Kids, don't try this at home
 

For many years, I've consistently maintained a level of cleanliness that would probably make plenty of people here puke. I do not wash water bottles until they get slimy or the water tastes funny (usually both happen about the same time). The only criteria I use for determining when to put on clean clothes has to do with whether I expect to encounter other humans when I'm in kit. I wear clean stuff if I expect to encounter humans. Otherwise, I don't bother.

BTW, I have to keep stuff I don't wash in the garage rather than the house. Also, in case you're wondering, no I don't get sores and I don't get sick.

I never wash gloves. My favorite full fingered pair is neoprene and leather. I've had them about 5 years which makes it by far the most durable gloves I've ever owned and don't even know how many miles are on them. Amazingly, they're still holding up.

Morning temps have been hovering around 40 and one day we had rain. I couldn't help but notice that aside from feeling cruddy, they reeked even while I was riding. That was too much even for me. I decided to wash them.

I filled the sink, added Woolite, and converted the water to sludge in no time. I drained and refilled the sink at least 5 times before the water wasn't pretty sickening and 10 times before I decided I was rinsing clear enough. I had to clean the sink between each filling and there's still crud.

But I'll be damned if the gloves aren't much lighter in terms of weight and color. And they didn't fall apart. They're hanging in the laundry room right now. Should be good for another few years...

Whatever you do, do not include any of this text in your Match.com profile.

So we can safely assume that the tux you are wearing in your profile pic is clean....right?

My Specialized BG gloves get crusty and stiff after a handful of rides, but I also use them as my workout gloves. And I neglect my Camelbak for my trail riding until I notice little brown/green spots in the drinking tube or get stomach cramps.

well, you don't get ocp points for this one.

my water bottle is in constant use everyday, so there's not much point washing them.

<<reminder to me: teach 12-year-old son how to do laundry this weekend...before it's too late>>

Assume you really like nothing but solo rides, right?

Beth

So how long exactly does it take for your bottles to get slimy?

I usually go 2-3 days before washing. That includes using the hammer gel/powerade mix.

>shudders in revulsion<

So, I guess you think sweat, snot, and exfoliated skin cells = preservative.

:rolleyes:

Yep. When I want to look sharp, I clean up properly. I iron and starch the shirt, and I consider it dirty even if I only wear it a couple hours

I had the same issue with my BG gloves. They recently disintegrated on the inside. I bought some leather PI ones, so we'll see if they last longer

Correct. I will do group rides on occasion, but I consider that being with humans, so I wear clean kit for that.

Months (I don't know exactly how many -- probably about 4). However, I only put water in them. If I let them dry out rather than letting them sit around with water in them, I'll bet they'd never need washing.

Frack... reading this while I'm eating couldn't have been worse timing.

What makes you assume he's single? ;)

I am totally the opposite, and probably am borderline ocp. My friends call me a germophobe, but I won't go into my food and cleanliness routines.

I have never (in ten years) worn the same cycling clothes more than once w/o washing. I wash my bottles, gloves, helmet and bike after every ride. That pretty much covers it.

Let us all remember that the OP is prone to defending and riding recumbents...that should explain some of the cleanliness issues :)

Of course you don't. Sores have more to do with poor bicycle fit than cleanliness. I've gone as many as 5 days in the same shorts (without washing them, and without showers) on tours and have been fine.




But I will add .......... all it took was one trip to a fast food place I usually enjoy on the day before leaving on a camping trip, and I was crouched over the outhouse hole at the campground violently losing everything ... absolutely everything ... all night long.

So, you might want to watch what you injest.

I can't claim ten years, but I can claim the rest. Especially in the summer.

I find that some cheap Wal-mart foam-like gloves ("Copper Canyon Cycling") are the best for maintaining non-crustiness.

I have never cleaned mine and I've had them since I first start biking in the 5th grade. I've used them for cycling (until I upgraded to better stuff), lifting, fishing (once because one of the poles had no grips), tennis (as an experiment), and have loaned it out to friends to bike with that don't have gloves.

10 years or so later, the grippy pads are gone, the stretchy spandex in between the fingers are almost all gone, there are some holes in the seams, but they still work and most of all, NOT crusty.

Though the water that comes out when I make a fist after a rainy session is less than pleasant.

And they've lasted beyond two pairs of Valeo weight loves (a pair/<year) and two pairs of Specialized BGs (a pair/1.5 years).

I did that once - it was not pleasant. Though I must say that some foot anti-fungal stuff works well.

Your bicycle adventures would make an awesome TV reality show. :)

that is such epic fail. Clothes that I sweat in are usually cleaned quite regularly, indoor clothes are cleaned less because they are only worn indoors. Cycling clothes are cleaned after every ride, no matter how much I sweat. Last thing I need is for my chamois to turn a bacteria farm for scientists to farm from. Oh and the other thing that gets washed on a monthly basis or so are my helmet straps, mainly because they are such hell to get out and put back in and have to adjust every time, I've only washed them once though, they don't seem to get to sweaty it's the pads i wash every week.

As an OCD clean freak, I can't say I'm in disgust. I don't wear gloves in the summer, but I do own 5 pairs of winter gloves, yes, I wash my gloves after every two rides.

Bottles, I have to wash them, after every ride. I used to be paranoid about drinking only filtered water (which leads to carrying a hydration pack on longer rides), now I don't care anymore, I drink tap water.

I know what you mean about converting the water into sludge, it is ungodly.

Just wait till I find the words to describe the lightening bolt/fireball that descended in the middle of that night (just when I was about to make another dash to the outhouse)!!

Whenever I get a sudden jolt of adrenalin, my forearms go numb ... and my forearms were numb for about two hours after that.

We suspect it struck about 20 metres from the tent.

Touché

Ironically, one of my bents -- the highracer in my profile pic -- is my hot rod. I keep that bike clean and never ride that looking like a slob. I have even been known to make sure that my socks and jersey don't clash horribly with the bike....

My touring bike is my workhorse utility ride and my racer is my workhorse riding bike, so they see rougher use and a yuckier cyclist. But then again, the racing bike is a Fuji, so it would be pointless to even try to be OCP on that.

This wasn't in Denmark by any chance, was it?

Me? I don't like wearing stinky or dirty things of any sort. One ride = one wash. Gloves get it about once every two weeks. Here in SoCal it's easy to wash an item or two by hand, then hang it outside for drying in the sun.

How about shoes and helmet?

I like your approach!

However, I had a pair of PI gloves that fell apart after only two months. Seams came loose and the gloves disintegrated pretty quickly. They became pads held together by strings. I never washed them.

My current gloves however have held up nicely since March, but I put them in the washer every third/fourth ride. Somehow it seems that helps on durability (PI Attack).

As for clothing, I wash all my cycling clothes after every ride. I even wash the helmet pads - and the straps, but only when they become rigid and white :-)