Does lycra deteriorate from storage?

[musiclover]

Hi,

online searching did not produce any results.

I wonder if there is any data on wear of apparel (mostly bibs) from just storage?

Did anyone have new bibs they have not been using for years?..

Thanks

[Lukus]

I think like with most clothing if you store in an appropriate way (e.g. dry, no extremes of temperature, no infestation) it should be fine for a number of years.

I have cycling kit that has been routinely used for over 5 years that is still in very good shape so I’d imagine it would last double that in storage.


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[usr]

New old stock is fine after a few years, this summer I opened a fresh set of an old favorite of mine that must have been at least five years old. Not a trace of decay. For stuff that has been used, but then put in multi-year hibernation I wouldn't be quite as optimistic (most washing regimes won't remove *all* biological activity). But one jersey that is just as old but rarely worn seems surprisingly well. Bibs might be a different story though (once worn), far more stretch involved and the threshold unwearability is so much lower.

[synchronicity]

Well, I had a bunch of cycling clothes not used for about 5 years. Some lycra was fine. The elastic seemed to have degraded in other garments (you could hear it as you stretched it). And then there was a medium nike dri fit base layer top, one of my favourites before they cheapened out, and, upon taking it off my body after a ride for the first time in ~5 years, I wasn't all that careful and my thumb tore a great big hole in the armpit area. I literally heard it rip. And I nearly cried because I only have (or had) one. So I think stuff does degrade. Whatever you do keep it out of UV light. That's what kills it, it literally breaks the poymer molecules (it's called chain scission ).

[AJS914]

I literally have some 25 year old jerseys hanging in my closet that are still in good shape. I kept them for sentimental reasons. They suck compared to modern jerseys. They feel so hot and don't breath as well as modern stuff.

[dedaciai]

Yes, clothing can degrade from storage, but it really depends on how you store them. If you store them in a place that gets hot, in the sun, or a lot of moisture it will definitely degrade the fabric and the elastic. Nothing is perfect but if you're storing clothing for the long haul then storing them in relatively cool, dry, and out of the sun is the best bet for long term storage.

[Tifosiphil]

As Dedaciai said, suprisingly one of the best places to store clothing is under the bed.

Be careful when storing for a long time to try and not fold the fabrics where possible. This can cause weak points in the fabric especially if there is a lot of weight on the fabric or it is quite compressed

[CyclingGiraffe]

In my experience the quality of construction/materials, and whether a garment was made for durability or with other concerns in mind (think weight, compression, aerodynamics, and, yes, cost) also makes a difference. I have some very old Assos bibs from the "orange" chamois/pad era, which were in storage for the better part of a decade and still look good, hold their shape, and work pretty much as they did when I put them away. In the same storage container, I also had: a pair of Giordana shorts, on which the lycra seemed fine, but the chamois/pad started delaminating from the foam and the leg grippers literally dissolved/disappeared after one wash out of storage; a pair of Mavic shorts, again with fine lycra, but the "welded" (not stitched) seams all came unbonded after a couple of rides; and a pair of Castelli bibs, which initially seemed ok, but the lycra seems to have stretched out and lost its elasticity after pulling on (oh, and the scorpion appliques fell off in the wash). The Giordana and Mavic bibs were a fair bit newer than the Assos; I don't remember how old the Castellis were, but around the same age as the Assos.