Non-smelly bike jerseys?
 

So I'm been Googling around about this with no luck so I thought I'd try here.

Most of the bike jerseys around seem to be made of the same dri-fit, synthetic, wiking material. For some reason, these materials seem to have a pretty pronounce negative effect where in fact they not only make me sweat more, but get really stinky in a mater of minutes. And at the risk of sharing TMI, I rarely get smelly at all if I'm just wearing a cotton shirt.

However, I've find some synthetic shirts like those at Lululemon (Yoga and running clothes) have some anti-smell tech in them... see http://shop.lululemon.com/Metal_Vent...20/p/2564.html

So my question is this: Anyone aware of any line of bike jerseys that have this feature? Does anyone else have this issue w/ these materials or am I just really lucky?

Thanks.

-- Schwachs

Can' t comment on what you found, but for me 2 options seem to work

1) Wash all your synthetic stuff in Tide Sport Wash
2) Buy merino wool shirts. I've got merino wool socks, long johns and a balaclava and they never smell.

Weird - never had skunky jerseys in a matter of minutes. In a matter of weeks - yes :)
I think a visit to a doctor is in order here :)

Wool and wash them occasionally

Aaron :)

My jerseys never stink until I've worn them for a hour or more and done a lot of sweating. After my ride they get washed in Woolite or Win in cold water on the "hand wash" cycle. When they're dry they smell and feel great. :thumb:

Seems like you should go with a wool jersey. but if you choose not to, there is a reason everyone switched to "lycra", have you tried putting baking soda in with your load of clothes? That's what I do when my sport clothes, jersey's, shorts and such get smelly. People have been using that stuff for decades as a stain fighter/de-stinkifier.

Some vinegar in the wash water kills the funk. It's bacteria from the sweat.

Sport wash for hockey gear works well also.

I don't think it's a doc issue... nothing else makes me smell except for the dri-fit type material. I will try some merino wool jerseys and see how that works out. thanks everyone!

I had a couple of jerseys that didn't get washed promptly after being sweat in all day and then once they did get washed they smelled fine but once I wore them they acted just like you said, with in minutes of the first bit of sweat they started to smell musty/funky. Dicks sporting goods sells a laundry soap for sports cloths and it did the trick

I had this problem, but switched to the "Crystal Stick" type deodorant. It's made of a solid crystal, of an Ammonium salt? can't remember, but anyway, rub it on your wet pits straight out of the shower. Does nothing to stop sweat, but really controls smell. Stops your shirt and jerseys from developing that horrid white stain in the armpit region too. It lasts too, I have been getting over a year from one stick.

I've washed all the bike gear I own in the washing machine, in cool water and whatever cheap detergent I found on sale for almost 40 years, and nothing has ever smelled. It's probably my natural odor-fighting properties at work, but every time this topic comes up, which seems like about once a week, I wonder: Who gets close enough to you to smell you when you're riding, and why do you care? Should I be wearing my jerseys on dates or something?

If you smell strong enough, those behind you can smell you.

When I finish a ride, I repulse myself with how foul I smell. I wash my kit between every use, and still it smells before I even get on the bike. It's like all the funk is staying trapped in the fabric. I'm gonna try the stuff I use to wash my non-athletic bras in, Forever New. If that doesn't work, I might try that Win stuff someone mentioned earlier up-thread.

a nice long soak in oxyclean might do the trick - for your jerseys, anyway.

I agree with that. I like to avoid smelly people when riding in a tight pack.

those lululemon shirts are AWESOME but expensive. It's the nature of the beast - synthetics tend to trap more bacteria in them...

It's not a line of bike jerseys, but Under Armour has a type of anti odor fabric. Assos is expensive, but it has "anti-odor treatment".

One other thing that I noticed. After I have been on fish oil supplements, one capsule at breakfast, and one at dinner, I noticed that the offensive underarm body odor has virtually been eliminated. I don't know how this happens and maybe its my own body chemistry. But it is one of those positive side effects.

OP, how do you wash your jerseys?

+1

It is good stuff works really well.

I go with a layering system (Miami, FL). Use regular t-shirts underneath a soccer jersey shirt. It's a Nike dri-fit. The sweat and body oils are trapped in the cotton undershirt, so to a certain extent, the jersey is protected from direct exposure. Anyway, try it with your current cycling wardrobe and see how it works out. BTW, I never throw the jerseys into the dryer after washing them. All my Reebok (NFL football) and Majestic & Nike (MLB baseball) jerseys are hand washed and I never wear those without a t-shirt underneath as well.

There's truth to that, but you can simply soak in a lightly loaded washer. Every now and then, if I detect bo odor at the end of a normal 2 hr ride, I do an "enhanced" wash. Basically I turn off the washer after a few minutes of agitation, let sit for 15 minutes or more, then finish the load. That works every time for us.

I read somewhere that everyone's sweat and odor is different, and some people"s sweat reacts to synthetics. I can't stand the smell of synthetics on me, so long ago I only wear cotton or wool.

I also remember reading somewhere that some anti-odor technology uses silver nano particles. Has the safety of these been examined?

I wear a cotton t-shirt and cotton singlet for my commute every day - I wash them once a week - they never stink

singlets are ideal because your armpits are in the open air

I am also lucky I don't sweat much