Commuting - Your Commuting Procedure

So I'm a roadie, I put a lot of miles on my bike each week without riding to and from work. I guess I should consider myself lucky because we have showers at work. My trip will be about 6 miles each way. Do most of you wear a kit then shower(if you have one) and change? Just wear the clothes your working going to work in (this can depend alot on work environment)? My office is very casual. My plan was to wear a kit over see how nasty I am and maybe shower and obviously change. Then on the way out change back into the same kit and ride home... Is anyone else out there doing that? I certainly don't want to smell all day at work.

I think it depends on the weather an how hard you want to ride to/from work. As long as it's not too hot and you don't push yourself too much you could probably just wear your regular clothes. If you like riding fast and/or have to deal with warm weather then shower/change when you get to work.

Personally I bring clothes with me and change. I change back into cycling clothes for the ride home. Others don't like that approach. It's really up to you.

I have an 8 mile commute each way. I carry my work clothes in a pannier, ride hard into work, and then shower and get dressed at work. Going home I usually wear my work clothes, and ride at a more leisurely pace. If it is really hot, then I change back into the morning garb, and shower again when I get home.

I've always worn something other than my work clothes and changed at work. If a shower is available, I'll use it, otherwise I just shower before I leave and clean up in a sink. I wear the same clothes I rode in on back home, unless conditions have changed and I have to add/shed a few things.

My trip will be about 6 miles each way. Do most of you wear a kit then shower(if you have one) and change?

Kit to work, shower (takes like 10 minutes) and change of clothes in backpack. Let kit and towel dry out during work. Kit home. Allows you to ride fast if you want.

Also, you smell after 7 miles; gotta shower

Are you on a bus route and do the buses have bike racks?
My commute is about 13 miles with lots of hills and I have no shower at work. I ride only 1.5 miles to the bus stop and toss the bike on for the ride in, get off work after the bus stops running and ride home.

I've always worn something other than my work clothes and changed at work. If a shower is available, I'll use it, otherwise I just shower before I leave and clean up in a sink. I wear the same clothes I rode in on back home, unless conditions have changed and I have to add/shed a few things.
This is exactly the same for me. Usually the shower is not available. A package of unscented baby wipes kept at my work area is sufficient to clean up.

I wear cycling shorts and jerseys (kit) for my commute, which is about 22-23 miles round trip. I live in the Southeast, and my work clothes would be soaked in sweat if I tried to ride in them -- plus it wouldn't be very comfortable. I have a large seatbag on my bike and carry lunch, tools, phone, etc in it. I leave a supply of clothes, shoes, towels, bathroom supplies in my office and replenish on days that I drive. We have showers at work, so I shower and change as soon as I get to work. My cycling clothes are dry by the time I am ready to leave in the afternoon. I usually drive about once a week due to weather, meetings, errands, doctor's appts, etc., so it's no problem replenishing supplies -- and that way I don't have to lug piles of clothes, shoes, every day. It's also keeps my load relatively light, so I can ride faster and enjoy it more.

Great tips Guys and Gals, Thanks!

I've only showered at work once. I discovered that they only turn on the water heater when the room is booked for use. It was winter. :eek:

I shower in the morning before leaving home, then change clothes when I get to work. No baby wipes needed. I just take a few minutes to cool down before putting on the clean clothes.

I ride in cycling clothes and carry my work clothes with me. Don't have showers at work so I have to use the baby wipes. I keep them and some deodorant and cologne in my desk drawer. I also bought a pair of shoes I use for work and keep them in my desk drawer also so I don't have to pack them around.
I have two portable filing cabinet/drawers that go under the desk in my gopher hole. I bought some of those 3M stick any where hooks and stuck them on the side of one of them to hang my clothes on to dry. Works great and they are out of my way while I work.

I wear either a suit and tie or slacks and sport jacket. In the summer, I roll the coat or jacket, put it in the pannier, and ride in my shirtsleeves. I'm vastly cooler than all the people I see walking in the heat, carrying their suit jackets.

