STINK FACTOR
The athlete of the modern day knows that all these space age fabrics all have their flaws. Aside from the high cost, the greatest flaw of would have to be STINK FACTOR. This phenomena is seen widely throughout all athletic gear, scoring Higher Stink Factor Marks in some fabrics more than others. Polypropylene ranks high in venerable to Stink Factor, while wool scores low. In addition to materials there are certain types of apparel are more venerable than others due to the type of use they get and the parts of the body they are warn on. Gloves (namely cycling gloves) may have the greatest venerable of all gear, luckily for the user gloves tend to be a lesser expensive piece of apparel. The sweat off the arms drains down to the hands. The hands are touching all sorts of random stuff, the hands themselves may be sweating, and the natural inclination to wipe a sweaty brow dry with the glove (or even a runny nose.) Once the gloves are inundated with Stink Factor the hands can then suffer Glove Hand. Glove Hand is where the hands continue to carry the rancid smell of Stink Factor even once the gloves have been removed from the hands. Glove Hand is way the worst...A social NO-NO; imagine giving a strong confident handshake in an interview or a business metting and having the recipient stepping away and putting their hand to their nose....sorry you do not get the job (and definitely not the girl in a social situaiton) So if you think you may have Glove Hand, WASH YOUR HANDS, do not go around asking..."smell my hand! do they stink? smell my hands!" The maybe in your mind should be enough for a vigorous wash, like a doctor heading into surgery, scrub those things clean. Gloves can be washed, but as we have all learned from previous Stink Factor experiences, washing is only a temporary cleansing, the Stink Factor is deep within the material and comes back to surface after the first sweaty workout. There comes a time when certain things must be thrown away, the product may be in good shape and form, but the Stink Factor can be so great rendering the gear useless. (or if the user continues to use the stinky gear they may end up friendless and jobless!) Backpacks also tend to be venerable to gathering a great deal of sweat and stink, thus leaving them venerable to Stink Factor. Just the other night I came into the house with my backpack by my side...my friend Dave who had not smelled me outside commented on my stench as soon as we were in closed quarters, my wife rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement, meanwhile the dogs ran under the table and covered their noses and let off a helpless whimper. So last night after a evening night ride I went ahead and emptied out my pack, removed all external blinking lights, and dropped the Stink Factor ridden pack into the washing machine. I lacked Febreeze, so I used some standard detergent and some Oxy-ten. These efforts are often just a temporary fix...Just enough to keep your job and keep your friends until there is time to buy a new pack (gloves/jersey/etc.) Packs cost more than gloves, so the temporary fix may become part of the routine. I tried spraying some Febreeze on the pack from time to time, even sprinkled some Gold Bond on the pack. From the site of the dirty water in the washing machine as the pack soaked I feel that I may have bought myself some more time. But we will know soon enough. The pack is at home hanging to dry and will go out for its next hot humid sweaty August ride tomorrow....if the pack starts to stink....then it will be time to go shopping.
The athlete of the modern day knows that all these space age fabrics all have their flaws. Aside from the high cost, the greatest flaw of would have to be STINK FACTOR. This phenomena is seen widely throughout all athletic gear, scoring Higher Stink Factor Marks in some fabrics more than others. Polypropylene ranks high in venerable to Stink Factor, while wool scores low. In addition to materials there are certain types of apparel are more venerable than others due to the type of use they get and the parts of the body they are warn on. Gloves (namely cycling gloves) may have the greatest venerable of all gear, luckily for the user gloves tend to be a lesser expensive piece of apparel. The sweat off the arms drains down to the hands. The hands are touching all sorts of random stuff, the hands themselves may be sweating, and the natural inclination to wipe a sweaty brow dry with the glove (or even a runny nose.) Once the gloves are inundated with Stink Factor the hands can then suffer Glove Hand. Glove Hand is where the hands continue to carry the rancid smell of Stink Factor even once the gloves have been removed from the hands. Glove Hand is way the worst...A social NO-NO; imagine giving a strong confident handshake in an interview or a business metting and having the recipient stepping away and putting their hand to their nose....sorry you do not get the job (and definitely not the girl in a social situaiton) So if you think you may have Glove Hand, WASH YOUR HANDS, do not go around asking..."smell my hand! do they stink? smell my hands!" The maybe in your mind should be enough for a vigorous wash, like a doctor heading into surgery, scrub those things clean. Gloves can be washed, but as we have all learned from previous Stink Factor experiences, washing is only a temporary cleansing, the Stink Factor is deep within the material and comes back to surface after the first sweaty workout. There comes a time when certain things must be thrown away, the product may be in good shape and form, but the Stink Factor can be so great rendering the gear useless. (or if the user continues to use the stinky gear they may end up friendless and jobless!) Backpacks also tend to be venerable to gathering a great deal of sweat and stink, thus leaving them venerable to Stink Factor. Just the other night I came into the house with my backpack by my side...my friend Dave who had not smelled me outside commented on my stench as soon as we were in closed quarters, my wife rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement, meanwhile the dogs ran under the table and covered their noses and let off a helpless whimper. So last night after a evening night ride I went ahead and emptied out my pack, removed all external blinking lights, and dropped the Stink Factor ridden pack into the washing machine. I lacked Febreeze, so I used some standard detergent and some Oxy-ten. These efforts are often just a temporary fix...Just enough to keep your job and keep your friends until there is time to buy a new pack (gloves/jersey/etc.) Packs cost more than gloves, so the temporary fix may become part of the routine. I tried spraying some Febreeze on the pack from time to time, even sprinkled some Gold Bond on the pack. From the site of the dirty water in the washing machine as the pack soaked I feel that I may have bought myself some more time. But we will know soon enough. The pack is at home hanging to dry and will go out for its next hot humid sweaty August ride tomorrow....if the pack starts to stink....then it will be time to go shopping.
okay
time to grab some breakfast
back in two
where should I get my next pack?
what pack should I get? too many choices!