You can extend the time between washes by wearing your shorts inside-out.

Agree with most of the above except that I do not have the patience to use a hair dryer to dry clothes. If I am spending enough money to stay in motels, using the motel laundry machines is pretty cheap compared to other costs. And if I am using a motel that much, I spend several hours every day in non-bike attire for restaurants and bars, that stuff needs occasional laundry too.

I carry a small bottle of woolite soap, since I sometimes travel by air I use 3 oz bottles.

When I use the sink for laundry, many motels do not supply hangers that can hang from the shower head. So I bring two to four plastic hangers and a small handful of clothes pins. Then I can let things drip dry in the shower at first. After an hour or two I roll up the wet clothes in a dry bath towel (motel supplied), the cotton towel absorbs 80 percent of the moisture in a few minutes. Then hang things to finish drying overnight.

Exofficio brand underwear dries quite fast, as does the lycra in shorts. The pad in shorts can dry slow depending on brand. Some socks dry faster than others, I bring at least three pair of socks. I rarely bring anything cotton but I do have a couple part Egyptian cotton travel shirts that dry fast that I sometimes carry. Exception to the avoid-cotton-rule, I often carry some cotton bandannas.

Something else....instead of carrying around hangers and clothes pins, make a rubber band clothes line. My riding partner had one and it was the coolest thing (ok, I'm easily amused). Just type it on google and you'll see how to make it. The best part about it was you could hang it on nearly anything and the rubber bands were their own clothes pins. Very lightweight, flexible, and it actually did the job better than my bungee cords and pins.

I seldom stop at laundromats. I hate stopping for that long in the middle of a day's ride for something like that. If I camp at a place with a shower and hand wash the day's bike clothes while I'm taking a shower. I use Campsuds because I always have some for washing my dishes. I hang the clothes up after the shower. If they're not dry by morning I drape them over my load during the next day's ride.

When I stay in a motel I wash everything in their washer/dryer.

I don't worry so much about being dirty and smelling bad. I like to be clean, but if there's no place to wash I can always wait a day or two.

On a hot day by a lake you can always go swimming with your bike clothes on and call it good. I don't know how clean it gets your stuff, but it's sure easy and pleasant.

Personal I just bring less clothes as it brings a few benefits: Less weight, less to wash and it will give you more of an incentive to wash them regularly as the smell up faster. I wash or at least rinse my clothes almost daily with whatever I've got around. Hostel, river, gas station sink, whatever works and is free.

Soap is soap. I personally like using shampoo or using somebody's forgot soap in a hostel for my laundry. Use your sock, paper towel (pain to remove) or a plastic bag to plug up the sink instead of a sink plug. Or better yet, a plastic bucket, they are always around....

Are you set on using bib shorts? I prefer using just shorts so they take up less space when packed and are quicker to dry when wet.

I go pretty minimal with riding clothes: two pairs of padded lycra shorts, two lightweight synthetic tops and two pairs of short Smartwool socks.

I camp, rather than stay in hotels, but I usually end up somewhere with at least cold running water. I carry a small collapsable basin and a bottle of Campsuds.

As soon as I reach camp each day I take a bird bath (unless there's a shower, of course!), change into my camp clothes, and wash the day's laundry. After washing, I hang the day's clothes to dry. Often they're not quite dry the next morning, so I'll strap them to the sides of my panniers and wear the other set.

It's a quick and easy routine. Personally, I prefer to take this little bit of time each day than to carry around extra clothes, especially when they're dirty. (Actually, I carry a third pair of very old padded shorts as an emergency backup in case, for example, multiple days of wet weather disrupt my system.)

Every week to ten days I'll stop by a laundromat for a more thorough washing and drying.

This system works quite well for me, but like with most things in touring, don't worry about it too much -- you'll quickly figure out a system that works best for you.

Note: sorry for redundancy with SparkyGA's post -- I got sidetracked after starting mine, and I didn't see his before finishing.

I have to say that I really don't see much utility in taking a stopper. A sock or some other item of clothing has always seemed to be an adequate stopper to me.

