will dehne

When I started biking I did not wash my bike shorts until I could smell my-selves.
(I did use underpants)
I also got a very bad case of "Jock Itch" which took medicine and much attention to get rid of.
Ever since I wash my bike pants with Anti Bacterial Soap and also use powder to prevent recurring this unpleasant experience. (No more underpants)
I hope this helps.
I have no Idea how these other folks can do it without special care unless there are different resistance to these bugs.

Camel

"Jock itch" is a fungus, not a bacteria. Once there, it's darned hard to rid from most clothes without using bleach.

To keep the fungus from growing in the first place, keep your shorts dry.

cyclezealot

Can you imagine having joke itch while riding in bike shorts. not me..and we can't use bleach on cycling shorts.

Camel

I add bit of regular clorox liquid bleach to most of my laundry, along with some liquid detergent while at home. The only clothes I don't add bleach to are cotton based. My wool (socks mostly), and all my synthetics (bike shorts included) turn out fine-no color loss or spotting.

While touring, and hiking I usually just hand wash using Dr Bronners "magic" soap. Seems a small bottle of bleach wouldn't be too much of a hassle-provided one could make it leak proof (like a small ?4-6 oz nalgene squeeze bottle). Might come in handy if the clothes begin to get too randy, even with the hand washes.

Another good backup use for liquid bleach for the traveler is as an emergency water purification. Carefull though, as some lesser quality controlled brands may contain a high amount of mercury.

cyclezealot

Lycra shorts too expensive..I will take my chances Camel, with letting the ultra rays of the indirect sunlight destroy my chamois' bacteria.

biodiesel

you're right bout needing new shorts every day, but saying that it's usually not done.
The actuality of touring means you can only carry so much and the day to day means that laundry is probably not every night.

Touring last year through Cali/ Oregon i packed light with 2 shorts and planned on hand washing every night. Of course nothing dries there so hand laundry was impossible. So the number of shorts is the number of days between launrymats. If that days ride dosn't pass a laundrymat...

baby wipes.
every night change clothes, wipe your...um self... and then the chamois.
same rules for very very long tours where you don't have a change of clothes.
Keep the body clean, keep the chamois clean.

NotAbel

As a backup, denatured alcohol (or any alcohol, really, but denat. is commonly had by anyone touring with an alcohol stove) can be used as a disinfectant. It should be used on skin only as a last resort, as it does contain toxins (depending on the formulation, methanol, benzene, perhaps other nasties), but can be used freely on shorts, chamois, etc. It will kill most bacteria in the time it takes to evaporate, and shouldn't be too bad for the material--no worse, at least, than spilt vodka.

supcom

I don't think you can do much to clean more than the surface of a chamois with a baby wipe. The chamois is too absorbent and there's not enough moisture in a wipe to penetrate.

I have had good success with a daily cleaning of bike clothes with a little woolite in a sink. You can use a plastic bag as a sink stopper. In a pinch I have used a folded paper towel. You only need to soak the clothes for a few minutes, rinse them out, and hand wring. Hang on the bike or a clothes line to dry.

If it's rainy weather, you'll need a dryer or inside of a motel room to get the clothes dry. One tip for fast drying is to roll each item up in a towell like a jelly roll. Twist the towell/clothes roll tight to compress the layers then unroll. Synthetic bike clothes will be nearly dry.

HelenHeart

How can you have this kind of humor at 8 in the morning.!!!!!!!!
I've been reading threads about advise for my first tour, to California, and this one has tickled me so much, I can't get it out of my head. The visual keeps popping up!!
This forum is the best thing that's happened to me EVER, in the computer world that is.
Thank you one and all! And especially onbike1939.
HH

biodiesel

8 weeks. Dude. Where's the tour?

