A Tip from Emilio Desoto, creator of DeSoto Tri Clothing: Wash your helmet and shoes please!When was the last time you washed your bike helmet, your bike shoes, and your running shoes? If you haven't done so in the past month, they probably stink. If you can't smell it, ask someone else to, then look at their face; the truth comes without words being spoken.
BIKE SHOES: I still can't understand people that train without socks all the time (and I am no Felix Unger). I mean now and then to simulate a race, okay, but not all the time. I learned that bike shoes are a lot more resilient than I would have imagined first by racing NORBA during a few very wet and muddy seasons, but more recently by doing spinning workouts and indoor stationary bike interval workouts. I have a pair of SIDI Triathlon shoes that I have rinsed and washed with regular shampoo in the shower over 100 times and they are still in good condition.
TO WASH THEM: Best is to use the sink, room temp water, and mild detergent and an old toothbrush. Shampoo works too. Wet the shoes, clean as needed, shake really well, towel dry as much as possible, then set to dry in the sun. If the shoes have leather, saddle soap works well to preserve the softness.
Kind regards, Emilio
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2 comments:
For bike shoes, wiping them dry with a towel and then spraying them around all the plastic bits, and the seems with WD40 is good too, makes them look good as well as acts as a water propellant. However, if you do running mounts from T1, best wipe over the top of the shoes before a race, don't want your feet to slip off!
For helmets, theres actually no real need to wash the helmets and there are good reasons not to. Even mild detergent can cause the glue holding the decorative plastic outer shell to separate from the hard shell core. Assuming you can remove the pads and hand wash them, to clean the straps you just fill a bowl with warm water and some white vinegar, about 2 teaspoons. Sit the helmet on a the bowl so the straps dangle into the water, leave overnight and the water will soak up the straps. Rinse in the morning and rub or spray the straps with olive oil. It keeps tha plastic from becoming brittle, and also "lubes" the straps and keeps them soft.
I wrote a whole series of articles like this for the British Triathlon magazine called Trinews that were published over a couple of years, want me to dig them out and update so you can post??
Yes, more tips like this would be great! Please send them our way. Thanks!
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