For most of my life, I eschewed white cycling gear. I often joked that I wasn’t fast enough to wear white, a nod to the white jerseys with rainbow stripes worn by bike racing’s reigning World Champions. Plus, white kits didn’t mesh with my all-black punk aesthetic.
However, the reason I steered clear of white jerseys, shoes, socks, gloves, and other equipment was that I don’t like wearing grimy-looking gear. Early in my cycling career, I permanently stained a white jersey with mud splatters and turned several pairs of white socks pink. So, I incorrectly assumed people who wore white gear were either fast enough to receive a constant stream of free replacements from sponsors or had stacks of money to set on fire. The truth is, I wasn’t washing white gear correctly.
White cycling gear isn’t only for World Champions like Tadej Pogačar; you can wear it too.
It’s often a little more work keeping white gear looking as fresh as black, navy, or brown colors. However, there are proven methods you can use to prevent your white gear from turning gray. We consulted clothing brands, talked with pro mechanics, and scoured the internet for the best tips and tricks for cleaning white gear.
Supplies You Need
Trevor Raab
The experts all agreed: all you need are basic cleaning supplies and some extra time to clean white gear. While it might not save a white jersey or socks with baked-in stains, it can keep your new gear looking spotless.
Cleaning white gear usually only requires common household and laundry cleaning supplies. These include dish soap, distilled white vinegar, baking soda, stain remover, and bleach. Other handy items include OxiClean, Magic Erasers (aka melamine foam), soft brushes, and a wash basin.
Related StoryBottles
Trevor Raab
Let’s start with the easiest white gear to clean, and the one many riders own even if they don’t wear white clothes. White water bottles quickly get marred with black or grey marks from bottle cages. I keep mine looking fresh by wiping them down with a Magic Eraser after each ride; it’s super effective at removing cage marks. However, be careful not to rub too hard over the bottles’ graphics or logos, as the sponge will sometimes remove them if you’re overly aggressive with cleaning.
A paste of vinegar and baking soda helps remove more stubborn cage marks. Bottle Bright is handy for keeping the insides of the bottle clean. If your bottles develop mildew inside, a bottle brush, plus some vinegar and baking soda, can also help remove it. But sometimes it’s best to cut your losses and throw the bottle in the recycling bin if it’s still gross after repeated cleaning (like if it had drink mix sitting around in it for weeks).
Related StoryShoes
Trevor Raab
White cycling shoes project an undeniably professional look and elevate any cyclist’s fashion game. (To paraphrase Rancid, “Black kit, white shoes, black helmet, road bike. Yeah, the boy’s a time bomb.”)
Unfortunately, white shoes can quickly look dirty and older than their true age if you don‘t keep them clean. Part of keeping white shoes looking fresh is not wearing them on muddy rides or rainy days when they’ll get covered in grit and grime from the road. However, even if you only wear your white shoes on bone-dry days and cherry conditions, they will still get dirty.
I wipe down my white shoes after rides with a damp cloth and remove scuff marks with a Magic Eraser. Bicycling Senior Photographer, Trevor Raab’s big tip is: “Don’t be afraid to soak your shoes.” And as an elite mountain bike and cyclocross racer, he knows all about muddy gear.
Trevor Raab
Some white shoes are easier to clean than others. My Specialized Torch 3.0 shoes clean easily, but the Fizik woven ones are trickier to keep looking new. “Our Vega shoe is admittedly a bit difficult to keep precious white,” Fizik’s North American Marketing Manager, Cheyne Parrot, told me.
Parrot’s five cleaning tips are: 1) Clean shoes after just about every ride to make them last as long as possible, 2) Avoid wet conditions when possible, 3) Use only soft, warm water when cleaning, 4) Use the mildest soap you can find, and 5) Use the softest brush you can find to clean trouble areas.
Recently, a video by Spanish cyclist Daniel Sanz circulated on social media showing his method for keeping white DMT shoes (the ones worn by Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar) looking sharp.
Sanz’s Shoe Cleaning Steps
Step 1: Remove the surface dirt
Start with neutral soap and a soft brush. Gently scrub the entire shoe.
⚠️ Soft brush
Step 2: Soak in water + bleach
Place the shoes in a bucket of water with a small splash of bleach. Let them soak for a few minutes.
🚫 Don’t overdo it, just a little bleach!
Step 3: Rinse & scrub again
Rinse thoroughly and scrub again with a sponge to remove any residue.
Step 4: Bicarbonate + vinegar paste
Now mix baking soda and cleaning vinegar into a paste.
Apply it generously over the shoes.
Step 5: Let it sit under the sun ☀️
Leave them in the sun for a few hours, this helps lift deep stains and brighten the white.
Step 6: Final rinse & dry
Rinse off all the paste with water. Clean any leftover residue. Then let them dry again in the sun.
Socks
Trevor Raab
If white cycling shoes are a statement, white shoes paired with white socks are the exclamation point. They complete the look and look sharp.
However, keeping white socks clean is more difficult than maintaining the fresh look on your shoes. Socks soak up sweat, rub against dirty chains, and dirt and grit work their way into the fabric. You need to take care when washing white socks to avoid any stains setting or them becoming dyed from other clothing.