Paul

My commute is a little over 20 miles - There's no practical way to bike that w/o sweating, so it's a kit for me. I carry my work clothing in a pannier & shower before the ride, Change in the bathroom (Clean off with baby wipes). I leave my belt & shoes in my office so all I am transporting is a pair of pants, a shirt, T-shirt underwear, socks and my lunch.

Luckily I have a private enough work space to house my bike, which I use as a clothesline to hang my kit on. When I go home I re-use my kit, except for my head bandanna. That I use a fresh one for every ride, because of a bad experience with a breakout on my forehead that I am convinced was caused by re-using dirty clothing.

When I get home the kit is soaked in sweat again, so everything goes in the wash & gets line dried. The jersey will dry our overnight and be available for the next day. The shorts take a little longer b/c of the chamois, so I rotate a second pair of shorts e/o day. (Today my "Good" shorts are at home drying).

If I could change my setup it would be to have enough clothing to not have to re-use anything. I'd like to have extra pairs of gloves so that it would be practical to wash them more often (They take longer to dry just as shorts do & I currently only have one pair). Also, if I were made of money I would like to own four complete kits so that I could wear one in the morning, a different kit in the afternoon, and have two dry kits waiting for me at home to use the next day. That may have to wait though as fall is right around the corner and I need to start thinking about cool weather apparel.

03:45 - alarm goes off. Get up, put on shorts and t-shirt, take dog outside.
04:00 - back inside with dog, make coffee for wife, find something to call lunch.
04:15 - figure out which kit doesn't smell too bad. Pack food into pannier.
04:30 - fart around on the computer and read my comics.
04:40 - put on kit (rain gear if needed), set up bike.
04:45 - food/water for dog. Scare wife with kiss goodbye (every morning, scares the hell out of her, you'd think she'd be used to it by now, but she half wakes up with a start and then falls right back asleep.)
04:50 - Out the door
05:55 --> 06:00 Arrive at work. Turn on all the lights, prop bike in empty cubicle.
06:05 - Start coffee maker
06:10 - Shower
06:25 - Clock in, drape clothes over bike to dry, start my shift.
15:00 - Clock out, change back into kit.
15:10 - Out the door
16:35 - Arrive home.

03:45 - alarm goes off. Get up, put on shorts and t-shirt, take dog outside.
04:00 - back inside with dog, make coffee for wife, find something to call lunch.
04:15 - figure out which kit doesn't smell too bad. Pack food into pannier.
04:30 - fart around on the computer and read my comics.
04:40 - put on kit (rain gear if needed), set up bike.
04:45 - food/water for dog. Scare wife with kiss goodbye (every morning, scares the hell out of her, you'd think she'd be used to it by now, but she half wakes up with a start and then falls right back asleep.)
04:50 - Out the door
05:55 --> 06:00 Arrive at work. Turn on all the lights, prop bike in empty cubicle.
06:05 - Start coffee maker
06:10 - Shower
06:25 - Clock in, drape clothes over bike to dry, start my shift.
15:00 - Clock out, change back into kit.
15:10 - Out the door
16:35 - Arrive home.

This would be really cool as a stop motion, picture (from your perspective) every couple minutes, except for the work part.

So I basically decided its a kit to work, shower if needed, change, work, change back into kit, ride home.

I'm only doing this a couple days a week for now, because I do training rides in various locations that I absolutely have to drive too, and I need to leave right from work. So it will really just be some experimenting.

I wear work clothes for the 12 mile ride in. Keep deodorant at work; spray it wherever needed. Pack a pair of shorts for the ride home.

I've only showered at work once. I discovered that they only turn on the water heater when the room is booked for use. It was winter. :eek:

I shower in the morning before leaving home, then change clothes when I get to work. No baby wipes needed. I just take a few minutes to cool down before putting on the clean clothes.

