Bought a pair, rode in them twice and they were brilliant, kept my arse nice and dry. however....Bunged them in the wash at 40 degrees and then the next time out they were no better than normal shorts at keeping me dry.
Surely I don't have to reproof them every time I wash them...which is pretty much going to be after every ride given how muddy it is at the mo?
ta
Just spray down with a hose?
Use Graingers wash in detergent-free soap I presume, treat them like you would a gore-tex jacket. Don't just [i]Bung them in the wash at 40 degrees[/i]...
The nice thing about GTX is you can just bung it in the wash at 40!
At the very least - use non-bio. That's all I do - well at 30 degrees. Never felt the need to reproof.
You appear to have removed/compromised the Dwr coating. I only ever rinse mine. Wash them in soap flakes or nikwax soapy stuff, then wash them again in the nikwax washing reproofer or use the spray on stuff. Worked a treat on mine when they started to leak. Not much use now that the good old Peak District mud has torn the arse out of them 🙁
Whats GTX???
Yeah I used non bio, it says '40 degrees' is ok on the instructions. Hopefully they won't be totally goosed!
(as above) Any sort of 'pure soap' - grangers or nikwax stuff for washing goretex jackets etc. Proof with grangers or nikwax products. Tend to do mine at 40degrees but with other bits of outdoor kit. Biggest problem I've had is the velcro never stays fastened and so got a couple of pairs of lycra shorts with felt effect patches on them now.
Mine must have been washed 20 times, still waterproof.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=nikwax
Get some of the Tech Wash for a 40 degree wash and then use the spray on after. You then only need the Spry on once or twice a year if you keep using the Tech Wash. That should bring all your water proofing back.
On the label it recomends use on GoreTex and the Endura stuff (can't remember the name).
Someone at Scottish Mountain Bike Gear moaned at me when I sent a jacket it in for repair because I'd washed it in Fairy Non Bio. He said that eventually the soap will wash [b]all[/b] the water proofing away and the tape on the seams will come off. I've lost several jackets that way before being told about Nikwax and wondered what I'd been doing wrong.
You can get the Nikwax in bigger bottles and as a twin pack.
PS If you've got wooden or Kardine flooring [b]DON'T[/b] spray the the shorts over that, best take them outside. We've been doing comedy slips on the floor for weeks now 😆 !
Always use soap flakes as per the instructions on the box, it even specifically mentions it's for outdoor gear. Tesco sell it branded as Granny's soak flakes and boots sell it as their own brand, it used to be called Lux. Much cheaper than Nikwax Tech Wash etc. after washing in normal detergent (even non-bio) they'll need reproofing, spray on may be best.