There are multiple myths about cycling clothes. Many of them have to do with their care, quality, and comfort. Some of these include: not washing them will make them last longer, expensive equals better, and comfort will depend on the brand.

1. “Not washing your clothes will make them last longer” – The way you treat your clothes could make it last longer. But, it depends on how you do it. Believe it or not, two of the most common things people will recommend is to freeze or hang dry clothes. And, there some things that you must know about the two. When it comes to freezing clothes, you can check out the myth as easily as the thought that refrigerators were invented to cool down food, not clothes. While the cold can control the growth of bacteria and germs, it does not kill them. About hanging your clothes dry, common sense should tell you that drying does not equal cleaning. The sun can kill bacteria on your clothes, but it doesn’t make them clean. To effectively kill bacteria when you hang dry clothes, you must know that the clothes need to be inside out and have direct sunlight. If the clothes aren’t completely dry before you use them again, you are making it worse; because your putting the bacteria left on your skin (which could cause irritation and allergies) and adding more bacteria and germs to your clothing during the new workout. To make things clean and deodorize, you need a detergent.  So, to properly care for your cycling clothes effectively, follow the brand’s recommendations. Cycling clothes are expensive; treat them as such. Wash them inside out on a delicate cycle with a gentle detergent (abrasive chemicals will decrease the quality of your cycling clothes).

2. “Expensive equals better” – Some people think that because a brand is selling something expensive, then the quality of the products is, by default, better than affordable ones; that is not always the case. You can find the same quality of expensive products in brands that you consider cheap. Therefore, being inexpensive is not always bad. When it comes to clothes, all you have to do is look at the type of materials and the percentage of the mixed materials on the clothes to determine how good the quality of a product is. If you want durable, resistant, and stretchy cycling clothes, all you need to look for is their top materials: elastane, polyester, and nylon, not the price. Different things can make brands charge more for their products, for example, the quality of their service, the number of external resources a company has to pay, or their profit goal. So no, expensive is not always the best.

3. “Comfort depends on the brand” – You can’t always blame the brand for its products, and you can’t take all reviews you read as standard. People often forget that different people have different needs. We all come in different shapes and sizes. When shopping for clothes online, you need to look at the company’s size charts and use their measurement system to measure yourself to determine which size fits you. For cyclists that spend long hours in the saddle, bib shorts are the most significant piece of clothing. If you want comfort, you need to know that it depends on what you do, more than on the brand you’re choosing. Men and women are born with different bone structures, so keep that in mind because the saddle you’re using, your bone impressions, and the padding you’re using denotes comfort. For example, if your saddle is narrow, your padding too thin, and your bone sitting impression too wide, you’ll feel discomfort when riding. So, take the time to research or seek help to determine your seat bone impressions before keep wasting money looking for comfortable cycling shorts.