The solution for sweaty smelly bike clothes at work.
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,529
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5220 Post(s)
Liked 3,565 Times
in
2,332 Posts
guess the OP isn't worried about ... "Shrinkage"
1:40
1:40
#27
Super Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Greenwood Indiana
Posts: 2,805
Bikes: Surly Crosscheck
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1542 Post(s)
Liked 868 Times
in
521 Posts
I will admit I have not read this whole thread, I kinda wandered off at sticking stuff in the freezer. But I came back because, other than my helmet, I wash everything every time I wear it, doesn't everyone? I take a shower right before I leave for work. Even when I rode 14 miles each way to work my stuff never stunk. And trust me, my co workers would have told me.
__________________
Good Night Chesty, Wherever You Are
Good Night Chesty, Wherever You Are
#28
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Virginia, USA
Posts: 24
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
When I get done riding my clothes are literally dripping wet. Same for any moderately strenuous activity I engage in for more than about half an hour. I would have to remember to take my frozen clothes out to thaw an hour before I left work.
If you get to store your bike inside, hang your clothes on your bike. If not, see if you can get a coat rack in your bathroom or hooks under your desk. When I commute I dry out my morning kit and wear it again for the afternoon ride. Cycling clothes dry out pretty quickly.
The freezer trick is for people who have bought expensive blue jeans and don't want to "wear them out" by washing them. Some people swear by it, and those people must not have active sweat glands.
If you get to store your bike inside, hang your clothes on your bike. If not, see if you can get a coat rack in your bathroom or hooks under your desk. When I commute I dry out my morning kit and wear it again for the afternoon ride. Cycling clothes dry out pretty quickly.
The freezer trick is for people who have bought expensive blue jeans and don't want to "wear them out" by washing them. Some people swear by it, and those people must not have active sweat glands.
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,529
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5220 Post(s)
Liked 3,565 Times
in
2,332 Posts
for the first year or so of bike commuting I wrapped everything in plastic and put it in my bag in the basement. I had a fresh dry set for the ride home. 2 sets every day that I did the ride(s) washed both every night
#30
Keepin it Wheel
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,238
Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,400 Times
in
2,511 Posts
And since that first year you woke up and realized you didn't want to spend your life doing laundry?
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,529
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5220 Post(s)
Liked 3,565 Times
in
2,332 Posts
no, then our office moved to a place with a shower and a boiler room where I could hang my stuff, but I still used fresh shorts for the ride home
btw I do a load of laundry every day, which includes work dress clothes and 2 sets of gym clothes cuz i go to the gym twice a day
#33
Been Around Awhile
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Burlington Iowa
Posts: 29,952
Bikes: Vaterland and Ragazzi
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Liked 1,517 Times
in
1,031 Posts
haha yeah now i just keep buying freezers
no, then our office moved to a place with a shower and a boiler room where I could hang my stuff, but I still used fresh shorts for the ride home
btw I do a load of laundry every day, which includes work dress clothes and 2 sets of gym clothes cuz i go to the gym twice a day
no, then our office moved to a place with a shower and a boiler room where I could hang my stuff, but I still used fresh shorts for the ride home
btw I do a load of laundry every day, which includes work dress clothes and 2 sets of gym clothes cuz i go to the gym twice a day
#34
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,529
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5220 Post(s)
Liked 3,565 Times
in
2,332 Posts
I've got it easy, washer/dryer is in the master bath off my master bedroom
#35
Senior Member
I just hang my riding clothes on a hanger for the day. By the time I leave for home my riding clothes are dry. Never had any complaints about them smelling
#36
Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 32
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
i rigged up a drying line under my desk in my cubicle and hang my clothes there.
to address the odor issue i put a bag of bamboo charcoal and it works really well.
on days i get caught in the rain, i will put my clothes between a few layers of newspaper for an hour or so before hanging it up.
on a side note, on days when i my shoes got wet (rain or puddle splash) i find that stuffing them with newspaper help tremendously in pulling our the moisture for the insides of the shoes and help in making them dry faster.
to address the odor issue i put a bag of bamboo charcoal and it works really well.
on days i get caught in the rain, i will put my clothes between a few layers of newspaper for an hour or so before hanging it up.
on a side note, on days when i my shoes got wet (rain or puddle splash) i find that stuffing them with newspaper help tremendously in pulling our the moisture for the insides of the shoes and help in making them dry faster.
#37
aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,697
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 510 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7290 Post(s)
Liked 2,368 Times
in
1,384 Posts
Are you folks saying that your body odor emanates from your cycling clothing? I checked mine, and it's not giving anything off.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#39
Happy banana slug
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Arcata, California, U.S., North America, Earth, Saggitarius Arm, Milky Way
Posts: 3,753
Bikes: 1984 Araya MB 261, 1992 Specialized Rockhopper Sport, 1993 Hard Rock Ultra, 1994 Trek Multitrack 750, 1995 Trek Singletrack 930
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1524 Post(s)
Liked 1,514 Times
in
907 Posts
That's what I was wondering. I sweat rather copiously, but I wear my (not padded) shorts 3-5 times, and my shirt 2 times before replacing them. They're Target's "Duo Dry Max" athletic clothes; they really wick moisture and dry quickly. I've never had any problem with odor.
#40
Señior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 13,749
Bikes: Windsor Fens, Giant Seek 0 (2014, Alfine 8 + discs)
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 446 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
7 Posts
get a coat hook and hang it under your desk, like they do at bars for ladies purses, that way you can hang your stuff without it being obvious. then, get a small fan and point it at your jersey/shorts, and they will be dry and odor free in like an hour (assuming you commute in cycling kit). I do this in my own office, and it works like a charm. as long as you wash your shorts and use a fresh jersey every day, you should have no issues. FWIW I also keep cologne, deodorant, and fresh clothes (especially socks and underwear) at work, and I've never had an issue.
Wool doesn't smell, but I can't afford a lot of wool even on sale. Also the only wool I owned got moth eaten about a month after I got it.
__________________
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
#41
Senior Member
my friend and I would commute together to the same government building for work. He used to hang up his shorts and have a fan blowing on them to dry them out. He got counseled that having the bike shorts / fan setup was unprofessional to look at and also caused a smell and to stop doing it...
I actually found that the easiest way to solve the problem was to lay my bike shorts on my office chair (the seat not the back) and sit on them while working... I guess the combination of my body heat and the absorbtion of my work slacks worked so that my shorts were dry by the time lunch rolled around without any extra smell...
oh and my shorts are the mountain bike variety (due to it having pockets and also my own modesty).
I actually found that the easiest way to solve the problem was to lay my bike shorts on my office chair (the seat not the back) and sit on them while working... I guess the combination of my body heat and the absorbtion of my work slacks worked so that my shorts were dry by the time lunch rolled around without any extra smell...
oh and my shorts are the mountain bike variety (due to it having pockets and also my own modesty).
#42
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 297
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 33 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Wear a wool undershirt, or bring a fresh undershirt to change into, and put the sweaty undershirt in a pannier or backpack. Even if your clothes don't have a strong odor, others in the office might not appreciate seeing you airing out your dirty laundry in an office environment. It's also possible that some find the odors more offensive than you suspect.