General Cycling Discussion - How long do your shorts last

I ride almost every day, usually for 2-3 hours and my blasted shorts are wearing out. I've got 3 pair and the oldest (2-1/2 months, Bontrager) are toast, the chamois is hard, flat and noneffective. On a pair of much newer of Giant shorts, the chamois is coming unstitched and is about to rip loose. The 3rd pair is still functional, a relatively cheap pair I found on ebay..

I've got almost $200 in these shorts and it seems that they should last a while for $65 a pair.

How long do yours last and what kind?

I have some decade + old 'Vigorelli' that would be fine if i don't mind being translucent in spots
where the spandex rubber breaks down leaving the space it occupied in the fabric , see thru.

Kucharek helenca shorts that are fine, (Discontinued fabric :-(],
though I wear street clothes most of the time..

I usually get the least expensive ones I can find ... and they usually last about 2-3 years before the fabric across the thighs goes too thin.


I've never had a chamois go "hard, flat and noneffective" ... you're not using a gel chamois are you?

try not to 'dry' with high heat, better to let it go a little longer dry cycle at low/warm...
dryer heat just eats up lycra fabric and makes even synthetic chamois really hard.
some of that newer chamois isn't as affected, but the lycra elastic properties still get roasted...
I like thin chamois which feels a lot like the old-style real chamois, so I dry lightly until the chamois is still slightly damp and let air dry.
done this way I can usually get 70+ days out of a pair, PI, Giordana and other better stuff usually go another 30+ more days than avg. and the more prs you can cycle thru, the more additioanl use you'll get from each pr.
If your riding 5-7 days a week, you'll prolly wanna get a few more prs.
if you;re a heavy perspirer, like me, the salt also beats up the fabric at a quicker rate, and makes chamois harder and brittle.
not much you can do there.
... I do take my shorts into the shower after every ride and rinse out, means I can usually go 3 rides before machine wash. a little light soaping and handwash to the chamois gets it clean enough to use again...
BTW, helmets do really well when they get a regular shower...

All shorts are not created equally. I have bought a pair or Performance bibs and the chamois didn't last a season. Most of my shorts are either Voler or Castelli and I rotate them. I ride alot, maybe have one or two days off the bike per week. The oldest pair of bibs are probably six years old and I still wear them. I wash all my cycling gear in cold water with the rest of the wash and air dry them. IMO, iff you're riding daily, at least get six pair of shorts so they're not constantly on a wash/wear cycle. Like I said, Voler makes quality stuff at decent prices.

I put my cycling gear in a laundry bag to reduce friction , put them in the washing machine on gentle cycle and in cold water.. I have 8 pair of cycling shorts.. Mostly PI, Descente , or our clubs Nalini bibs.. My newest is one year old. And I've been wearing shorts as old as up to about 6 years..

About 3 miles.

















Just kidding. I don't own cycle shorts. But, like someone else said, not all clothing is created equal. I had a pair of Kuhl pants, lasted maybe a month before the crotch wore completely out. $60 pants, supposedly tough enough for rock climbing. My Dickies, on the other hand, are 4 years old and running strong.

Probably 1.5-2 years - but mainly because I work with 10M Sulfuric Acid and at some point, regardless of what I do, I'll get little acid holes in them after a laundry cycle.

Oh - I wear cheap cargo shorts from Target or Kohls, or something else cheap.

3 years on average at my mileage.

I normally have between 6 and 8 pairs at any given time. They last two seasons. If they haven't worn out, I am ready to throw them out by then.

a few years

I have 3 pairs of Etxe Ondo bibs that I've worn for 2 summers and they're still like new.
I have 2 pairs of inexpensive DeMarchi bibs that are 4 years old. This will be their last summer. :(
I guess you get what you pay for.

about 3 years....some last longer than others. I just got rid of my oakleys after 3 years, the stitches were starting to fall apart. WAAAH! And my fave specialized....I loved them!

Sometimes you get what you pay for, and you may not have ever experienced the joy of a top notch chamois. Try Rapha or Assos, yes they are expensive but they last. Oh, and most importantly your posterior will thank you....

Usually a few years. Once they start getting see-though, I'll get more use out of them by wearing a pair of gym shorts over them. I never put them in the dryer and use chamois cream on longer rides.

Sounds like you don't even wash your shorts.

Sounds like you don't even wash your shorts.

You conclude that because, what, I didn't mention it? Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

They get rinsed after every ride and washed (gentle, drip dry) about once a week.

They get rinsed after every ride and washed (gentle, drip dry) about once a week.

Hmm, sounds like he might have been right. "Rinsed" isn't washed. I wash mine after one use. It's a bacterial breeding colony in that chamois.

With that washing method:
a) My wife would kill me
b) My arse would be covered in saddle sores.

Performance Elite Bib - 2 + years I wear the same single bib for nearly all rides. It is washed on gentle cycle every day it is used. the chamois looks the same as the day I buy it.