Anyway, i rode a similar style solo last year though only 12 days.
Rode with 2 changes of summer cycling clothes and did okay.
For 8 weeks you might think about 3, you can go a week and only wear stuff twice between actual washes.
I'd suggest that you get a winter jersey with a full zip. (Descent makes great ones.) This can also double as a camp jersey but if it gets regular wear you'll feel like your'e never out of it. Also pack a midweight capaline shirt and tights and some camp-pants. The capalines are light and compressable and some of the lighter travel pants are supre light and very durable. And make sure you have a pair of warm socks for camping...

My other suggestiong is a 'sil-tarp' by Inertia Designs. I have the small one that weighs 2-3 oz and squishes into a waterbottle. Get the large size and use super super thin guy wires (i used extra strenght floss but it dosn't last) and make a 'tent' with your bike in the middle. If you get really excited imitate the Topeak tent (too heavy) that uses a bike as a pole and cut the tarp to cover the seat, bars and then you...
I usually tied mine to a picknick table and to the ground. It meant i was crawling but had enough to read a book, write with a dry notebook and cook out of the rain. Also to stay out of the sun when i needed to.

The other things i'd never leave behind

My Jetboil.
They really are that good. No. Wait, they're better. Super fuel efficient, easy and tight space compatable. I've cooked right in my lap! I lived in a friends attic and cooked off of one for weeks and the fuel efficiency is great. Only reason i'd leave it behind is if i had to go regular gas... And probably not then.

My titanium spork. Incredably geeky i know. But i don't carry anything else. It fits in the liner of my jetboil and nothing gets lost.

Petzy Zipka. The headlamp with the retractable string that holds to your head. Teeny tiny yet runs on AAA's, can double as a bike light or helmet light and i've commuted with it on fresh batteries.

Emergen-c The little packets from the health food store, good vitamins and electrolytes and super tiny packable.

Aqua-Pur. The water purifyer tablets... You never know what nastys are in the laundry room tap your filling that bottle from...

No-rinse camp soap. For hair body or clothes a no rinse soap can't be beat.

Hand sanatizer stuff. Mix a tube of equal parts hand sanatizer and hand lotion. That in itself makes a good bath without burning your skin. I'd get to camp, strip and wash the... parts. Saddle sores are bad. It also kept me from smelling too bad.

Tire-flys. GEEK PART #1 But with just small head and tail lights these are invaluable in night, early morning or dark and stormy rides. I keep them in a baggie and apply (with 29cent valve adaptors) when needed.

A handlebar bag. I didn't have one though i keep water bottles on the front. I'll never tour without. I stopped at every side-road to avoid getting lost, stopped to get my camera, stoppeed to put on sunscreen, stopped constantly. I'd probably pause to do these anyway but there's a difference between pause or rolling pause and stop, swing the leg over, dig in the bag etc...

And of course, ziplocks. 1 galon ziplocks...

The other sugg. i've got from mine and others who've posted is to prep some spare gear and leave with someone who can mail them. You could mail your smelly's home halfway and get fresh clothes, have the spare wheel overnighted and save $100's. Even tent parts, stove... whatever...

Good luck...!

taylor8

You need three sets of underwear. one to wear one to wash and one to use if the last wash and dry idn not get dry. I would guess the same for what ever kind of pants you wear.

If you don't change your underwear you will get a case of rageing crotch rot. I spent a year in the Asia while I was in the Navy. My ship was very old and the landury did not work too good. If you did not have clean underwear you did get fungus in your crotch and arm pits. It takes months to clear up and is very painful.

Clean garments and a clean body everyday will keep you on the road a lot longer.

Joe

biodiesel

Sorry, i'm assuming that you'll be wearing cycling shorts and you DONT wear undies under those.
For daytime/ camp wear a couple pair of REI or Capaline undies. They're antibacterial, hydrophobic and quick drying enough to be able to easily hand wash/ dry. Some of the travel pants have sewn in liners but i preferr undies.

biodiesel

Actually i think i'm just going to start wearing a Kilt!

Drakonchik

I wear Zakk Microfiber Briefs with clasps. These briefs can be removed by means of the small clasps, without removing any of your other layers.

