Thanks, all! Lots of great advice here. Been off the bike this week because of a back injury but next week I'm back on and can't wait to try all of these ideas out.The showering beforehand and wearing wool is mind-boggling but makes plenty of sense.

I haven't observed any kinds of criticism about wearing spandex before so this was my first experience of it. I hear you, tjspiel but I'm curious about nashcommguy's (and anybody else who agrees with him) view. What's so bad about it? I've worn spandex since high school when I was a rower so I'm pretty comfortable with it and know that I'm not killing anybody's eyes (otherwise I wouldn't be in it). Before I hit the showers at the gym I'll do some lifting so it feels situationally appropriate since I'm riding to the gym first.