It seems like complete overkill washing it every day, my commute each way is around 45-50 minutes, maybe an hour or so if I go a longer way.
So in summer it was every 2 days, but I’m not sweating so much at the moment as it’s so cold so it’s more like every 3 or 4 days.
Socks are changed every day as I cycle in work socks. Its wash the bib tights and baselayer/jersey that get washed at regular intervals. Softshells and other things at much less regular intervals
I'm pleased to say nothing smells, but am I washing too much or too little?
Bibs, socks and base layers daily. Maybe merino base layers less often.
Outer layers every couple of days, unless muddy.
This comes up quite often. Most seem to wear clean stuff every day, some need clean stuff every ride (as-in they carry spare riding gear with them to cycle home in!!!).
I do the same sort of commute time as you and personally; bibs, jerseys, baselayers etc. hang to dry when i get to work and hang to dry when i get home, then wear the same stuff all week. Clean socks daily as they will stink. Been doing it for years, merino stuff dosnt stink and ive never had any sort of bum rash the sensitive types seem to get. So depends how far you are willing to push it, and how your body reacts.
Launderette on the way to & back from work in a Nick Kamen stylee
Every day, but then I have the luxury at work of being able to put it in a laundry bag, bung it in a basket and collect my clean kit at the end of the day.
Serious question, why would one not wash it all after one day?
Base layer, too, bib shorts and socks daily. Jacket, waterproof shorts and gloves generally once a week. Daily 20 mile each way commute.
hang to dry when i get home, then wear the same stuff all week
Boggin
Depends on weather and how much I push it: hot humid weather will be every day (or rather use new shorts every day until I've a wash load); cooler weather I might use the same shorts for two days, depends.
As for not washing kit every day - we are on a private water supply that can run out in summer.
Smelly barstewards 😉 I take a second set of kit for the return journey and wash both sets when I get home. One hour very hilly sweaty commute.
So someone on here cycles what say 2 hours a day and wears the kit ALL week! That is gopping!!!!
Serious question, why would one not wash it all after one day?
Because most the wear seems to happen in the washer. I put off washing some stuff to ensure it lasts longer.
Bibs and socks get washed on a daily basis. But a jersey I [i]might[/i] get 2 or 3 rides out of. Maybe a baselayer too. They generally happen to be shorter midweek rides though.
After a stinky all-dayer it goes straight in the wash upon return.
Jackets and waterproof items may not get washed for months. But they rarely get worn, and may only be on for 10 minutes at a time.
The flip side to this is people doing a all day ride. Or in my case a bikepacking trip where I'll wear the same thing for 2 days or more in a row
Other point to note is wearing merino tops for a few days in a row on long distance trips
After 2 days my kit will have been worn for 3 hours or so, and it's commuting/pootling pace, not race pace (mind you, it's probably the same as its all slow)
I have enough spare kit to wash every day, just seems like a lot of washing for not a huge amount of use
I might get two days out of a pair of shorts if it's cool enough, I'll get 2 or 3 days out of a jersey and base layer (the ones I've got say to wear a few times, they don't stink) socks will do a couple of days at the moment too if I need them too.
I'd wear fresh stuff daily if I could, but I only started commuting again in November and I've not got the cash to build up enough stock yet.
20 miles each way mon-fri for what it's worth.
When commuting, I used to wear the kit for a few days. Who cares if it smells a bit? I've always thought the modern fetish for incessant washing (both clothes and bodies) is a bit odd. Of course it varies by person a bit - my wife has incredibly smelly feet and can't wear socks twice, I can go for weeks on a pair...
Not wearing clean shorts for every ride is a great way to get saddle sores and other bacterial nasties!! It is also important to get out your kit and shower as soon as you can afterwards for the same reasons.
Bibs, socks and base layer are every day. Jerseys it'll depend on the weather but often every day too, winter tops maybe a little less.
One hour each way commute, mostly downhill on the way in, uphill home.
In winter I wear:
shorts (I have 2 pairs of old Sugoi, so worn they're basically see through but they're perfect under tights in winter or under close-fit baggy shorts in summer)
bib tights - again an old-ish pair perfect for just trashing on a grimy city commute
merino base layer
softshell jacket
At work we've got a well-ventilated drying room so it hangs up in there all day then when I get home the shorts, tights and base layer go in the wash. I can sometimes get 2 days in a row out of the tights if it's been dry weather.
The softshell jacket gets washed maybe once every 2-3 months in Nikwax TechWash.
Gloves get washed maybe weekly.
When commuting, I used to wear the kit for a few days. Who cares if it smells a bit?
Well I don't like putting smelly kit on but each to their own. Also if you share a locker space with others it's not very pleasant if someone's kit stinks
Anything worn next to the skin would be every day, the only exception to that would be tights, which we're worn over shorts they would do a few days until i owned a few pairs, then it was just as easy to put them in with the rest of the kit each evening.
How often do you change your pants? Change / wash your shorts at the same frequency. If you're happy wearing your pants for 4 days in a row then carry on with what you're doing.
My commutes are short at 5miles each way. I happily wear the same Base Layer and shorts all week in the winter. In the summer I rotate a few pairs of shorts/Base layers and wash them all on the weekend.
Short liners, cycling shirt and socks wash every day, merino Jersey/ base layer, shorts at the weekend
Everyday, anything else is getting into scutter territory.
Once or twice a week. I commute for about 50miles/3hours per week. I wouldn't change my clothes 10 times on a weekend ride so why would I change them more frequently when commuting?
Isn't washing clothes pretty much the single worse thing for the environment?
