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Commuting in “Work Clothes”?

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  • September 23, 2014 at 9:05 am #22438
    stampz

    Just curious as to whether anyone commutes in their work clothes…shirt and trousers for example…?

    I am starting my commute to work from Monday, its approx 4 miles and should take 20 mins (I drive the first leg of the journey)…working up a sweat and stinking through the work day worries me…yet putting cycling gear on in the morning to sit in the car for a while and then ride, and then have to worry about having stuff either with me or at work to shower and change into seems excessive.

    As I say just curious as to what other people do, should I just suck it up and deal with the inconvenience of changing and showering at work for the joy of the morning and evening ride?

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  • September 24, 2014 at 2:26 pm #815531
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    andyp

    (No subject)
    😉

    September 24, 2014 at 2:24 pm #815529
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    Beatnik69

    andyp wrote:I’ll stick with

    andyp wrote:
    I’ll stick with the wipes in one of the traps.

    At least you could wash your feet. 😉

    September 24, 2014 at 2:17 pm #815527
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    andyp

    Chris James wrote:
    I do 10

    Chris James wrote:

    I do 10 miles a day, but with about 300m height gain it is a fairly tough 10 miles.

    Mixing imperial and metric units. Oh, the humanity.

    September 24, 2014 at 2:13 pm #815525
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    andyp

    If you don’t have a shower,
    If you don’t have a shower, its not a problem. Baby wipes can shift meconium (if you don’t know, don’t google image it if you’re eating soon)…so they shouldn’t have a problem with sweat 🙂

    we *do* have showers at work, but a mystery colleague appears to take an electric fan, some glue and a small bucket full of pubes into the shower with him each day (seriously, how do you get them to stick to a wall over 2m off the floor??); and either he or some other chap decorates the cubicle walls with snot rockets.

    I’ll stick with the wipes in one of the traps.

    September 23, 2014 at 11:34 pm #815523
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    MaxP

    4 miles! Is that your total
    4 miles! Is that your total distance?
    Depending on the job clothes (suit/overalls,uniform) you could pack them in a bag,leave a set at work to change into.

    Depends on your body and fitness as well. Some people sweat alot so they may need a shower, some may need just a quick wash and deodorant.

    If you notice hushed tones when you walk into a room or people move away from you, you may need a full shower.

    September 23, 2014 at 9:45 pm #815521
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    gazza_d

    You don’t need a shower.
    17
    You don’t need a shower.

    17 mile commute, with the last 5 mile mostly a steady climb. I cycle in lycra as I tend to hammer along at a brisk pace (for me).

    Get to work, make a coffee & check emails whilst I cool down slightly.
    Quickly get changed in the bog, wiping with cheap fragrance free baby wipes & hit the deodorant , before pulling on a clean shirt & duds. Never had a problem.

    I would fall out of bed straight onto the bike, but I have to get the missus up & empty the dog before leaving.

    I still hit the ground more alert than the people that have driven in though.

    September 23, 2014 at 9:45 pm #815519
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    matthewn5

    I ride 2 1/2 miles to work
    I ride 2 1/2 miles to work every day in work clothes. It’s downhill mostly on the way there, that said I usually push the last mile and a half which is flat just for the fun of it. The trick is not to tuck your shirt in on the way in, so it doesn’t get crumpled, and not to ride too hard.

    On the way home it’s uphill and I go as hard and fast as I can sometimes taking a longer route just for the joy of riding. It doesn’t matter on the way home since the shirt goes in the wash and the trousers on the hanger as soon as I’m inside the door.

    But really, if you ride to work the full 9 1/2 miles without pushing it you should be able to do 12-14mph which is about 45 minutes, not an hour, and that’s not even pushing it. Over the winter months you won’t tend to work up a sweat anyway when its colder. You’ll get to enjoy the uphill on the way home as the best gym workout you can get, and it shouldn’t take more than about 35 minutes if you hammer.

    September 23, 2014 at 9:01 pm #815517
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    arfa

    “If anyone wants to rustle up
    “If anyone wants to rustle up interest in their company’s C2C scheme, email the above to all employees and stick a copy on the notice board too. Bloody brilliant. =D>[/quote]

    I thank you sir, this routine has sort of kept me going for the last 20 years !

