I have retired from this forum, not wasting any more time here.

[musiclover]

I have retired from this forum, not wasting any more time here.

[Singular]

A simple soak and handwash is good enough for cleaning - for drying a garment faster, use this old trick; wring out as much water as possible out of the garment, then place it on a towel, roll the towel up (like a Swiss roll) and wring it too (like you mean it!). That'll draw most of the moisture out (you can re-do it with another dry towel if you want to), and let the garment dry out completely (preferrably warm-but-not-hot and/or high).

I'd do all four pairs at once in the washing machine, and have one pair dried overnight with the trick above.

[gorkypl]

I machine wash full kit (bibs, jersey, gloves, cap, swetatshirt, socks) after every ride, 15-20mins minimal cycle is enough - definitely better than letting all the bacteria grow for four days.
Or hand wash as suggested above.

[musiclover]

I machine wash full kit (bibs, jersey, gloves, cap, swetatshirt, socks) after every ride, 15-20mins minimal cycle is enough - definitely better than letting all the bacteria grow for four days.
Or hand wash as suggested above.

So, you start a wash cycle (roughly, 60L of water out of the top my head) for just one kit?

[jlok]

I machine wash full kit (bibs, jersey, gloves, cap, swetatshirt, socks) after every ride, 15-20mins minimal cycle is enough - definitely better than letting all the bacteria grow for four days.
Or hand wash as suggested above.

Same here, and mix other stuffs when possible.

@musiclover
Yeah, why not? My washing machine consumes 37L of water when Delicated Program is used. I'm not sure about you, but if you want to save water, just hand wash and use as little water as you like.

[ghostinthemachine]

I buy a few pairs and use them over several years.
Still have some useable and comfortable shorts from 10+ years ago.
Usually plain designs and high quality, but last year's colours and on sale.

Usually find 3 complete sets of training kit is a reasonable load for a washing machine. Two in the winter.

[gorkypl]

So, you start a wash cycle (roughly, 60L of water out of the top my head) for just one kit?

The super-short cycle uses much less water, around 25 litres tops I think. It's also more energy-saving than hand washing.

[zirxo]

I have been collecting kits over time and have enough to last me for at lest 7 days of riding without having to wash anything. I have more bibshorts then jerseys though so I reuse some jerseys for two days if the ride hasn't been super sweaty, like a normal commute back and forth to work in fall/spring.

[basilic]

musiclover, if you havent accumulated 6 pairs of bibs I commend you for your restraint. Most people get there without even trying.

[HappyGuy]

Get several (at least 6) different brands of shorts to rotate through. Wash them with your other clothes in warm cycle with gentle, quality liquid detergent. They say variety is the spice of life. Q36, Assos, Castelli, Ale, MAAP, Giordana. There's your quality bib shorts for enjoying the act of riding just a little bit more (or suffering just a little bit less). If you're riding twice a day you deserve the investment!

I'm curious, are you commuting to work or training or both? How long? Twice a day is impressive! As a teenager I'd ride with Steve Hegg (1984 olympics multiple track gold medalist). He trained twice a day and always tore the legs off us on our small club rides.

[tomato]

At the same time, it is silly to start a washing machine to wash 1-2 pairs of bibs. If I wash all 4 pairs that I have at once in the washing machine, then I will not be able to ride in the morning as they will still be wet.

Wash 3 pair at a time.

[Orbital]

musiclover, if you havent accumulated 6 pairs of bibs I commend you for your restraint. Most people get there without even trying.

I have more kit than regular clothes at this point….

With a household of 2 active kids playing multiple sports each, a wife who dances for a living and myself working in trades and playing hockey, the prospect of only washing bib shorts alone is just not happening. OP, do you live alone?

[synchronicity]

I do a couple of things. If I have a normal load of cotton clothes, I add the dirty cycling kit and put it on the gentle cycle.

I pile up the dirty clothes and then wash them all at the same time. This saves water and energy. It's silly washing something with only one garment in it, it's a big waste. It's the year 2021 and we should be doing better than that. I've found that rather than the smell getting worse with time, it gets better. That means the bacteria does not start evolving its own lifeforms after four or five days. Probably because some clothes/pads have silver addition or whatever (castelli has Meryl® Skinlife antibacterial yarns for example).

Usually after doing this for a few months, I have a spare pair lying around that weren't washed with the majority of clothes (that are clean). Also, I take some days off, but never due to dirty clothes. That's the best time to be washing/drying all your clothes.

If I've definitely washed all my clothes at once and I know I want to do a ride the next day, I make sure they are washed and spun, and then I hang them inside the night before. Usually the lycra is dry but sometimes the pads are still damp. Consider getting a heated towel/drying rack for this purpose (I hang them over our heater if that happens to be on anyway in the Winter). I've even washed things in the late morning and gone for a ride after lunch by doing that.

[musiclover]

A simple soak and handwash is good enough for cleaning

Thanks, that's handy.

I do a couple of things. If I have a normal load of cotton clothes, I add the dirty cycling kit and put it on the gentle cycle.

Thanks, but I think gentle is a bit rough for bibs. I do handwash. I'd rather wash normal cotton on handwash which I also do sometimes.

OP, do you live alone?

Two kids but they are little, and the wife hates excercise

Get several (at least 6) different brands of shorts to rotate through. Wash them with your other clothes in warm cycle with gentle, quality liquid detergent. They say variety is the spice of life. Q36, Assos, Castelli, Ale, MAAP, Giordana. There's your quality bib shorts for enjoying the act of riding just a little bit more (or suffering just a little bit less). If you're riding twice a day you deserve the investment!

I'm curious, are you commuting to work or training or both? How long? Twice a day is impressive! As a teenager I'd ride with Steve Hegg (1984 olympics multiple track gold medalist). He trained twice a day and always tore the legs off us on our small club rides.

Are you like the devil on the shoulder? Whispering "buy more"... If I was to buy another pair of bibs (do not need extra jerceys) it was hard to decide. Bibs market is very confusing.

Yeah mostly commuting, I train with running and boxing if I can. Commute to work is 20 k one way.

So, you start a wash cycle (roughly, 60L of water out of the top my head) for just one kit?

The super-short cycle uses much less water, around 25 litres tops I think. It's also more energy-saving than hand washing.

Not with my machine, it does 75L every time.

musiclover, if you havent accumulated 6 pairs of bibs I commend you for your restraint. Most people get there without even trying.

If I was riding once a week could get away with just one kit.

[Kayrehn]

Here's a washing guide from redwhite, a local brand; it's quite a nice read on the topic. https://www.redwhite.cc/blogs/bibshort- ... g-bibshort

The general advice is to let the kit soaked in soap water as soon as possible after the ride. I sometimes leave the kit soaked for a day or even two, but actually handwashing is a 5 minute affair for me after that.