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-   -   cycling short usage (& re-susage) (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/518875-cycling-short-usage-re-susage.html)

MrRamonG 03-10-09 10:05 PM
Originally Posted by bhop (Post 8504051)
You mean you have to wash them?
+1. thats why they are so expensive, so you DONT have to wash them.

baron von trail 03-11-09 05:09 AM
Originally Posted by CliftonGK1 (Post 8505769)
Since I've spent the last 15 years as a microbiologist and bio-engineer, I guess I'll weigh in on this one...

It's a pair of shorts, not an incubated TSB jar. Hang your shorts up to dry when you get to work, and you will not have seething angry bacterial cultures waiting to find an open pore so they can maliciously ruin your life.
First, if you bathe on a regular basis, you're not going to be harbouring anything to worry about. Second, even if you were just covered in a collection of the CDC's worst nightmares, a dry scrap of foam and lycra isn't the optimum breeding ground for it. Third, nothing you host is going to grow rapidly enough in an 8-12 hour workday, under the conditions I just listed, to be harmful via routine contact.
I may not a MB/BE, but I will weigh in. There is a reason that cycling shorts have a built in diaper looking thing. It sucks the moisture away from the booty. Ergo, all bacteria is nicely buried deep in the pant where they can die a slow death.

Just let the shorts dry by hanging them up in a ventilated area upon arrival and then wear them again on the return trip home. I do suggest washing them at least once every couple days.

KLW2 03-11-09 05:31 AM
I've started wearing boxer style swim suit shorts with mesh liners and a pair a day is fine. Buy 'em cheap at the end of the summer and they work great..9 miles and hills.

SlimAgainSoon 03-11-09 09:08 AM
Work and back ... and then into the wash.

Multi-days? You guys are asking for trouble.

cyclefreaksix 03-11-09 09:36 AM
Originally Posted by SlimAgainSoon (Post 8509619)
Work and back ... and then into the wash.

Multi-days? You guys are asking for trouble.
^^+1

I won't wear the same underwear two days in a row. I'm sure as H3ll not gonna wear bike shorts again w/o washing them.

d2create 03-11-09 09:47 AM
Originally Posted by baron von trail (Post 8508601)
IThere is a reason that cycling shorts have a built in diaper looking thing. It sucks the moisture away from the booty. Ergo, all bacteria is nicely buried deep in the pant where they can die a slow death.
Why does everyone associate sweat with bad bacteria?

d2create 03-11-09 09:48 AM
Originally Posted by SlimAgainSoon (Post 8509619)

Multi-days? You guys are asking for trouble.
What kind of trouble? Is that a threat? :lol:

noteon 03-11-09 09:53 AM
Originally Posted by d2create (Post 8509857)
Why does everyone associate sweat with bad bacteria?
Because nobody knows anything and Procter & Gamble likes profit.

cyclefreaksix 03-11-09 10:20 AM
Maybe my sweat just stinks more than others. All I know is that my shorts smell pretty bad the next day after a ride. I'm not worried about bacteria, I work with some of the baddies out there every day. I'm talkin' multi drug resistant stuff, so I'm not worried about that. I just don't wanna stink.

baron von trail 03-11-09 11:14 AM
It is my understanding that:

Stink = Bacteria

Now if that is bad bacteria or just "stanky" bacteria, I have not a clue. But, I sure as heck do not want any of that day-old stuff anywhere near my tushy.

nkfrench 03-11-09 03:35 PM
I always start the day with clean bike shorts. I never wear baggies -- they are hotter and don't dry as fast. During the summer I hand-wash the shorts in the restroom right after my shower. I always hang the shorts up during the workday to let them air dry. In the winter the humidity is low at my desk so they dry quickly; in the summer I aim a small fan at them to help them dry. I am prone to skin infections. My better-quality shorts have some kind of anti-microbe chamois so sometimes I don't wash them out at work. I wear the same pair of shorts home. In the winter I wear no-chamois tights over the shorts.

d2create 03-11-09 03:44 PM
Originally Posted by baron von trail (Post 8510454)
It is my understanding that:

Stink = Bacteria

Now if that is bad bacteria or just "stanky" bacteria, I have not a clue. But, I sure as heck do not want any of that day-old stuff anywhere near my tushy.
It's all good. I understand.