[Old man voice] You should be so lucky to even have a shower! I'd bike in every day, summer or winter, and have to take a sink bath in the public restroom. No hot water for us, either. [/Old man voice]

Luckily, we do at least have a patio, so I can lock up my bike on the patio rather than leaving it on NYC streets, and I brought in a cheap drying rack to dry my kit after I give it a good rinse in the sink. Camp towels from REI are fantastic. Invest in a couple!

Kit to work, shower (takes like 10 minutes) and change of clothes in backpack. Let kit and towel dry out during work. Kit home. Allows you to ride fast if you want.

Also, you smell after 7 miles; gotta shower

+1, this is what I do. Sometimes I use a seatpost rack/trunk bag to transport my work clothes. I used to store several days worth of clothes in an unlocked locker in our onsite gym. We have a policy that does not allow us to actually "lock" our locker. After my towel and clothes were tampered with during one weekend, I have stopped storing my clothes at work. Now I bring them with me when I commute. It's a big PIA, but schlepping my work clothes and towel still beats driving to work!

I wear cycling shorts and jersey and keep a stash of 2 pants, 4-5 shirts, 2 pair of shoes, and a towel at work. I carry underwear back and forth and my iPad and periodically swap a shirt, pants or towel as needed. I start off with a shower before I leave home. When I get to work, I cool down and towel off, splash up a little in the sink and change clothes. I hang the shorts and jersey on my bike to dry and wear them home. (Bike is stored inside)

If you're a roadie, the hard part will be taking it easy on the way in. Its fairly warm and dry here (81 in the morning, ~30% humidity) and I can get to work with very minimal sweat if I just don't push myself. I enjoy going fast, so sometimes its hard to resist. So far this year, I've commuted in one of the hottest areas of the country through one of the hottest summers on record and I've done it without showers at work. No, I don't stink. I have coworkers that would tell me if I did with much pleasure. My commute is 10mi each way.

My company just moved to new offices and we actually have a shower here! Very nice. I currently drive partway and then bike. While my bike commute is only about 7 miles there is a 500 foot elevation climb in the middle. Unfortunately I tend to sweat a lot when exercising and I tend to try to beat my last time every commute so I arrive at the office pretty damp.

I wear bike shorts/shirt and carry clothes and towel in a backpack. I'm planning on maybe driving and bringing a change of clothes for the week one day so I don't have to carry the backpack.

I hang the bike gear up to dry in the lockers if one is available and use it for the trip home.

When I get home the kit is soaked in sweat again, so everything goes in the wash & gets line dried. The jersey will dry our overnight and be available for the next day. The shorts take a little longer b/c of the chamois, so I rotate a second pair of shorts e/o day. (Today my "Good" shorts are at home drying).

If I could change my setup it would be to have enough clothing to not have to re-use anything. I'd like to have extra pairs of gloves so that it would be practical to wash them more often (They take longer to dry just as shorts do & I currently only have one pair). Also, if I were made of money I would like to own four complete kits so that I could wear one in the morning, a different kit in the afternoon, and have two dry kits waiting for me at home to use the next day. That may have to wait though as fall is right around the corner and I need to start thinking about cool weather apparel.

Check geartrade.com for shorts. They have alot of returns from backcountry/realcyclist.com/bonktown.com where people try it on and don't like it. Perfectly good shorts and jerseys at perfectly great prices.. Good price.

~4.5 miles each way, no (convenient) shower at work:

There:
-Ride in businesscasual pants and a T-shirt
-splash up at the sink, sit around for ~30 minutes in a t-shirt (while working)
-put on my dress shirt or polo

Back:
-change into shorts
-shower when i get home

On Mondays I use a racked bike and load the panniers with work clothes and food for the week (and library books). On Thursdays I use a racked bike and panniers to haul home the laundry (and more library books). On Tuesdays and Wednesdays I can ride any bike I want. (Rode my crit bike today.)

Every day I start with a fresh shower and clean kit. I have enough commuting kit for each season (summer, winter and the 'tween seasons) for a week-and-a-half

At work, if required (usually in the three-seasons, not often in the winter), I take a birdbath in the men's room sink before changing and starting work.

