profjmb

I always wash shorts, and also jerseys in warm weather. Just rode in 45 degree weather, and while there's some sweat moisture, it doesn't feel disgusting. But perhaps I am less hygienic than I should be.

Phil_gretz

My rule of thumb is this...if it's against the skin, I wash it after use.

If your cool weather jersey is worn over a base or tech layer AND you didn't perspire much or it was a short ride, maybe it's okay to wear twice.

Again - against the skin, wash. I have more sensitive skin, though.

rdtompki

Truth

memebag

I may be able to short circuit this thread early on. Two camps will emerge, one adamant that all clothing needs to be washed all the time and anyone who doesn't is in danger of contracting the plague. The other camp will argue for general slobbishness and a little dirt never hurt anyone. The OP will be left to pick between the two camps, which is basically where he was before the thread started.

cleansheet

Pretty much this. Outer jersey on layers and tights don't get washed too often if they remain dry.

johnnytheboy

i haven't washed my merino surly jersey ever....but i usually wear it as an outer layer.

Bob Dopolina 

I'm in the wash yer stuff camp. It may not bother you but we can smell you.

thump55

This.

Also, it bothers me that it doesn't bother you.

AndyK 

Why WOULDN'T you wash it with everything else?

Ghost Ryder

X3!!!

WC89

This past weekend it was cool enough on Saturday to wear a Coolmax tee against my skin, then an Underarmour Cold Gear LS shirt, then a LS jersey as the outer layer. The tee and the Cold Gear shirt get washed before next wear as they get obviously sweaty. Being the outer layer, and being that it had no chain grease or obvious noticeable smudges on it, I hung up the LS jersey away from any other clothes for me to wear again on Sunday (only b/c I wanted to wear that same jersey on Sunday's ride). If I didn't plan to wear it next day on Sunday, I'd wash it and put back in dresser drawer.

The colder it gets, the more layers I wear, and the less urgent for me to wash the outermost layer after every ride unless it has stains or smudges. This is only what I do for cold weather apparel. All warm weather gear gets washed after every ride.

Brian Ratliff

No, actually, the argument is that you'll start smelling like week-old laundry. The people who complain about synthetics "holding smell" are the same ones who don't wash their cloths. I used to not wash stuff, mostly because I only had a couple pairs of shorts and a single good jersey. I found out the hard way that "smelliness" is cumulative; once there's enough "smell" in the fabric, it doesn't wash out after a single wash. If you wash after every ride, your cloths tend not to smell.

coasting 

wash your clothes. how can people put on dirty clothes? it's disgusting!

Seattle Forrest

You don't have to. Wool has a microscopic structure that bacteria can't live in. (I don't know the specifics.) It doesn't get that BO stench because the bacteria that make body odor can't survive in your wool shirts. So it's not unhygenic not to wash your wool every time you sweat in it, because it's naturally anti-microbial.

Still, I tend to wash mine every time. It bothers just enough that I'm going to even though I don't have to.

Seattle Forrest

One of the great things about wool for people who do cardio exercise is that it doesn't get smelly. At least not from sweat, if you spill your food all over yourself you'll smell like lunch.

matthewk459

I don't understand how this is even a question. Nobody in the history of Ever, ever enjoyed the smell of funk.

MattFoley

I follow this except with my wool base layers (and things like arm/leg warmers). I find I can wear them two or three times between washes with no funkiness.

MattFoley

Also, not throwing it into a laundry pile wet and letting it ferment until the next wash...I always hang-dry my synthetics before putting them in the laundry basket and, anecdotally at least, that seems to have kept smells from developing.

pdedes

one ride one wash, anything else is vile

memebag

Short circuit attempt failed.

rpenmanparker 

Yes, besides the issue of the two camps that memebag correctly identified, isn't the real question why the resistance to the washing. As long as we are talking about nylon, lycra, or polyester, why not just throw it in the machine? The gear doesn't have to be dry cleaned, it doesn't have to be pressed or even folded, it just has to be automatically washed and somehow dried, then tossed into a drawer. What is so hard about that to inhibit one "camp" from just doing it? So instead of trying to convince OP of one approach or another, I am more interested in knowing why does he/she even bother to ask.

Brian Ratliff

Most do laundry once a week and most don't want to do partial loads. Combine that observation with the fact that athletic clothing, especially cycling clothing, is not cheap, and you get a bunch of people with two pairs of shorts and a jersey riding multiple times a week and not wanting to turn on the washing machine to wash three articles of clothing.

The relatively wealthy folks laugh at this because they have enough resources to own lots of bibs and jerseys and stuff. The Europeans laugh at this because our American washing machines are so large the poorer amongst us have to wear dirty laundry because they can't justify the waste in water and energy washing less than a week's worth of cloths.

MattFoley

1) Good cold weather gear is expensive.

2) I don't generate enough laundry to do a load more than about once a week

KenshiBiker

While I generally adhere to this rule, I wonder what others who commute by bike do. I ride my bike to work (about 13+ miles), sometimes at a fairly brisk pace, which means in the summer, I can and do sweat. After showering, I hang up my bib, jersey, and whatever else I ws wearing (e.g., tights or leg warmers, etc.) and let it air dry in my cubicle (not allowed to leave our clothes in the lockers). At the end of the day, the bibs and jersey (and whatever else is necessary for weather conditions) get put back on for the ride home. Once home, the "rule" kicks in.

I suppose I could keep a couple of extra (clean) jerseys in my desk, then change into a fresh one for the ride home and carry the "funkified" one home, but it just seems like a lot of extra effort). So I ask, what do the other commuters do?

Brian Ratliff

For those who own limited clothing and don't want to wash after every ride, a good, thorough soak in the sink prior to hang-drying is key to keeping things smelling okay. It shouldn't take much more than overnight for everything to be dry again. That's how I dealt with stage races when I didn't have three days worth of kit to bring.

Also, take a shower before riding to wash off stale body oil. This will help with clothing odor as well. I do this when I commute.