Any of you change clothing just prior to arrival at work?
#1
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Any of you change clothing just prior to arrival at work?
Just curious if there are others who sometimes would rather arrive at work with neat or more professional look than in your cycling/commuting outfit (high-vi T-shirt/jacket, worn/rolled-up lube-soiled pants, etc.)? Sometimes I don't feel like being hi-vi upon arrival , so I make a stop at an uncrowded area near my destination to change into more formal clothing. It's a hassle so I only do it occasionally.
Last edited by vol; 10-09-13 at 07:25 AM.
#3
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I stop in the bathroom at work to clean up and change prior to entering the office space. Sometimes coworkers see me arriving at the building in cycling clothes.
#4
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#5
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I am fortunate enough that I have a shower facility. Others do see me arrive on my bike in the morning and take off after the day is done though. I shower up, put on my normal clothes and start the day.
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i have a shower facility and place where i store clothes and towel to get cleaned up in.
#7
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uni just built a £5M gym next to my office with secure bike parking facilities
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Same here. Unfortunately, the management has decreed that we not leave our clothes in the locker during the work day. I have interpreted that to mean I can leave my towel and clean clothes in the locker over night so I don't have to either leave my clean clothes in an overnight bag in the bike locker, or go upstairs to my office to get the bag.
#9
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Same here. Unfortunately, the management has decreed that we not leave our clothes in the locker during the work day. I have interpreted that to mean I can leave my towel and clean clothes in the locker over night so I don't have to either leave my clean clothes in an overnight bag in the bike locker, or go upstairs to my office to get the bag.
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It's possible, though I honestly don't know what is driving the rule. The last time it was brought up was several years ago, before I was commuting by bike and therefore before I was using the locker room, so I didn't pay that much attention to it. It may have been due to there being a limited number of lockers (there are only four in the locker room), so not everyone who wanted to use them at lunch time (for example) could use one. Or it could be, as you imply, that they simply don't want people to use the lockers for more than some set period of time, e.g., one or two hours. At any rate, I'm not going to worry about it until someone else complains about it.
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It depends on the work situation I think. As a contracted employee in a professional office setting I did feel like I needed to walk up in slacks, shirt and office shoes. I'd usually ride in easy in slacks, either change shirts somewhere close or wear a polo shirt or something, and changed shoes in the parking lot. I had to come in the main entrance, and walk up to the security desk every morning for my badge before entering the building proper. I couldn't show up inappropriately dressed for that, or at least that's how I felt about it.
Forward a couple of years as a regular employee I had a permanent ID badge, enter in the side door with a short walk to the gym and showers area. I don't normally show up in the full costume but always in workout clothes of some kind. Additionally, as a software engineer I can get some slack with how I dress - we're expected to be a little off-beat. For a lawyer or executive it might be a different story.
Forward a couple of years as a regular employee I had a permanent ID badge, enter in the side door with a short walk to the gym and showers area. I don't normally show up in the full costume but always in workout clothes of some kind. Additionally, as a software engineer I can get some slack with how I dress - we're expected to be a little off-beat. For a lawyer or executive it might be a different story.
#12
Senior Member
It's possible, though I honestly don't know what is driving the rule. The last time it was brought up was several years ago, before I was commuting by bike and therefore before I was using the locker room, so I didn't pay that much attention to it. It may have been due to there being a limited number of lockers (there are only four in the locker room), so not everyone who wanted to use them at lunch time (for example) could use one. Or it could be, as you imply, that they simply don't want people to use the lockers for more than some set period of time, e.g., one or two hours. At any rate, I'm not going to worry about it until someone else complains about it.
#13
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Not exactly but when the temperature is in the 60s or higher I typically ride shirtless to work, and put on a t-shirt or tank top before I enter the premises. Once inside, I change into proper office attire (in a suitable location).
#14
incazzare.