But you should have your keyboard, desk and mouse tested. I'd bet you a brand new bike that's it's got wayyyyy more harmful bacteria than your shorts after one day's commute. :twitchy: Assuming of course that you have a desk job.

noglider 03-11-09 04:08 PM
Cycling shorts are not like cotton underpants or nylon bathing suits. The material dries quickly enough.

I put ointment on and around my anus to reduce irritation before I put the shorts on in the morning. It might also help prevent a sweat buildup. Any ointment will do, such as vaseline, cocoa butter, hemorrhoid ointment, or Boudreaux's Butt Paste. Sorry if that's TMI, but it's also practical advice.

A very frugal friend of mine bought some Pearl Izumi shorts and declared that they are absolutely worth every penny of the very high price. If he says it, it's good advice!

ItsJustMe 03-11-09 04:15 PM
I have started wearing baggy swim trunks. They dry just as fast, are lots cheaper and with the Brooks saddle I don't need the padding anyway.

baron von trail 03-11-09 07:28 PM
Originally Posted by d2create (Post 8512252)
It's all good. I understand.

But you should have your keyboard, desk and mouse tested. I'd bet you a brand new bike that's it's got wayyyyy more harmful bacteria than your shorts after one day's commute. :twitchy: Assuming of course that you have a desk job.
Did I mention that I eat lunch at my desk? Every day. :D

The shorts thing is more about keeping the boils and itches at bay. I have been lucky so far, but I have heard horror stories....

Actually, I know of a couple dedicated souls who yank the hairs out of their Sass with an electronic gizmo, so as to avoid boils. Needless to say, I'd like to avoid having to do that little procedure. :rolleyes:

JanMM 03-11-09 07:46 PM
Originally Posted by rumrunn6 (Post 8505012)
I met a guy selling a bike who told me he developed a heart condition - a serious bacterial infection of a valve - that was caused by a bad saddle sore. I've heard of mouth infections making their way to the heart but never from a saddle sore. I'm reluctant to use a liner that wasn't laundered.
Hospitals are full of people who developed sepsis or endocarditis from saddle sores.............:lol:

That's why I ride a recumbent with the RANS Comfy Chair. Plus, I launder my cycling stuff sometimes.

Kedosto 03-11-09 08:58 PM
Originally Posted by CliftonGK1 (Post 8505769)
Since I've spent the last 15 years as a microbiologist and bio-engineer, I guess I'll weigh in on this one...
Thanks for the dose of common sense. One other thing to consider here people; the dreaded bacteria some of you are so worried about have to come from somewhere... yourself. It's not like some phantom bugs spontaneously generate out of thin air. The bacteria came from you, and when you put on the clothing item later that same day, you're just putting the bacteria back where they came from (if there are any still alive). The stink from worn clothing is from dead, decomposing bacteria.

I wear home what I wore in, with fresh stuff each day. I don't recommend going multiple days on the same shorts, but, to each their own.

CliftonGK1 03-11-09 09:46 PM
Originally Posted by SlimAgainSoon (Post 8509619)
Work and back ... and then into the wash.

Multi-days? You guys are asking for trouble.
How is multi-days (2 before I chuck mine in the wash; and I hang them to dry in between wearings) any worse than the 97 degree humid summer heat and nearly 15 hours of consistent riding I spent doing a double last summer?

I haven't run into any issues from either situation. 30 mile round trip to work, and I go 2 days between washing shorts and jerseys. I routinely spend 7 to 12 hour days for long rides, and I don't bring a clean pair of shorts to change into. (Although, if I go for a 600k next year I'll bring a fresh pair of shorts to change around the midway point.)

madcow_number_6 03-11-09 10:12 PM
Other than the want(no no, make that need) for shorts without seams in sensitive areas to rub me the wrong way, I splurged and got myself a good pair of garneau shorts. One thing I remember from the tag dangling off of them was "anti microbial chamois". I wear the same pair year round(0F to 110F) with washings about twice a week depending on "funk factor" as the missus puts it. In the 3 years since I've bought these there have been no uninvited guests invading my nether regions with boils and sores. Knock on cork.


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