How long does a cycling pant last?

[Skott5]

Guy's talking about washing clothes .....

Hand your man cards in at the door !!!!!

 

I don't know what my wife does with it, but I suspect everything that shouldnt be done, and my kit lasts for years.

I think the key is a combination of quality and not wearing the same toight pant everyday.

Buy a few pairs and rotate.

[Warren_G]

If you do the Rand/Km calculations, its scary.

 

I have Assos bibs that are 4 years old, still use them.

Cheap stuff didn't last a year. So I stopped wasting money on cheap kit.

 

Cheap is expensive.

Yep, there's a reason it's expensive...it's made to last!

[m-squared]

When I tell people that there was a headwind for 370km they don't believe me.....

If you need someone to corroborate your story I will with pleasure. Times were at least 3 hours slower than the previous years.

 

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[Baracuda]

I have three pairs of Adidas shorts that I have had for 7 years. Bought them on special when they stopped sponsoring the Sky Team. The elastic is starting to go, but I wear them 2-3 times a week, machine cold wash, just fine. I recently bought a new pair of top end pearl Izumis and really can't feel the difference.

[Spinnekop]

Hand wash only, using a washing powder that does not have enzymes in it. They actually destroy natural lycra. Doing this, my various pairs of shorts have lasted years. Still wear my first pair of assistance I bought about 3 years ago, they look and feel great.

Also interested in what washing powder you use.  Good info, thanks.

[Spinnekop]

Riding 4 sets of Panda kit over 14000km at about R700 a short

Gives your roughly R0.05 per kilo. 

 

The lycra seems to be okay but the saddle shafts the inside of the pants.....

['Dale]

No need to kitten-glove-wash Assos

Especially the S7 toughened up R'nD

 

If you can, get one

[HowardSteele]

Got to say I pant the duration of the ride

Hand wash only...NO Staysoft...especially on tops that have wicking properties.

Have 5 sets of shorts with rotation 3-4 years

[Long Wheel Base]

If you do the Rand/Km calculations, its scary.

 

I have Assos bibs that are 4 years old, still use them.

Cheap stuff didn't last a year. So I stopped wasting money on cheap kit.

 

Cheap is expensive.

I have a really cheap pair of lake bibs. They like 10 years old!!!

Wore them a handful of times and they where so lousy I never wore them again. That was like 10 years ago[emoji1]

 

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[fritserasmus]

I wash all my sports clothing in the auto machine. Cold water, and short cycle. No fabric softener. No tumble drying, and no hanging out in the sun. All seems to last a decent length of time

Same here

 

 

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[fritserasmus]

Riding 4 sets of Panda kit over 14000km at about R700 a short

Gives your roughly R5 per kilo.

 

The lycra seems to be okay but the saddle shafts the inside of the pants.....

It's 5c a kilo [emoji2]

 

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[RiverInTheRoad]

Who needs bibs? Htfu

[Kalahari Vegmot]

Who needs bibs? Htfu

Uhm... Everybody.

 

Including Merckx...

[brucem76]

It's 5c a kilo [emoji2]

 

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Attempt #3: 20c/km

 

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['Kaze Pete]

Attempt #3: 20c/km

 

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14000km total distance across 4 pairs / (R700 spent per pair * 4 pairs) = 14000km total distance / (R2800 total cost) = 5km per R1 cost

 

or from the other way round

 

(R700 per pair * 4 pairs) / (14000km total distance) = R2800 total cost / 14000km total distance = R0.20 per kilometer 

 

I can see where the 5c/km comes from.... It would appear to be similair to those FB BODMAS questions   _{or is it more along math lit vs maths?} 

[Butterbean]

For those wondering about powders with no enzymes, you can always check the ingredients list. Problem is, almost all the machine ones have in, in fact they almost all have enzymes nowadays. Enzymes are activated and work brilliantly to digest the fats and grease in your clothes. Great on cotton, but they destroy lycra.

 

I use plain old sunlight hand washing powder. The yellow or pink bags? A little goes quite a long way and they don't destroy clothing. Omo, maq, surf, keep those away from your cycle kit. Our house actually has two powders at all times, the non enzymatic one for my stuff,and the enzymatic one for normal clothing.

 

It might sound pedantic to some, unnecessary to others, but considering that you're wearing close to 10k on your body if you spend without thrift on the bike, it's worth it to take care of it. After all, you can't say it's logical to clean and lube your chain every ride to ensure longevity, but then trash your clothes.

 

Regarding machine washing, it certainly isn't terrible. But there are some considerations to watch out for, which is why manufacturers ask you to avoid it:

 

Remember first that the machine achieves mechanical action in the cleaning process by the action of clothing in the wash wheel bashing and rubbing against each other.

 

So, mixing fabric types like denim, polyester, and cotton mixes in the same wash will lead to all the fabrics abraiding each other. This causes piling. You know, those little tiny balls of fabric that collect on your clothes? This piling. Secondly, items with zippers, and velcro, will definitely damage other clothing in the machine. So be careful with those. If you chuck your gloves in too, make sure the straps are fastened, not loose.

 

The other major issue is stretching. Front loaders are less prone to this, but top loaders are terrible. With their poor design, clothing gets tangled and bunched up, and they will stretch a garment out like crazy. That's why assos used to give you a little wash baggie. It's not for anything other than stretch prevention. Spin cycles can have a slight stretch effect but not much. Again, top loaders suck.

 

Take care of those points and you can quite happily machine wash your clothing. I don't risk it, but each to his own!