I bought the Zakks because I wanted underpants that I could change without having to remove all my other winter layers (Sugoi Subzeros, etc.) When I come back from a ride, the dampest part of me is the underwear, but there's really no need to remove the other clothing.

The Zakks are great in the summer too, because they dry out so fast (like similar poly Capaline etc), but better because you can change them without dropping your drawers, etc, which is useful in awkward places sometimes like public bathrooms etc.

I haven't used these touring as such, but I ride intermittently all day, and it's great to change 'em out everytime they get too damp, which is incidentally good hygene too.

Bought the Zakks at wyzman.com.

RiotBoi

Seeing as I am a messenger and havent washed my work pants in a month and plan to wear them across the us (they've been in every east coast state )I reccomend that no one attempt to draft me.

NoReg

I was in a bad plane crash, and don't let anyone see my legs. As I result, even when it was pretty hot, like 35C I was wearing cotton exercise pants. I sewed in some dime store micro fleece to amply cover all contact areas. I had two pair, and wear them all the time. I pre-coat any likely chafe areas with Peneten diaper creame, great stuff. I wash whenever I can. I didn't have any problems with chafe, while when on shorter rides over the years, I would always get minor chafe even on some pretty short runs, say 10 miles. There is a lot of me to cram over a Brooks. I think the non-lycra may have helped, a lot more breathability.because the material is not stuck to one. Same would be true of chaps vs pant, and ponchos vs jackets. All this aero stuff is not necesarily that practical.

srrs

has anyone tried antibacterial underwear? i can't find a link for them right now, but i've seen them at rei - it advertises that you can wear them for quite awhile nonstop without infection and the such occurring, because the fabric itself kills the bacteria..

silversmith

I'm really glad I found this thread because I was feeling sort of unusual. Many have posted here on the remarkable fact that they don't have body odors, even after many hot washless sweaty days in the saddle.

Well, I've noticed a similar trait when I'm on tour and forced to use a primitive loo - my leavings don't stink.

Anyone else have a similar experience and their sxxt doesn't stink?

tphelps

Long distance touring is like a rolling detoxification program. When our bodies become quite toxin-free, the BO disappears. When we take care of ourselves, eat right, exercise regularly, the body's odor remains neutral, instead of offensive. The same thing is somewhat true of feces. When the body is clean on the inside, what comes out isn't so putrid.

Also vegan,

Ted Phelps
Central Valley, California

coconut in IA

Eh a t-shirt, pair of cargo shorts..... I shower maybe 1 time a week... and just have fun.... I smell like a piece of Limburger cheese...

Cheers,

Coco

tuanscott

If you're touring from Amsterdam to Italy, I'd recommend finding established campsites and camping there at least every couple days. They're all over western Europe (there are at least 10 within 30km of Amsterdam alone) and are really cheap (usually around 4-5 euro for a tent and 3-4 euro a person beyond that). They have running water, showers (often the pay kind, but it's worth a euro for the cleanliness), and other amenities. I wouldn't recommend stealth-camping in Europe, because it's sort of hard to be stealthy. Any woods you find will be overrun with trails, and you'll most likely get run over by a German MTBer looking for some good single-track.

Monoborracho

Shorts every 10-12 days? Really? I'd think you would have a stiff, green, mold growing on them by then. I recommend you change shorts everyday, else you wind up with some kind of pelvic infection that thrives on antibiotics?

12 days? Really....?

".....and then the wheels came off"

Tom Stormcrowe

aka a Doorag! Can be a bandana or an actual skullcap to wear under your helmet to wick perspiration and protect the scalp from a helmet slot sunburn

philso

stop by a laudromat for your lunch break

and by the way, am i the only one who brings along a swimming suit in the summer. when the weather is hot, i often take a quick dip in a nice looking river or lake, bringing a pair or two of socks, t-shirts, etc. with me. strapped on the back, they're usually dry by 5 or 10 miles down the road.

skin flute

Would you consider it suicide to tour in regular old cotton shorts? I'd rather not wear spandex all the time.