I'm fortunate enough to have showers at work, so that really helps as my commute is 35 miles RT. I sometimes need my car at work during the week, and I don't always know when that will happen. So, I load up the car with my bike and clean clothes on Monday morning, and drive in to work. I'll then leave the car there until Friday, and pack up the bike and my dirty clothes for the trip home in the car. During the week, I'll then ride the commuter bike, loaded up with just my lunch and tools in a trunk bag.

When my commute was 7 miles, I wore cycling shorts and non-cotton t-shirts. Usually I could get them dry by the end of the day. A sink bath was my only option then. As for jerseys, I didn't need pockets, and the daily washing was hard on jerseys.

Now my commute is <2 miles so I wear street clothes to/from work and go slow enough to keep sweat to a minimum. That's barely possible even at 2 miles in this heat.

I'm fortunate to have work supplied & cleaned uniforms, so work clothes stay at work. I just transport socks & undershirt, while shoes and a belt stay at work. That works great except when I forget my socks :o

My objective, in addition or parallel to exercising, is to minimize commute time, so i ride hard. In summer weather, I wear only gaunch, bike shorts, mini sox and road shoes. I put on a shirt as I get into work and change into trousers and work shoes after I go inside. On the way home, reverse the procedure.

Some type of dry fit shirt with shorts for the commute (both ways). I bundle pack ironed undershirt, socks, ironed shirt, and slacks into a backpack. The bundle packing keeps my clothes from getting wrinkled. I keep my shoes and belt at work. My ride is 14 miles each way so on hot and humid days I am soaking wet by the time I get to work. There is no shower so I usually dry out in my commuting clothes at my desk. This usually takes 10 – 15 mins. Once dry I change into the work clothes. So far this system works the best for me.

My work has showers. My commute used to be 12 miles each way and I always wore bike clothes and showered at work. My commute recently changed to less than one mile each way (my company has several locations in the area). I always shower at home now and were my street clothes, unless I'm going to the company gym in the morning.

Paul

My commute is approx. 34 miles RT and fortunately for my coworker’s environment, there is a shower available for my use. I ride in using cycling shorts and jersey. I usually use one pannier to carry in work clothes and lunch. Like others have mentioned, I have a pair of shoes, towel and other sundries that stay at the office and replaced on days I drive in. Except for today, I managed to take my work shoes home last Friday and forgot them this morning, so I wore my cycling sandals around the office. Once at the office, park and lock the bike, squeeze out the head band and place it on the rack to dry, place gloves on brake hoods to dry, shower, change into the work clothes, rinse out smelly parts of jersey and hang to dry in the shower area. Reverse procedure for ride home.
In the summer the work shower is great for cooling down. In the winter it's great for warming up.

This year I've been lazy and mostly taken the short 1.5mi route to work, so I just wear work clothes, plus enough layers for the weather if it's cold and/or raining/snowing. "Work clothes" consists of denim shorts and a black shirt, since I'm a bicycle mechanic. I work in a basement by myself, so getting a little sweaty is no harm, no foul... anyone who gets close enough to smell me needs to get outta my bubble :D

If I were taking a longer route, like 15-20 miles on the way in, it's time for the bike shorts at a minimum, which I can hang in front of a fan in a storage area so they're dry for the ride home.

I wear regular human clothes 98% of the time. 3.5 miles to work, 5.5 miles to the girlfriend, and 3 miles to school. I might wear synthetic clothing if it's pouring rain on a hot day. I generally ride at whatever speed accompanies minimal sweating.

I think it depends on the weather an how hard you want to ride to/from work. As long as it's not too hot and you don't push yourself too much you could probably just wear your regular clothes. If you like riding fast and/or have to deal with warm weather then shower/change when you get to work.

Personally I bring clothes with me and change. I change back into cycling clothes for the ride home. Others don't like that approach. It's really up to you.
This.