Bibs and Jersey daily, merino baselayer every 2-3 days.
softshell outers maybe every 2-3 weeks, based on 2 x 50 mile commutes per week
I think about miles ridden rather than number of rides. I'll happily ride 50 miles on a club run in one set of kit. So a couple of days commuting at 10-12 miles a day doesn't seem out of order. I don't put out any more sweat per mile when I'm commuting.
The smell test is also a useful rule of thumb imo. Worth thinking about your work colleagues, who may not enjoy the smell of my sweat as I do 🙂
Wow... I think I'm being clean if I wash my stuff once a week.... Often it's much longer.
I only commute about 100 miles a week though. After all on a tour I wouldn't wash every day and I ride much more than 20 miles a day. Looks like I'm in a dirty minority here though.
Never wash it. Means the motorists, badgers and single mums pushing triple prams give me some room.
Top tip there for you all...
1/2 hour each way, 3 times a week and wash socks, liner shorts and top once a week. As the minority have said - I wouldn't change and wash kit 3 times on a 3 hour ride...
Hmmm, not so clear cut now
My one way commute is 45-50 min and about 10 miles. I ride to work most days
I work 3 sometimes 4 days a week for 6hrs max a day and 4 miles each way, I wear my riding kit to work, usually endura mt500 3/4s with either merino boxers or merino 3/4 thermals underneath in winter, merino socks and cheap karrimor top from sports direct, gets washed once a week with my one weekly wash. I don't get this constant need to wash stuff on a daily basis.
I commute around 5 miles each way, most working days but no big hills and I don't treat each ride as a Trainerroad session, so my armpits are (usually) no more than mildly moist.
I have a clean pair of cheap liner short each day but base layer will last most of the week.
I use merino socks riding into work but I'll ride home in my "work socks" so the merino's last all week.
I make sure the base layer is hung up to air whilst at work and nobody has complained about the smell yet....
Don't commute but by god neither should some of the disgusting creatures on here.
Who is disgusting, those who need to change their kit every 30 mins? What are you doing to it in this time? Don't you ever wash, or wipe your arse after shitting?
I just wear what I'm going to wear all day. It's only 5 miles each way. Except in high summer when I wear a t-shirt and a pair of casual shorts and change at work.
all my kit gets hung up when i get to work - 8 mile commute each way, then i wear it when for the return journey. Bibs, baselayers and socks all go in the wash when i get home, there's no way i would wear them again as the base layer and bibs are usually soaked - i will however wear them if i'm jumping straight on the turbo when i get home no point changing them then. Shorts and jackets/gillet, gloves once a week.
Even if I did want to wash my stuff every day.... It would have to go into a nearly empty machine most days as there just isn't enough washing in the house for a full load every day. I'd also be looking for a laundry room in every bothy or campsite I stay in.
I did on tour when I think I only washed my shorts twice in three months! I had a real leather chamois in my shorts on that occasion though - I think they were much less sweaty. As for merino... That takes weeks before it begins to smell - to my nose at least.
There are far too many clean people around I reckon....
Err, the question was about commuting not touring.
I don't wash my kit every single day, but I do put clean stuff on. I have enough commuting kit that I can do a wash every few days.
It beats being smelly.
Commute 15 miles each way 2 days a week so a total of 60 miles. Bibs, liners base layers etc get washed once a week. Overshorts get washed when I remember, no point washing them every day when they get covered in road crud after 10 minutes. Outer layers get washed when they smell bad or they're covered in crap and not very waterproof/breathable any more.
I just wear what I'm going to wear all day. It's only 5 miles each way. Except in high summer when I wear a t-shirt and a pair of casual shorts and change at work.
See for me this approach leaves me wearing clothes that smell worse than cycling kit. But I sweat a lot so even a casual cycle gets a bit of sweat on and sitting all day having got shirt pits sweaty = stinky. Not to mention sitting in slightly sweaty underwear on a warm day is worse for the undercarridge than putting on dry (but used) cycle shorts.
The question might have been about commuting.... But surely you wash your kit when you need to and if you need to wash it every day that would limit your range somewhat. What makes you wash it more frequently for commuting than other things? Genuine question as I was supprised how clean people seem to be... Or how grubby I must be by comparison!
The alldayer/touring comparison doesn't stand up - if you commute there's about 12 hours of sweat fermentation time between each wearing of the clothes. That's different to one continuous usage where there's air movement and constant fresh sweat
My kit is currentley "fermenting" ready for day 3(last commute day this week) in this kit then its in the wash,
Thankfully running full gaurds means its allot less road shite to worry about and i get to shower in work every day,dont really get any issues
12.5 miles each way 5 days a week. I wash the clothes once a week. The only thing I change midweek is the base layer. I never linger on arrival at work. I rush past reception and hope noone's caught in my slipstream. I always have a thorough shower after. There is an office down the corridor from the changing rooms where my clothes hang to dry. Don't think anyone's complained yet and been doing it for almost 7 years. I think people are far too sensitive about wearing stinky dirty clothes. I wear clean clothes in the office but it's impractical, wasteful and generally worse for the environment washing every day. Hope you don't dream of riding the TCR or any other endurance event if you're a prude.
Washing my kit and not wanting to stink makes me a prude? What an odd thing to say.
Every other day except on Tuesdays and Thursdays if I am training as well, whereupon the kit will always need washing!
Socks are merino wool and normally daily.
I always run at least one dedicated bikewear wash per week.
The touring/commuting comparison may not stand up because when touring you often don't wash much for several days, your kit sits damp in a bag in the vestibule of the tent (tempted to use the old fashioned term bell end of the tent there 😉 ) overnight and things are generally much more grotty.... But nothing bad happens.
This is a silly argument. Wash your kit when you want. That's not that often for me. Saves electricity and the load on my already overloaded sewage treatment works.