I change at work if I have any meetings or anything that day. If not, I just wear what I was wearing on the bike. I don't have many "bike clothes" so that's usually cargo shorts or jeans and a T shirt or sweater or whatever. Our office is very informal.
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#15
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I put on a dry shirt (and fleece and/or jacket, depending on the weather) when I arrive at my bus stop. I get there in time to stop sweating before I change and get on the bus. I usually wear shorts or rain pants when riding, so I change out of them into pants in my office.
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Just curious if there are others who sometimes would rather arrive at work with neat or more professional look than in your cycling/commuting outfit (high-vi T-shirt/jacket, worn/rolled-up lube-soiled pants, etc.)? Sometimes I don't feel like being hi-vi upon arrival , so I make a stop at an uncrowded area near my destination to change into more formal clothing. It's a hassle so I only do it occasionally.
#17
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Whether or not I carry my office clothes and change depends on the weather. If it's very cold, I can't avoid sweating under the windproof layers, and if it's very hot, I can't avoid sweating no matter what I wear or how slowly I ride. Rain also brings on the separate clothing, as there's no fender in the world that will keep road spray from other users off, and it's usually mixed with oil.
Otherwise, I can ride in my office clothes because my commute is flat and short. When I had a longer, hillier commute, there was no way I could have ridden in my work clothes - I'd have to have been crawling at snails pace and walking very slowly up every hill to avoid getting perspiration soaked clothing. My commute time would have doubled.
Otherwise, I can ride in my office clothes because my commute is flat and short. When I had a longer, hillier commute, there was no way I could have ridden in my work clothes - I'd have to have been crawling at snails pace and walking very slowly up every hill to avoid getting perspiration soaked clothing. My commute time would have doubled.
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Fortunate to have bicycle cage parking area at work and showers. I try to get to work as early as possible so very few people see me grubbed out in my commuting gear. Semi-casual dress code allows for easy-to-transport clothing. I leave toiletries, shoes, pants, belt, etc in desk area. The only pain in the butt is where to store the towel overnight.
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I have to wear pants and a plain shirt at work. I don’t change except I go shirtless sometimes because the pants make me hot and I use my Deuter leg band for the pants. I don’t use cycling shoes but powergrips to hold my feet in place. I keep my boots and rain gear at work only if it rains. Otherwise I don’t bother putting the boots on. I have separate rain gear just for work though, because it gets nasty at work. I shower weekly anyway, so who cares about changing and I don’t care if I stink. I hate cycling in pants. Lately I’ve been thinking about using my shorts during commutes especially under rain gear when it rains or better yet nothing under the rain gear. It gets hot under that stuff.
I get offers from co-workers for a ride when it rains. I decline though. When I first started working, I overheard one lady of the board say, “I always wonder if he’s going to make it.” I’ve never been late or missed a day of work unlike some others. Sometimes the parking lot gets full, and I don’t take up any space.
I get offers from co-workers for a ride when it rains. I decline though. When I first started working, I overheard one lady of the board say, “I always wonder if he’s going to make it.” I’ve never been late or missed a day of work unlike some others. Sometimes the parking lot gets full, and I don’t take up any space.
#20
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I ride in high-vis fluorescent clothes and walk in to the office and through the cubicles every day wearing the neons on my way to change clothes. A little fluorescence is good for the cubicle dwellers. Stretches the boundaries just a bit.
#21
Senior Member
I backpack in five days of work clothes (business casual) on Monday, and pack it out Friday. I have a screen that closes the cube for changing. I ride easy in the AM to avoid needing a shower, which is not available to me at work, and ride harder and longer after work.
Last edited by CommuteCommando; 10-10-13 at 11:39 AM.
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I change after getting to work, too. We have shower rooms and a secure bike cage. Our dress code is so casual, I could just work without changing if I weren't sweating bullets. LOL
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If I am coming directly from home I will just wear my office clothes. If I have taken the long way in, I take a shower. I really don't care if people see me in bike kit in the lobby or elevator.
#25
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