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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 23, 2014 at 2:53 pm #815501
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    farrell

    Six and half miles each way,
    Six and half miles each way, although coming home is usually a little longer, or faster, or both.

    If it’s dry then I’ll just wear my jeans and a jersey then put on a shirt when I get to work. I’ve got a towel, wet wipes and deodorant at work and I usually leave a weeks worth of shirts once a week.

    When the rain starts coming down again, I’ll move back to lycra, purely because it dries quicker.

    I always leave spare undercrackers and socks in my desk. There’s nowt worse than having to sit round in damp trollies for a working day.

    September 23, 2014 at 2:43 pm #815499
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    bfslxo

    i cycle 6 mile each way all
    i cycle 6 mile each way all year round & wear cycle clothes for it. I changed to a single speed 2 years back to add interest as it was so short :O & also have a ‘whore’s bath’ – never heard that expression, brillant :))
    you would get used to 9 mile very very quickly & be loving it before no time.
    It teaches you a lot about cycling generally as well as really loving any dry day no matter what season.
    My buddy works shifts incl 5am starts & 1am finishes rotating every third week. he lives 15 miles away & does it all year round no matter what the weather (except ice/snow) he says it’s a bit of a punch to the face during the hard winter but by fek he’s a machine on the sunday runs due to it.
    As the ad says ‘just do it’ the whole way you will not regret it

    September 23, 2014 at 1:28 pm #815497
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    Chuck

    Contrary to (apparently)
    Contrary to (apparently) popular belief, you can get a bit of a sweat on in the mornings over a few miles without stinking out the whole office if you don’t have a shower. I think a lot of people massively overestimate how much of a smelly mess they’ll be- the deodorant industry to thank maybe?

    A bigger caveat for me is comfort when I’m riding, and wearing holes in my trousers! So I do get changed even though I only do a short commute, but it’s not really because of being cleaner at the end. Also I don’t have to wear a suit so it’s not really much hassle to shove a T-shirt and pair of trousers in my rucksack.

    September 23, 2014 at 1:00 pm #815495
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    stampz

    Luckily its pretty traffic
    Luckily its pretty traffic free….not sure if it means anything to anyone but..

    Leamington to Coventry via Stoneleigh.

    September 23, 2014 at 12:45 pm #815493
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    notfastenough

    I think your routine and prep
    I think your routine and prep is key here – 30 minutes at each end of the journey needs to shrink a bit, and as you get quicker you’ll be able to cover the 9.5 miles more quickly. If your cycling kit (plus change of clothes, towel etc) is ready to go, you could probably fall out of bed at 5:45, out the door before 6, get there by 6:45, shower and change in 15 minutes.

    Also, how much of the driven portion is spent in traffic? You may find that the whole journey on the bike is quicker than by car.

    September 23, 2014 at 12:31 pm #815491
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    bamilton wackademical

    I might not be the most
    I might not be the most cost-effective way of doing things – but I got a Carradice Camper Long Flap and their SQR system to avoid having to use a rucksack and it makes my journey a lot more comfortable. Panniers would be another option depending on the bike.

    September 23, 2014 at 12:24 pm #815489
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    IngloriousLou

    I should add that I shuttle
    I should add that I shuttle my work clothes in on a Monday, home on a Friday. I take enough for the week in my rucksack and then enjoy 8 rucksack free commutes until it’s time to lug it all home again.

    September 23, 2014 at 12:13 pm #815487
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    parksey

    I do a mere 5 mile round trip
    I do a mere 5 mile round trip most days of the week, but with one or two 17 mile trips thrown in depending on childcare arrangements.

    Cycling kit is the way forward for me, mainly just cheap Decathlon/Aldi tops and bibs. I agree that the tops particularly can start to hum after just 2 or 3 days, but when they’re a fiver each I can happily buy 5 and wear a clean one every day!

    I did start out cycling in my work shirts and trousers, but they were just too restrictive to be comfortable, especially on a road bike. If you ride a hybrid or more relaxed style of bike, that’ll be less of an issue.

    September 23, 2014 at 12:12 pm #815485
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    bamilton wackademical

    Do the whole commute by bike
    Do the whole commute by bike I say. I reckon if you start driving part of the way and cycling the rest, you’ll end up just wishing you’d cycled the whole way anyway. Once you get into it you’ll start saving minutes here and there. There’s no reason you can’t leave the house for 6am and still be at your desk for 7am. If you take clean clothes with you, at least you won’t be a sweaty and potentially soaking and oily mess when you get there.

    I do about 8 miles each way to work. I leave the house at 8am and get to the office for about 8:40 once the bike is all locked up. That gives me more than enough time to have a shower, change and make a cup of tea before sitting at my desk for 9am. On top of that, my journey includes the joy of riding up through Camberwell, Oval and Westminster at rush hour. If you’re cycling before 7am the roads will be much clearer for you – and you’ll feel wide awake by the time you get there.

    September 23, 2014 at 12:07 pm #815483
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    IngloriousLou

    Whore’s bath!
    Haven’t heard
    Whore’s bath!
    Haven’t heard that in years, love it 🙂

    September 23, 2014 at 12:04 pm #815481
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    bigshape

    I do a 12 mile each way
    I do a 12 mile each way commute in full spandex and have a quick ‘whore’s bath’ in the bogs with some of that muck-off dry shower stuff (we don’t have showers…)
    getting changed isn’t really a big deal.

    I try to go slower on the way in, then push a bit harder on the way home…

    September 23, 2014 at 11:58 am #815479
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    IngloriousLou

    Merino polo shirt, baggy
    Merino polo shirt, baggy shorts and padded undershorts work for me. I do about 15miles a day at a decent pace.

    I used to commute in standard nylon kit, the same stuff I’d wear on a sunday club ride or for racing but any level of effort and the nylon kit reeks of sweat.

    Merino kit doesn’t get smelly and I wear my kit for 2 days before getting fresh stuff out of the drawer.

    September 23, 2014 at 11:52 am #815477
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    oozaveared

    Al__S wrote:If you want to

    Al__S wrote:
    If you want to commute in work clothes and not sweat then I can suggest perhaps cycling more slowly? Don’t treat it like it’s a race.

    Absolutely. I’m someone that always tries to push it a little on the bike. Old habits but I am trying to just cycle it not race it. But that is the key.

    September 23, 2014 at 11:30 am #815475
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    Wookie

    I start at 07:00 finish at
    I start at 07:00 finish at 19:00 and ride 14 Miles each way.
    Get on the bike and just do it B-)

    September 23, 2014 at 11:28 am #815473
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    bigshape

    get an e-bike?
    also, steep
    get an e-bike? =))

    also, steep climbs on the way back isn’t a big deal is it?
    you can just roll down them on your way in.
    there shouldn’t be any sweat generated by braking…

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