I used to have a 4 mile commute; I always wore cycling clothes and showered/changed at work. Rode same kit home in the evening. I could have showered at home, ride slower, and do a quick washcloth/towel job instead, but I found it much simpler to pack clothes the night before (roll, not fold) and use the showers @ work. I was able to leave towel, toiletries, belt, shoes, etc. at work so I have less to carry most days. 3-4 miles is about my limit for riding in street clothes; also depends on weather and what you wear at work.

My current commute is 11-12 miles; with DC summers, trick is ensuring my kit dries out during the day. I keep spare shorts & jersey at work just in case.

Well I did it today.

Took a route to avoid some busy roads was just over 8.5 miles and did it in 25 minutes, was slightly sweaty so i just took a shower. All said and done from my door to cleaned and at my desk was about 40 minutes.

My commute is 11 miles one way. I wake up around 6:15, put on bike clothes and pack my pannier with shaving kit, work clothes, shoes, blackberry, wallet, keys, etc. I leave the house between 6:30-6:45. When I get to work, I lock my bike in the parking garage at the gym where I shower and change. Then I mosey over to a local restaurant for breakfast. I'm in the office by 8:30. I hang my shirt and shorts in my office to dry during the day. I clock out at 5, change back into my bike clothes and ride home.

So I'm a roadie, I put a lot of miles on my bike each week without riding to and from work. I guess I should consider myself lucky because we have showers at work. My trip will be about 6 miles each way. Do most of you wear a kit


Yes.



then shower(if you have one)
No. If you're clean before you ride you won't stink. I wouldn't wake up if I didn't shower before leaving and don't feel like three showers a day.



and change?
Yes. I bring the day's clothes in my pannier with laptop, rain clothes for cycling, warm clothes for cycling, etc.



Just wear the clothes your working going to work in (this can depend alot on work environment)?
No. If I ride fast enough to avoid boredom I'll have wet underwear and pants (which will in turn pickup a saddle-shaped dirt mark).

My office is very casual. My plan was to wear a kit over see how nasty I am and maybe shower and obviously change.



Then on the way out change back into the same kit and ride home...
Yup.

04:50 – up with alarm. Take dogs outside.
05:00 – bfast (cereal, juice), make coffee, load panniers w/work clothes (packed night before in plastic bag), lunch, snacks, coffee mug; fill up water bottle; catch some TV news; put on summer-riding gear (cycling jersey, mtb outer shorts over lycra/spandex shorts—all my club/team shorts are worn enough to be see-through and right now I really like wearing the mtb outer shorts, too.)
05:30 – Kiss wife, who’s already grumpy with me for waking her up 40 minutes earlier . . Pet dogs. Out the door.
06:50 – arrive at work, hang bike in our office’s “bike space,” wash up in bathroom sink, change into work clothes, hang cycling gear in office, with box fan on high. Most of it is dry by 9:00 and I can have it stored away by the time other staff start showing up.
07:05 – at my desk and online
16:20 – back into same morning cycling gear and out the door by 16:30
17:45 – arrive home. Dump wet gear in washing machine for later wash, get fresh cycling jersey and undershorts out and ready, hang mtb outer shorts up to dry for the next day’s ride.

In winter these times elongate as it takes longer to get into and out of gear, and I just ride slower.

I have a 12 mile climb up into the mountains to work. I wear bicycle shorts/jersey and bring undies, socks and a t-shirt in my small courier bag. I keep an assortment of pants and shirts along with shoes in my office. I wipe down with rubbing alcohol before putting on my work cloths. I let my bicycle gear dry hanging in my office. I wear the same bicycle gear for the run down the mountain home.
http://rad.smugmug.com/photos/611990699_qPANE-M.jpg

In winter these times elongate as it takes longer to get into and out of gear, and I just ride slower.
I've noticed this as well. My 5 minute clothes changing time jumps to 10 minutes. Also, below 50 degrees I've noticed that with every 10 degree temp drop I lose about 1 mph off my average even though I feel like I'm working even harder.

Below 0 and I'm really slow. My commute time doubles in Jan/Feb versus July/Aug.

