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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 11:24 am #815471
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    Beatnik69

    I commute 8.5 miles by bike.
    I commute 8.5 miles by bike. I shower before I leave the house and ride reasonably hard (average speed is between 10 and 14 mph but that includes quite a few traffic light stops). I wear cycling clothes and when I get to work have a small towel in my bag to dry off then spray on some anti-perspirant. I have had no problems with body odour over the warm summer. If you fit panniers on the bike you won’t even have to worry about getting a sweaty back from a backpack.

    September 23, 2014 at 11:24 am #815469
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    Joeinpoole

    The difference in time
    The difference in time between cycling the entire journey and part/car/bike can only be about 15-20 mins. Without using the car you’ll also be saving about another £10 per week too as cars are at their least fuel efficient when cold and on short journeys.

    Personally I’d regard a 9.5 mile e/w commute on the bike as the perfect distance. You’ll certainly get very fit and may well speed up quite a bit too.

    Why not try it for a week or so (while the weather’s still fine) and sees how you get on?

    Btw, my father cycled 7 miles e/w to work in his suit for almost his entire working life until he finally learned to drive at the age of 55. He had his suits made-to-measure at Burton’s with double-seat trousers to increase their longevity. Cycling in your work clothes was not unusual in the 70’s (as indeed it still is in Denmark/Holland today). ‘Cycling-specific clothing’ for the non-professional rider is actually quite a recent phenomena.

    September 23, 2014 at 11:20 am #815467
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    adamtaylor

    It should be fine if you take
    It should be fine if you take it easy. If you don’t want to take it quite so easy just take a change of top and some deodorant. If you wait 5/10 minutes after you arrive to change you should have cooled down sufficiently.

    Alternatively, build up to cycling the whole route and embrace the lycra.

    September 23, 2014 at 11:15 am #815465
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    Shades

    I do a bit of cycling in work
    I do a bit of cycling in work clothes; normally when I’m in smart/casual mode, although I have ridden in a suit. Often it’s when I’m away from my normal place of work and haven’t got the usual cycle facilities. Keeping the speed down is the key, which isn’t that easy to do when you want to go with the traffic flow (safer). The other thing I do is to try and start the ride feeling slightly cold (depends on the weather) and leave off any jackets, jumpers etc, assuming I’ll warm up during the ride. Allowing a few minutes to cool off outside is also a good move which saves walking inside and breaking into a sweat. More technical fibres work better than cotton as well. I have a pair of smart(ish) Rohan trousers that got soaked from the thigh down in a cloudburst. 10 min walking around indoors and they were as dry as a bone. When I cycled in a suit I thought it’d be a disaster but it turned out to be no problem at all. It’s not hard to look smart where I work given how scruffy some people look, and they drive!

    September 23, 2014 at 11:11 am #815463
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    Shades

    I do a bit of cycling in work
    I do a bit of cycling in work clothes; normally when I’m in smart/casual mode, although I have ridden in a suit. Often it’s when I’m away from my normal place of work and haven’t got the usual cycle facilities. Keeping the speed down is the key, which isn’t that easy to do when you want to go with the traffic flow (safer). The other thing I do is to try and start the ride feeling slightly cold (depends on the weather) and leave off any jackets, jumpers etc, assuming I’ll warm up during the ride. Allowing a few minutes to cool off outside is also a good move which saves walking inside and breaking into a sweat. More technical fibres work better than cotton as well. I have a pair of smart(ish) Rohan trousers that got soaked from the thigh down in a cloudburst. 10 min walking around indoors and they were as dry as a bone. When I cycled in a suit I thought it’d be a disaster but it turned out to be no problem at all. It’s not hard to look smart where I work given how scruffy some people look, and they drive!

    September 23, 2014 at 10:20 am #815461
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    stampz

    mrmo wrote:I commute 16 each

    mrmo wrote:
    I commute 16 each way 4 days a week, inconvenience of showering at work? Wrong, it means you can fall out of bed into cycling kit, ride and eat, and by the time you get to work you are about conscience enough to risk having a shower.

    Curious as to why only 4miles? I would almost say it is hardly worth it? Unless you are intending to gently build the distance, please don’t take this as dismissive, but unless the drive is a long one, and I do know someone who used to drive 15miles then ride the remaining 15, 30 being a bit too much! 4 miles doesn’t really sound like much if you are using a car as well?

    The main reason for cycling at the moment is to stop parking cost, I work in the city centre and cannot park at the office, parking at the moment is costing me £12.50 a week…so this is a way to get rid of that cost.

    I work from 7am in the morning, and my full commute would be 9.5 miles (55mins) according to Google on the bike, and there are a couple of steep climbs on the way back regardless of which way I go.

    It may be lazy but I don’t fancy having to get up at 5am, to leave the house by half past to ensure I am at the office for 6:30 to have a shower and be ready for 7… 🙁

    We have an office half way between my house and work, which I am able to leave the car at daily…hence the 4 miles….obviously 4 miles from point to point is the shortest route, if I have more time one morning or fancy a longer ride after work I am sure I can find diversions…

    September 23, 2014 at 10:10 am #815459
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    Nixster

    For 20 minutes cycling you’re
    For 20 minutes cycling you’re going to spend more time getting changed etc. than on the bike. So it doesn’t make a lot of sense to wear cycling gear.

    Either cycle more of the journey (all of it?) or cycle the shorter version in work clothes, gently.

    I cycle in occasionally, to get the miles done in an effort to get to 100 miles/week, just under an hour each way (not going gently). The hassle with taking in clothes, shoes, working out if I can leave my laptop etc. etc. etc. is only just worth it.

    September 23, 2014 at 10:06 am #815457
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    mrmo

    I commute 16 each way 4 days
    I commute 16 each way 4 days a week, inconvenience of showering at work? Wrong, it means you can fall out of bed into cycling kit, ride and eat, and by the time you get to work you are about conscience enough to risk having a shower.

    Curious as to why only 4miles? I would almost say it is hardly worth it? Unless you are intending to gently build the distance, please don’t take this as dismissive, but unless the drive is a long one, and I do know someone who used to drive 15miles then ride the remaining 15, 30 being a bit too much! 4 miles doesn’t really sound like much if you are using a car as well?

    September 23, 2014 at 9:59 am #815455
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    glynr36

    Cycle all of the journey
    Cycle all of the journey then?
    Means you dont sit in the car in cycling kit then.

    September 23, 2014 at 9:57 am #815453
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    Al__S

    If you want to commute in
    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.

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