned both those brands of bibs and they've lasted years before any stitching has come apart.

Ah - you got me. I do wring them out, but not too aggressively. I do it just enough so that it's not dripping heavy all over the place as I walk it to my drying area.

And the bibs are definitely not too small. If anything, they are just right or a size too big.

 

[ViaPagliano]

Forgot to mention water quality too. If you have harsh or hard water, it doesn't matter how gentile you are washing, it will eat cycling clothes much faster. Where I live we probably have the best water quality in the metro area, and my cycling clothes reflect that. I have old historical jerseys that were worn a ton and even raced in that date back almost 20 years and they still look new. Oldest bibs I have are some old Assos sportline 15 years old that I only use on the trainer in the winter months, still like new. Handwash/cold/mild soap. Be nice to your clothes and they'll last longer.

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to switch out to cold water.

And here in California, I do believe I suffer from the hardwater. Times like these I miss my parents' luxurious water softening contraption...

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

All the Westsiders I know go through a kit per year basically just because of poor water quality, especially bibs. My year in Arizona ruined a couple really nice Castelli bibs that would've stayed good if I had been here.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

I always cold wash em in washing machine

 

[ergmonkey]

No doubt handwashing is the best. But, cold water delicate machine wash, mild soap, and no drying machines go pretty far. My two pairs of Assos bibs each go in the machine twice a week. I've been riding them for three years and the only real damage to either pair is from a crash. With all of my shorts, the chamois seems to get flattened out from sustained use long before the other material comes apart from machine washing.

 

[bubblegum]

is there any point in getting bibs in which the stiching has come undone re-stiched? or is it impossible for it to be done as well and produce lumps?

 

[brianf7]

Seriously.......never in the washing machine!!??

For years I have always just thrown all my bike kit in the machine at once and washed on a warm cycle. Never had any problems with my Bibs.

Why cold water and why never in the machine?

I have always given mine to my Missus since 1965 and they come back OK I am sure she puts them in normal wash with everything else.

Not my department I keep out of laundry its dangerous in there.

Not even the very expencive knicks will last for ever something I have noted with some riders they have a use by date.

 

[galaxy1]

surely life is too short to handwash cycling kit.
it takes a long time to wreck good quality kit in the machine.
it does eventually get see-through though - not a great look i admit. why not save see-through kit for the turbo?

 

[Archibald]

you could always just go with the washing instructions on the garment...

Personally, I chuck them in the machine on cold hand-wash cycle with extra rinse - never put in the dryer
Have not noticed any significant damage from this either here (london) or back home (melbourne/adelaide)...

 

[Hmmmmm]

For 20 years I have always thrown my bibs, shorts, and shirts into the washing machine, using either warm or cold selection at times. But, I never use dryer - always hang them up to air dry. I have owned cheapos and quality stuff, and right now only one pair of Pearl Izumi bibs have stitching that is coming undone. Still wear them though and probably will until they completely fall apart or bother my a$$ and/or crotch with too much discomfort.

 

[TigerFish]

Not the experience but a thought

I only got back into cycling two years ago. I have a pair of Pearl Izumi bibs that I have been using for over a year. They have been unbelievably comfortable or I am not sensitive to seat issues. Actually, I am amazed that the advances in all things cycle. I wash them in a mesh bag with a zipper closure that my wife uses for her delicates. I use cold water, it is hard though, nothing I can do about that, well nothing I am going to do about that. I throw the entire kit in the bag and wash on the gentle cycle with woolite. So far so good.