    September 23, 2014 at 8:47 pm #815515
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    Him Up North

    arfa wrote:Set the alarm for

    arfa wrote:
    Set the alarm for 6am.
    Fall out of bed, curse, grumble them curse again. Pick up bag, throw on cycling gear, throw leg over bike and head out. Start to feel better as you get moving and the blood flows through your body. Find your rythym, start to think about things you have to solve in the working day. Before you know it, you’ve arrived.
    Park up bike, jump in shower scrub up and hit desk at 7am feeling awake, sharp and ready. Listen to your colleagues whining about how crap their commute was through the day and start to look forward to your journey home.
    Cycle home at your own pace, in the happy knowledge it has cost you as close to zero as possible. Repeat at your leisure.

    If anyone wants to rustle up interest in their company’s C2C scheme, email the above to all employees and stick a copy on the notice board too. Bloody brilliant. =D>

    September 23, 2014 at 7:49 pm #815513
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    Simon E

    I started riding in the
    I started riding in the spring and didn’t think I’d want to ride in winter but I couldn’t give it up and go back to sitting in a queue in the tin box. When it was 5 miles I rode in t-shirt and cotton shorts or Ron Hill tracksters but not my work clothes. It’s further now so I wear lycra and a brief sink wash is fine. As Chuck says, there’s a whole industry trying to persuade us we smell bad solely to sell more toiletries.

    Why not do it once a week in good weather? Shower and get your kit ready the night before, you can be out of the door in 10mins. Don’t eat beforehand, nibble some dried apricots or a cereal bar mid-ride if you feel the need.

    For 9 riding miles some non-flappy cycling clothing will be more comfortable and help you slice through the fresh morning air more easily. Once you’re hooked you’ll be timing yourself each day 😉

    September 23, 2014 at 7:38 pm #815511
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    arfa

    You have a shower there so
    You have a shower there so that is a big plus.
    Leave shoes, trousers/overwear/jacket etc permanently at work along with towel/shower/shaving/hygiene kit.
    Pack your socks, kecks & clean shirt in small back pack the night before.
    Set the alarm for 6am.
    Fall out of bed, curse, grumble them curse again. Pick up bag, throw on cycling gear, throw leg over bike and head out. Start to feel better as you get moving and the blood flows through your body. Find your rythym, start to think about things you have to solve in the working day. Before you know it, you’ve arrived.
    Park up bike, jump in shower scrub up and hit desk at 7am feeling awake, sharp and ready. Listen to your colleagues whining about how crape their commute was through the day and start to look forward to your journey home.
    Cycle home at your own pace, in the happy knowledge it has cost you as close to zero as possible. Repeat at your leisure.
    Pretty much how it is for me, mainly because I have a shower at work and really do not like the morning starts.
    Good luck.

    September 23, 2014 at 3:54 pm #815509
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    glynr36

    I guess what you can do
    I guess what you can do depends a lot on your employer.
    Mine provides secure bike storage, so I leave my lock here.
    I have a locker, so get the train on a Monday and bring all my clothes for the week. Showers here as well.
    Laptop and paper work stay in the desk (I don’t get paid enough to work outside my hours!), so all I need to cycle with each day is a musette with my lunch in.

    Only a 5 mile commute, but I’d hate to do it in my work clothes.

    September 23, 2014 at 3:44 pm #815507
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    Chris James

    We don’t have a shower at my
    We don’t have a shower at my work, so I cycle in wearing work clothes. Just take it steady, particularly the last section of the commute (to allow you to cool down) and wear minimal clothing.

    I do 10 miles a day, but with about 300m height gain it is a fairly tough 10 miles.

    September 23, 2014 at 3:34 pm #815505
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    MuddyGoose

    I do a car/bike commute. Due
    I do a car/bike commute. Due to the overall distance being 55 miles I’ve never gone the whole way (yet). I ride the last x miles depending on how far I fancy, weather, etc. I’m lucky work has showers though so I shower at work. Taking the place of the shower I would have had at home so no time lost.

    I carry each day’s clothes in a rucksack (just my preference) and leave a pair of shoes at work so I don’t need to carry them. Then I ride in my bike gear and go fast. Also if I get wet it doesn’t matter as my fresh clothes are in a dry bag.

    Longest bike section of my commute so far was a 25 mile each way, which I’ve done a few times now. I have several options for parking the car, mostly on the road outside a village church/hall.

    September 23, 2014 at 3:30 pm #815503
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    farrell

    bfslxo wrote:& does it all

    bfslxo wrote:
    & does it all year round no matter what the weather (except ice/snow)

    That’s where a mountain bike comes in handy. Get the knobbly tyres out and ride in to work and bask in smug glory as the drivers of 4x4s who have spent more on one tyre than your entire bike get stuck in the snow and can’t make it in.

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