rolliepollie

Hung my shorts after using it for the 4th consecutive time cuz that's my only one
Is this....uh.....normal? I don't wanna feel dirty and nasty, but hey, the insides don't smell...yet.
I'm a dude, if that helps..
Figured it's not like underwear where I'm in it entire days - now wearing those 3 days in a row in summer is nasty
Some shorts say the chamois are "anti-bacterial" but how???

ChrisO

Usually considered a bad idea. Bacteria turns minor chaffing into nasty saddle sores. The only thing that I can think of that might help, and I'm not recommending this as a substitute for laundering, is to use a chamois cream that has antibacterial agents in it; maybe hops or tea tree extracts.

I use a little bit of this stuff mixed in with my chamois cream-
https://www.amazon.com/Tea-Tree-Cooli...431258&sr=8-22

A little goes a long way though.

travelmama

4 times is nasty. Wash those things! Get an extra pair to switch out in between washings.

MNBikeCommuter

Everything I've read said it's a bad idea. I do it anyway and have had no problems. Come to think of it, I break a few other "bike rules/wisdom." Use your personal experience and some common sense. How long are your rides? Four half hour rides vs four century rides certainly take a different toll on the shorts.

Doohickie

Alternately, wear cycling underwear under the shorts. I got some wicking stuff from Target that was labeled cycling underwear. They are kind of like briefs but extend down to almost mid thigh. I change those out every ride; the pants I wash maybe once a week or so. The cycling undies help everything stay where it should, if ya get my meaning.

rolliepollie

My last 4 rides averaged an hour or so. I might try out those tea tree gels, not for the pain relief but for the ummm..hair friction.

Closest sports underwear at walmart I found was https://www.walmart.com/ip/Starter-Me...horts/11026738
Wonder if people will mistake those for plain lycra if you don't wear anything over them lol.

bluefoxicy

https://www.laundry-alternative.com/drying.htm

Pick one to suit your needs. The small one should work for your base layers; but the big one is awesome and you can go ahead and use it for general laundry needs to cut your power usage down, so it may be a better investment. I've found that you have to actually let it run-- you get a stream for the first 20-30 seconds, but if you shut it off there stuff comes out wet-ish. 2-3 minutes later (of drip-drip-dripping), it'll come out nearly dry--my compression shirts come out wearable o_O

Buy a bucket and a small plunger. Put in a quarter teaspoon of soap and a gallon or so of hot/cold/whatever water. Plunge for about a minute. Drain, rinse, wring dry if you want, throw in spin dryer.

The whole process should take you about 5 minutes once you've done it a few times.

Not sure on cleaning chamois, ask someone who knows about chamois if you're using that. How do you normally clean that stuff?

Pat

Most shorts these days have synthetic chamois (the real kind comes from a kind of goat leather). Synthetic chamois are washable. You should not have any problem just throwing them into the washing machine on gentle cycle. They can also go in the drier at a low temperature.

If you want to be really careful, you can hand wash them with woolite or campsuds in the sink. Rinse, ring out and hang to dry. They usually dry over night.

It is a good idea to wash shorts after each and every ride.

JohnDThompson 

Depending on how long your rides are, that's a recipe for saddle sores.

Modern shorts with synthetic chamois dry quickly. Buy another pair and alternate them, washing after every ride. Your butt will thank you.

RonH

+ 1000
Buy at least one or two more pairs and wash them between rides or be prepared for saddle sores or a similar fate.

Garfield Cat

Unless it rains, it doesn't take much to hang dry the shorts for a few hours. Even if it's still damp, take it in at night and let it dry out overnight.

In hot humid days, its not about the length of the ride. Once the jersey and shorts get sweaty, its so easy to soak them while you wipe down the bike.

caloso

Nasty.

bhop

Ew...

ChrisO

If you're talking about the tea tree stuff I linked to- you DO NOT want to smear that stuff on the guys all by itself. I mix it with bag balm and utterly smooth or add it to Assos cream. Words of wisdom learned the hard way

But you should skip the balms and spend the money on another set of shorts/skivvies. Four times is just wrong dude.

Homebrew01

Too late

garage sale GT

Sweat tainted with fourth ride bacteria may percolate down into the seat and anything your shorts touch. Then your bike will always faintly smell like a locker room that someone took a crap in unless you take to washing out the inside of the frame with Lysol.

Velo Gator

Gross. Wash your friggin' shorts man.

cyclist2000

do you wear the same underwear for four days straight? gross.

spinnaker

What's the problem with washing your shorts??? Water is cheap. Toss them in the dryer if not dry. Better yet just buy a second pair.

Geessh!

rolliepollie

Lol, no worries all, tis the first time I wore 4x in a row, usually go for 2x before washing since my rides are a bit short. I'll skip the tea tree balm and get some extra shorts.

First time I heard of saddle sores, though, so good to know.

oneofpr

Unless it is a very cold day and it was like a 30 minute easy ride, yes I would wear them twice.

During this hot summer no way, it is simply nasty.

AdrianFly

Each evening you need to shove that chamois pad into your face so it smothers your lips and nose. Sniff away and "take it in". Mmmmmphhhh! Mmmmmmpphhhh! Mmmmmmmmmmpppphhhhhhhh!

That's how Floyd Landis does it anyway....

Of course, huffing a pad that has been exposed to chamois cream with steroids will probably get you disqualified if you didn't ride hard enough that day.. but that's another story.

spock

It's very easy to wash them too. Get some hot water going in to the sink, seal the sink, get a handful of laundry detergent, splash kersplash, bitabang, bitabong, wrinkle out the water, 3 minutes done, set to air dry.

I wouldn't use laundry machines because that could wear them out sooner.

CbadRider

My commute to work takes almost 90 minutes and I'm usually pretty sweaty. I rinse my bike shorts and jersey when I'm in the shower, roll them in a towel while I'm getting dressed, then hang them in my cube. By the time I leave for the commute home, everything is dry. They go in the washing machine after the commute home. Wash your shorts while you're in the shower if you don't want to do laundry after every ride.

himespau 

I only have a 30-45 minute commute so I hang them to dry and wear them on the way home, but once this summer comes and it gets hotter, I'm going to be bringing a second pair for the ride home. Then they go with my other cycling gear for washing (I tend to wash with my regular laundry on the regular dark(cold) cycle, but I put it all in a washable mesh laundry bag so it's easy to separate from the rest of my clothes so I can line dry it while everything else is in the dryer.