Can Cycling Jerseys and Bib Shorts Go in the Dryer, and Do They Shrink?
No. Keep cycling jerseys and bib shorts out of the dryer and hang them to dry. Polyester jerseys barely shrink, but dryer heat wears out the elastic fibers, silicone grippers and chamois gel that hold your kit in place, and that damage adds up with every cycle. A rack and a fan dry kit quickly.
In short
- Keep jerseys and bib shorts out of the dryer. Hang them to dry.
- Polyester barely shrinks. Heat does its damage to elastic and grippers.
- Roll wet kit in a towel, then use a rack and a fan to speed it up.
- A tight jersey is more often a sizing question than a shrinking one.
Can cycling jerseys go in the dryer?
We say no, every time. A clothes dryer can shrink fabric and take the softness out of it through lost fibers, and a jersey has more to lose than a T-shirt. Most of the body is polyester, which copes with heat well enough. The trouble sits in the stretch fibers of the mesh panels and in the silicone gripper at the waist, because those are the parts that keep a jersey from riding up.
Spandex is the fragile one. Sew Guide's care advice warns that the heat of a tumble dryer damages both the structure and the stretch of a spandex garment. On our jerseys, the side panels of the printed designs are 88% polyester and 12% elastane (the same fiber as spandex), so the part that stretches is the part that suffers. You will not see it after one load. The damage shows up later, when the hem starts creeping up your back on a climb.
For the full wash routine, follow our beginner cycling kit and washing guide. This article picks up at the moment the machine stops.
Do cycling jerseys shrink in the dryer?
Very little. Fabric shrinks mostly because the tension put into the yarn during manufacturing relaxes later, and natural fibers do far more of it than synthetics. Polyester shows minimal shrinkage compared with other fibers. That is why cotton T-shirts come out of a hot dryer a size smaller, and why a polyester jersey usually does not.
Our product pages back that up. The Men's OCG Plain Color Block Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey is 100% polyester and listed as pre-shrunk. Even so, polyester is a thermoplastic and can change shape when it gets hot, so a hot dryer is not risk-free. The likelier result of repeated dryer cycles is a jersey that fits worse because its stretch has gone, rather than one that has become smaller.
Can bib shorts go in the dryer?
No, and they have more to lose than a jersey. Bib shorts are stretch from top to bottom: the Men's Plain Color Pro-Band Gel Padded Cycling Bib is 80% polyester and 20% Lycra, with a silicone gel chamois and 45mm silicone leg grippers. High heat can make a blend with more spandex shrink unevenly, and elastic fibers can distort in it.
As general care advice, we also keep silicone and gel away from dryer heat, because leg grippers and pads do their job only while they hold their shape. The straps and legs of a pair of bibs need to pull you into position for hours. A pair that has gone slack in the dryer will not do that, and our guide on how long bib shorts last covers the signs that a pair is done.
The same answer applies to cycling shorts and bib tights. Our care line for bibs and shorts is machine wash at 86°F (30°C), do not dry clean or iron, so keep the iron away as well.
How do you dry bib shorts?
Roll them, then hang them. These steps are general advice that works for any padded shorts:
- Press out the water by hand. Do not wring the pad, since twisting strains it and the fabric around it.
- Lay the bibs on a dry towel, roll the towel up and press. The towel pulls most of the water out of the pad, which is the slowest part to dry.
- Hang the bibs by the legs or fold them over a rack bar, with the pad open to the air. A wet pad is heavy, so we would not leave all that weight hanging from the straps.
- Leave them until the pad is dry all the way through. Damp pads are where odor and bacteria start, so check it with your hand before you put them on.
Owning a second pair helps more than any drying trick. Our guess is that most riders who are tempted by the dryer simply have one pair of bibs and a ride in the morning.
How do you dry cycling kit fast in cold weather?
Late fall makes this harder: short days, damp air, and a garage that never gets warm. Move the rack indoors to the warmest room with moving air, and leave a gap between pieces. Turn a jersey right side out on a hanger, unzip it and let air get into the pockets.
A fan is the most useful tool you can buy for this. Point it at the rack and most of the kit will be ready well before your next ride, and it pays off in trainer season, when a daily session can soak everything you own.
Keep kit off the radiator itself. Hanging a jersey near a heater is fine as long as the fabric never gets hot to the touch, because direct heat is the same problem as a dryer, just slower.
| What you are drying | Dryer | Best way to dry | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short or long sleeve jersey | No | Hanger, unzipped | Radiator, iron |
| Bib shorts, cycling shorts | No | Towel roll, then rack with the pad open | Wringing the pad |
| Bib tights, arm and leg warmers | No | Rack, with a fan if you need them soon | Hot pipes and heaters |
| Socks and caps | Check the label | Rack or a peg line | High heat |
Why does your jersey feel tighter after washing?
Most of the time it did not shrink at all. At 86°F (30°C) a polyester jersey has little reason to change size, and our printed jersey and shorts pages list anti-shrink among their features. A hot wash and a dryer can make any stretch fabric feel different, but a snug fit from the first ride points somewhere else.
Our jerseys have a club fit cut and run small. If yours has felt tight since day one, the size is the likely cause, and a new wash routine will not fix it. Take your chest, waist and hip measurements, and compare them with the size chart. If you are between sizes, size up.
Kit for your drying rack
Women's Plain Color Gel Padded Cycling Bib-Tights
$69.99$81.99
Men's Plain Black Gel Padded Cycling Bib-Tights
$69.99$81.99
Men's Ride Free Sunset 2 Piece Cycling Kit
$99.99$119.99
Frequently asked questions
Can you tumble dry cycling kit?
We advise against it for jerseys, bib shorts, cycling shorts and bib tights. Hang them instead, with a fan if you need them quickly.
Do cycling jerseys shrink in the wash?
Hardly. Synthetic fabrics are more stable than natural fibers, and a wash at 86°F (30°C) is gentle on polyester. Follow the steps in our washing guide.
Can cycling shorts go in the dryer?
No. They have the same stretch fabric, chamois and leg grippers as bib shorts, so treat them the same way: towel roll, then rack.
I already put my jersey in the dryer. Is it ruined?
Probably not, after one load. The wear builds up over repeated cycles, so check that the gripper and side panels still spring back, and hang it to dry from now on.
How long does it take to dry bib shorts?
It depends on the room and the air. The jersey and the outer fabric dry first, and the pad comes last, so test the pad with your hand before you ride.
