Reluctant yuppie riding to work

[culveric]

hey all
just got a fixed gear that i've been riding to commute to work in dc. as the weather gets nicer, i'd like to take some roundabout rides on the way home to get some extra exercise. problem is, i'm sweating in my yuppie work clothes. there's a gym in my office so changing at work shouldn't be a problem, but i'm wondering if anyone has any ideas for keeping my clothes from getting wrinkly so i don't have to wash/iron them. for example, any bags that work great? or fold around a piece of cardboard or something? anything will help. thanks!

ps (i'm talking dress shirt and pants-not a suit)

[wahoonc]

hey all
just got a fixed gear that i've been riding to commute to work in dc. as the weather gets nicer, i'd like to take some roundabout rides on the way home to get some extra exercise. problem is, i'm sweating in my yuppie work clothes. there's a gym in my office so changing at work shouldn't be a problem, but i'm wondering if anyone has any ideas for keeping my clothes from getting wrinkly so i don't have to wash/iron them. for example, any bags that work great? or fold around a piece of cardboard or something? anything will help. thanks!

ps (i'm talking dress shirt and pants-not a suit)
Back in the day...I used to use the Eagle Creek Pack-its (http://www.eaglecreek.com/accessories/packing_folders/) with good results.

Aaron:)

[G. Hoffman]

Rolling them up works much better than folding, at least in my experience. But then, I seldom have to deal with dress clothes, as I work in a wood shop.



Gabriel

[bmclaughlin807]

+1 on rolling. I could roll my uniform, and if done with care it would be inspection ready when unrolled and put on.

[Roody]

Welcome to the forum culveric! :)

Well this is the 21st century so I'd be looking at some of those miracle fabrics. Wrinkle resistant shirts are great if you buy the right ones. Consumer Reports had an article in the last month or two. I believe they said Land's End Oxfords were the best, but you can check it in the magazine. I've found Dockers and similar wrinkle resistant pants are fine. Usually the pants are less of a problem than the shirts.

You should learn how to fold clothes properly. You really roll them more than fold them. If you're a rich yuppie, an alternative would be to have your shirts professionally laundered, folded and wrapped. I pack my shirt, pants and underwear in my backpack, but they make panniers that are like garment bags. I'm sure somebody will post about them.

But the real question is, why are you "reluctant"? You're going to have a lot of fun riding to work--I guarantee it!

[culveric]

i should say that i'm glad to be riding to work. reluctant to be a yuppie, but i need to support my biking and golfing habits somehow...

[naisme]

I'll echo the Eagle Creek fold it deal. Use it every day on my commute, keeps the shirts fresh, like the laundry, and pants aren't that creased, it keeps them nice in the Timbuktu bag I use. One of the things I do is carry extra shorts and t-shirts, and just the daily stuff, the underwear fits in a locker at work with body spray etc, belt and dress shoes, that way I just carry the dirty stuff home, some how it makes sense to me to just carry a little at a time then all of it. Just goofy from too much riding.

[bragi]

I have to look semi-decent at work -nice pants and a shirt, sometimes with tie- and I find that simply rolling up my clothes very loosely and using regular paniers works just fine. I don't look at all wrinkly, and I get to avoid the pure hell that is car ownership.

To the OP: if you're carfree, how do you transport your golf clubs?

[deputyjones]

Welcome to the forum culveric! :)

Well this is the 21st century so I'd be looking at some of those miracle fabrics. Wrinkle resistant shirts are great if you buy the right ones. Consumer Reports had an article in the last month or two. I believe they said Land's End Oxfords were the best, but you can check it in the magazine. I've found Dockers and similar wrinkle resistant pants are fine. Usually the pants are less of a problem than the shirts.

You should learn how to fold clothes properly. You really roll them more than fold them. If you're a rich yuppie, an alternative would be to have your shirts professionally laundered, folded and wrapped. I pack my shirt, pants and underwear in my backpack, but they make panniers that are like garment bags. I'm sure somebody will post about them.

But the real question is, why are you "reluctant"? You're going to have a lot of fun riding to work--I guarantee it!

+1 on this. If you get to choose what you wear, unlike those of us who wear uniforms, you can pick out some nice wrinkle resistant stuff. However, for the time being I find just loosely rolling the clothes up works fine. Some people on this board have recommended using pieces of plastic (anything from saran wrap to thin tarp material) or thin foam to roll the clothes around for extra help especially if you have limited space in the bag you are using and have to pack things in tightly.

Here is a link to the Two Wheeled Gear garment bag pannier (http://www.twowheelgear.com/)

Jandd also makes one, but it goes for around $200 :eek:

[kf5nd]

Keep the business clothes at work; bring in fresh shirt, undies, socks on your bike every day. Or better yet, have shirts laundered and delivered to your office, then you only have to bring in socks / undies every day.

[oilfreeandhappy]

Undies, socks and a fresh T-Shirt get changed daily. These items require no special care in the bike bag. I roll my pants - prepare them just as you would to hang them on a hanger, but roll them instead, starting at the cuff. Smooth out any wrinkles. I fold my shirts. This seems to work just fine.

[JeffS]

Plenty of info about this in the commuting forum. Everyone has their own methods. Personally, I keep my clothes to work. I have enough to last me a month or more. I make a trip in by car, pick up all the dirty stuff and get it cleaned, then drop it back off. Small things like socks and underwear can be carried back and forth on occasion to replenish supplies.

I do rewear most pieces since they don't get dirty enough to justify washing after one 8-hour wearing.

[BenyBen]

I remember reading a post a while ago about rolling the clothes you want to keep wrinkle-free into a towel. Makes sense to me.

[PaulH]

Don't ride so hard. Just take it easy, the way the folks in Amsterdam and Beijing do. Try to ride at a speed where you son't sweat any more than if you were walking.

Paul

[lima_bean]

my friend folds his suit in half over a piece of like cardboard or plastic or something, and puts it in his pannier, then changes when he gets to work. Also sometimes he just wears his suit to work and takes it slow.

[fat_bike_nut]

I know it's been stated twice already, but as a third endorsement, I do it by using Eagle Creek Pack-It folders.

[knucklesandwich]

I keep my work shoes at my desk, 3-4 shirts and 2 pairs of pants in my gym locker, and carry socks and underwear in my bag each day. When I need to replenish the clothes, I'll bring them home and bring in new ones rolled up, never more than one 'outfit' at a time. Then, hang the clothes on a hanger and put them near the showers while you wash up- the steam irons them out a bit.

[recursive]

Rolling is the key. Clothes and bikes.

[makeinu]

If you look around you'll find some battery operated cordless irons (there are also cordless irons without a battery that simply detach from the cord after heating...you don't want one of these).

Maybe you could charge one of these at your desk and then stick it in your gym locker before you go home so it is all charged up for the next morning? You can even get a mini ironing board.

[uspspro]

Don't ride so hard. Just take it easy, the way the folks in Amsterdam and Beijing do. Try to ride at a speed where you son't sweat any more than if you were walking.

Paul

But it's fun to go fast :D