Whether you’re trying to save money, doing your bit for the environment or hoping to keep a favourite jersey looking its best, there are lots of reasons for making our cycling kit last longer.
The good news is that there are some general rules for preserving the life of your cycling gear as well as some oneoff quick fixes.
WASHING MACHINE LEARNINGS
Wash at 30°C
Washing clothes at lower temperatures can not only save you money by using up to 40% less energy, according to website loveyourclothes.org.uk, but also prevents damage to most synthetic fabrics found in sportswear, such as polyester and nylon.
Laundering sportswear at 30°C, using a regular domestic detergent, will be effective enough to kill bacteria, even on cycling shorts chamois, according to research carried out in 2010.
Elastic Interface, producers of cycling shorts chamois for a significant number cycling clothing brands, even sought independent third-party verification from scientist Antonio Paoli at the University of Padua, Italy.
Paoli concluded that “high-temperature washing does not add benefit to the cyclist’s health and would damage fabrics and foams”.
“Normal washing of clothes will reduce the risk of germs being transmitted,” confirms the NHS. However, it does also state that in