I have a 12 mile climb up into the mountains to work. I wear bicycle shorts/jersey and bring undies, socks and a t-shirt in my small courier bag. I keep an assortment of pants and shirts along with shoes in my office. I wipe down with rubbing alcohol before putting on my work cloths. I let my bicycle gear dry hanging in my office. I wear the same bicycle gear for the run down the mountain home.


Lemme guess, work at seagate scotts valley, live in Santa Cruz/Capitola? Did the headquarters transition to Cupertino occur already?

Pack work clothes, lunch, shower and set out bike clothes the night before. In the morning I get up take care of the dogs, make coffee, have a glass of OJ and a muffin, get bike out of garage and load panniers. Ride my 9 mile commute to the office. Park bike, unload panniers and cool down for 5-10 minutes outside. I wash off at the sink in the bathroom and then change into work clothes. I hang bike clothes on hooks in my cubical to dry for the ride home.

I shower at home before I ride 6.5 miles to work in cycling clothes. I wash my face and dry off, then change into work clothes. I don't stink because the shower beforehand eliminated bacteria and my bike clothes are clean at the start of the day.

I take a second shower at home after the ride home. The family often insists.

I'm keeping my hair cut shorter now, which helps. I used to shower at work after riding in, but this was less convenient since the workplace shower is a little out of the way, and not as private.

I shower at night, ride 3 miles to work. It seems flat but it's actually a verrrrrry slight downhill, so if I manage to get out the door on time I don't have to hurry at all and don't sweat. I wear bikeshorts and a bright orange tech tank top to ride, because my keister still hasn't HTFU. I park my bike in the alcove off the ambulance bay where a thief would have to wrestle with our spare gurney, a walker, and 261 wheelchairs to get to it. (And my coworkers, because the nurse's station looks right at it.)

I pack my lunch and scrubs in a backpack, freshen up real fast in the bathroom and change. I've found Arm & Hammer DO to work the best at drying out underarms in a hurry. (I use bulletproof hair gel to keep my mane in a tight bun, so it's never messy after being under a helmet.) There is a shower in the female surgical staff's locker room, but it usually has a janitor cart in it, so I don't think it's ever really used. I hang my shorts inside out to dry on the coat rack in the EMS workroom. Backpack goes under the ER Doc's desk with everyone else's. Grab my safety glasses, trauma shears, get report and I'm ready to get to work.

After my shift I change back, and will usually go different, longer routes home. Especially because in the evening I'm usually battling a 30+ mph headwind if I go the direct route.

My cycle-commuting mantra is: "Don't work in your commuting clothes or commute in your working clothes." How one brings this about will vary from situation to situation.

Also, never show up to work in full-kit w/lycra/spandex bottoms. :eek: At least have the good sense and decorum to wear lined mtb baggies or loose shorts over your padded bottoms. Trust me, nobody wants to know that much about any of us. Save it for your weekend/club rides.

Also, never show up to work in full-kit w/lycra/spandex bottoms. :eek: At least have the good sense and decorum to wear lined mtb baggies or loose shorts over your padded bottoms. Trust me, nobody wants to know that much about any of us. Save it for your weekend/club rides.

I achieve my "modesty" for the office lobby with a pair of soccer shorts in my backpack that I put on when I lock the bike.

I also wear a white t-shirt rather than a jersey. Again, helps hide the gut and man-boobs for that modesty thing. Plus, when commuting, I carry everything in the backpack, so don't need jersey pockets. It air dries prior to the ride home.

My cycle-commuting mantra is: "Don't work in your commuting clothes or commute in your working clothes." How one brings this about will vary from situation to situation. Sound advice.


Also, never show up to work in full-kit w/lycra/spandex bottoms. :eek: At least have the good sense and decorum to wear lined mtb baggies or loose shorts over your padded bottoms. Trust me, nobody wants to know that much about any of us. Save it for your weekend/club rides.Screw 'em. I'll show up in a pink robe & fuzzy slippers if I feel like it.