While cycling kit is often labeled “hand wash only”, I generally skip the warning and machine wash my jerseys and bibs on a gentle or delicate cycle separately from my street clothes. But I usually hand-wash my white cycling socks to ensure they stay bright white.
Trevor Raab
I do this in a wash basin or the sink. Typically, I treat any stains or grease marks with dish soap or stain remover, then I rinse with cold water. Next, I wash the socks in cold water, OxiClean, and a little white vinegar. Then, I let them soak until the grit and dirt release. I add a splash of bleach (don’t use too much!) if the socks are super dirty. Rinse the socks clean of any sweat before adding bleach to avoid yellowing or discoloration.
Swiftwick CEO Mark Chou is also a fan of dish soap for removing stains. Chou told me, “We’ve found that a little bit of Dawn dish soap goes a long way to treat chain grease stains, especially on white socks.” He suggests applying a dab of soap and a little water directly to the stain, gently rubbing it in, and then washing as usual. Chou adds that you can machine wash Swiftwick’s white socks, “To keep our socks looking crisp, we recommend machine washing them in cold water and tumble dry without heat.”
Megan Dean, owner of sock brand Moon Dust Apparel, says, “I use baking soda and vinegar for everything anyway, but it works for a lot of just regular dirty white socks.” She jokingly added that, “Dawn dish soap *can* get grease out, but still seems to be a hope and a prayer.”
Jerseys and Shorts
Trevor Raab
Washing white jerseys is similar to the methods used to wash white socks. My number one recommendation is washing your kit as soon as possible after particularly muddy or gritty rides. Rinse the clothes and treat any stains before throwing them in the laundry.
You need to take extra care with clothing that has sublimated graphics. Ornot founder Matt Quann told me, “My best tip is to soak in OxiClean for 6-8 hours before washing in the washer. This usually gets things pretty clean/white again.” Quann notes that it’s important to remove any stains from sublimated jerseys before introducing heat. “If you do introduce heat with a stain on a sublimated fabric, it can set the stain for good,” he said.
Senior Reviews Editor Bobby Lea raced professionally for years and wore white cycling kits several times during his career. Lea also recommends keeping OxiClean around to clean white jerseys. Bobby’s wife, Shelby Lea, also shared a secret their family uses: Miss Messy Mouth. It’s designed for cleaning messy kids’ clothes, but also works wonders for cyclists.
Helmets
Trevor Raab
Like shoes, helmets are a piece of gear that many riders fear washing. Yet we wear them on our heads during rainy rides; they certainly can get wet. Trevor Raab said he sometimes wears his helmet right into the shower after a muddy ride or race and cleans it with shampoo. I prefer to wash mine in the sink or tub, rinse and lightly scrub the pads and liner, and let the helmet air dry.
Similar to bottles and shoes, I use a Magic Eraser to remove marks on white helmets. This also gives me a chance to inspect the helmet for any damage. Regularly check your helmet for dents, dings, and cracks, even if you haven’t crashed. Helmets can be compromised from falling off tables, getting knocked around in gear bags, or flying around in the trunk of our cars.
Related StoryBar Tape
Trevor Raab
White handlebar tape isn’t as popular as in years past, but it’s still a way to make even the plainest bike stand out. White tape (especially when paired with white brake hoods) still looks classy on almost any bike.
Unfortunately, dirty white tape can make an otherwise clean bike look sloppy. The simple solution is to wipe down your bar tape after rides with a damp cloth to remove any dirt or sweat. For baked-in grime, use a Magic Eraser. Some Simple Green and water also works wonders to clean white or light-color bar tape.
Frames
Trevor Raab
Painted bicycle frames and forks are generally easy to clean since they usually have a clear coat applied over the painted surface. However, some white bikes are tougher to keep clean than others—Gloss finishes clean easily; satin and matte finishes can trap dirt, grime, brake dust, and greasy fingerprints.
Several years ago, when I was the product director for a bicycle company, one of the brand’s professional racers won a mountain bike World Championship. The athlete requested a satin white painted bike to celebrate their win. However, the team‘s mechanics nixed the request when they caught wind of the plan since they knew how tough it would be to keep the bike looking fresh. (The racer and mechanics quickly compromised on a gloss white finish.)
Gloss finish frames usually clean up with dish soap and water. Rub marks—like those from a rider’s heel against a chainstay or from transport on a rack—can be removed with a Magic Eraser.
Satin and matte finish paints can be trickier. Magic Erasers sometimes work on these surfaces, but other times you need to apply heavy-duty tactics. Special matte surface cleaners, along with a soft brush, elbow grease, and patience, can help remove embedded clay or brake dust from a bike.
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As Deputy Editor, Tara Seplavy leads Bicycling’s product test team; after having previously led product development and sourcing for multiple bike brands, run World Championship winning mountain bike teams, wrenched at renowned bicycle shops in Brooklyn, raced everything from criteriums to downhill, and ridden bikes on six different continents (landing herself in hospital emergency rooms in four countries and counting). Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Tara spends tons of time on the road and trail testing products. A familiar face at cyclocross races, crits, and bike parks in the Mid Atlantic and New England, on weekends she can often be found racing for the New York City-based CRCA/KruisCX team. When not riding a bike, or talking about them, Tara listens to a lot of ska, punk, and emo music, and consumes too much social media.