BTW, when sinks are not available a big ziploc bag works well.

Wringing clothes, rolling in towel, and stepping on roll (bare feet) will get most of the moisture out.

A little heat helps. Problem is that most motels are using the new type of bulbs that do not produce much heat.




That clothesline, and clothes hanging from the bike and tent, represents almost all of the hot weather clothes we had with us for a 3 month tour. My wife is in her swimsuit because a lot of her clothes is on the line.

Lots of real world advice already given, but one thing to remember has not been mentioned. If you wash shorts in a sink or a shower, make really sure that you rinse all the soap out fo the pad. I skimped on rinsing once when the sink seemed as though it was going to fall off the wall, and the shower was not draining and just to dirty looking to use anyway. I got a pretty good rash the next day, that was uncomfortable for the next few days.

point well taken mr wreck (or mrs) never had it happen but have been wary of not enough rinsing

A small bottle of Dr. Bronner's or other castile soap works for showering, dishes and laundry.

A hotel room and synthetics will be dry by morning,
camping where it stays above dew point overnight,
will dry stuff too..

I know that mine will because I put them in the dryer. If you are going to stay in a hotel, use the facilities...ya paid for them.

I most often camp. I usually hand wash in a sink at the campground, or sometimes a gas station etc. Instead of a stopper, I put the clothes in a plastic bag from a convenience store. I put the bag in the sink and fill it up with water and sometimes add a little soap. The sinks are often not very clean, so I prefer using a plastic bag. It also gives me a way to carry the clothes out without getting the floor soaking wet for everyone else...

I will only rarely take the time to use washing machines and dryers, maybe once on a 2 week trip.

I carry a light weight line and use paper clips for clothes pins. Very lite, and I've found much more effective at drying than draping over the picnic table.

+1

If the OP is staying in hotels in North America, the few dollars he might have to pay to use the hotel laundry facilities are a tiny fraction of his hotel costs. So why not make life simple and just use the hotel laundry facilities.

Hi

Crikey ... I would be doing my laundry once in a 10-15 day tour and would be only carrying one spare pair of shorts and jersey. Shorts get worn three to four days before swapping to the other pair. If I happen to hit upon a caravan park then I would have a shower for sure, but no laundry generally until at least a week into the ride.

None of this luxury hotel stuff here

Andrew

Depending on where I am that can be the case for me as well, and some times I have gone a bit longer. I don't find it to be a hardship when that is the case. On the other hand I wash them pretty frequently when it is convenient.

And shaving, if one is so inclined.

OK...but for me, a female, there is no way I´m wearing shorts more than once unless I´m in the back of beyond and there´s no water for miles and miles. Talc can only do so much. Blech.

It ain't just the ladies. My bicycle clothes will practically stand up on their own after one day of riding. I imagine that they would look like this after 15 days



I'll pass.

I'm female, and I often wear my shorts more than once ... especially if I'm only riding a short distance. Take last night for example ... I was out for a very casual 10 km ride (maybe 45 minutes). I'm not washing my shorts after having them on for 45 minutes.

But when touring, I'll usually plan to wear the same pair of shorts for 2-3 days in a row. Oh, and I definitely do not use talc!! I will, however, use a roll-on anti-perspirant.

lol!

Even in the more remote places, there was always somewhere I could get a bit of water and clean my clothes. 5 or 10 mins. work (always air drying) for clean clothes made it worth it. I can't even imagine rewearing shorts that had been sweated in, etc, all day the previous day. I know that the pads are treated, but....yech and blech! As I've said, I'm probably the oddball here, but I always found a way to get clean. Even if it was a rag and a park tap, it was worth it. Everyone has his/her comfort item and being clean before sliding in the sleeping bag was mine.

Even a tightly wadded piece of something like paper towel works well enough.

In OZ I must tour in the winter because of other commitments in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, synthetic strides and the Gore-Tex jacket are quite necessary. Clothes never dry by the next am and I refuse to wear 'wet ones" so 2 sets of bicycling clothes are necessary - along with an extra top or 2. And gloves/mitts with a washable Gore-Tex outer from MEC