Sweaters Anonymous
 

hello fellow commuters,

I am a sweaty man. When it rains I might as well not even wear a rain jacket because I end up being soaked with sweat anyway.

I see business men riding in suits. How can they do that without showing up to work a sweaty mess?

Is there rain gear that is supper breathable? Pants?

How do you guys handle sweat before work?

I ride in mtb shorts and a jersey regardless of weather. There are some days the first 5 minutes are cold as hell but i'm always happy for the nice cool rain once i'm going ( i ride pretty hard).

Once at work, i either shower real quick or just towel off and change into work clothes.

Voila.

If it's hot enough for me to get sweaty, I use a damp cloth spritzed with some witch hazel once I get to work. It gets me cleaned up quickly. Then I just put on fresh deodorant and a change of clothes.

I'm lucky enough to have shower facilities where I work, so I wear clothes that keep my warm/cool/comfortable on the bike and change after a shower. In the winter I don't sweat enough to need to shower all the time, but spring and summer demand it.

I'm pretty sure those folks that commute in their suits have 1) short commutes, 2) few hills, and 3) bike lanes.

The only reason we have shower facilities is because a guy used to ride to work and would take a sponge bath in the restroom when he got to work. A higher-up thought a locker room and showers would be a good investment.

Wear easily removable layers. T shirt and arm warmers instead of a long sleave shirt allows me to start off cool and peel off the warmers as needed. I also weara windproof vest witha mesh back, and use panniers. I noticed a big difference when i ditched the backback for the bags. Dont wear cotton, try dryfit as it allows sweat to easily evaporate. The shirts stink though when they get sweaty. I keep unsented babywipes on my desk to wipe down as needed.

I would kill for showers at work. Plenty of people bike to work so I don't know why not. They put in a prayer room to accommodate our Muslim employees. (no offense meant, I respect all religions and am proud to work in an environment that is forward thinking) But how about some showers?

I did switch to panniers and it did reduce my back sweat but like I said I am a sweat machine. Those fancy sweat wicking shirts are expensive. but maybe they are worth a try.

I just need to find something water proof and breathable.

What if you took one of your water bottles into the bathroom - took your shirt off - doused yourself and then wiped dry with a towel?

My biggest problem is on really warm days i have to give myself at least 20 minutes to cool off before i can shower or i'll just keep sweating after the shower (even if cold).

I guess i shouldn't complain, at least i have a shower!

Yeah, I'm guessing those suit commuters aren't riding too far or very fast. If I was riding 2 miles at 5 miles an hour, I wouldn't sweat too much either.

For me, a shower before I leave helps my sweat not be stinky when I get to work (It's "clean" sweat!) :)

Also, My commute to work takes 40 minutes because I'm trying to go slow and minimize sweat. The ride home takes 30 minutes because I don't care so much about sweating.

However, to answer you other question about rain gear...the simple answer is that there is no magic material that stops rain and breaths. if it breaths, it's because there are vents and openings in the jacket. If you want to try a jacket with wind-proof front and vented back, that's probably your best bet in light to moderate rain...In a deluge, you're going to get wet, and if you wear a jacket, you'll likely sweat as well.

Since (in my area of the world) it is mid-spring, and summer is approaching, we are fast coming to the time in which I will wear the same shorts and short-sleeved synthetic shirt whether it's going to rain or not. If I get, wet, it won't matter, since I'll be changing anyway.

Gore-tex and similar laminates (eVent, dry-q, etc) do breathe, but perhaps but not enough to keep up with high intensity cycling in warm weather. Pit zips and black flaps help a bit, too.

I just change all the time.
In the summer, I sweat too much and change when I get to work.
In the winter, I strip off all the layers and put the work clothes on.
This is for a 4.5mi average commute. Granted, I probably ride too fast...

If it's cool enough and I ride slow enough I won't sweat that much, but I don't like riding slow.

Neither of my first two cars had A/C. The second one had vinyl bucket seats. Sitting in stop and go traffic for an hour on a hot morning meant a pretty sweaty back. The only reason I mention that is to remind people that sweat is part of life whether you are on a bike or not. If you never sweat, you're doing something wrong.

My commute is long enough that I arrive sweaty, whether it's 90F or 20F outside.

No shower at work? Shower before you leave, check your email on arrival (while you cool off), take baby wipes into the handicapped stall, wipe down, and change.

And ask for showers. :)

Sweating more easily is one of the first adaptations your body makes as you become more fit. Take pride in it!

I sweat in any weather. It's kind of funny when the temps are near freezing and I get to work soaking from sweat and one of my co-workers asks "Isn't it too cold for biking?" Yeah, my fingers and ears were really cold.

My solution is to change clothes when I get to work.

The big-box discount stores now sell very inexpensive polyester workout clothes. They wick sweat as well as the fancy stuff, and you can find lighter weight tees than your typical bike jerseys.

*raising hand* (not a sweaty man tho, woman here)

i do what others do and wait 30 min to cool down then shower.

my husband used rocket shower b/c his place of work at the time didn't have showers. others i've heard of use baby wipes.

as for rain gear being breathable i'm here for that. cuz my rain gear i may as well be essentially wearing a plastic bag.

Rocket shower? how have I not heard of this product. Does it really work? That's amazing!!

What sucks about changing clothes is I go through 2 shirts per day. This piles up my laundry very quickly. I don't commute every day so that helps. I ride about 18 miles total per day about 3 days a week. 4 if my girlfriend needs the car on the weekend. New jersey Path train is a mess on the weekends so I just avoid that headache by driving to work on the Weekends.

i think it depends on who you ask. i asked my husband and he shrugged his shoulders and said it works, but it's not a shower.

but i found this: Rocket Shower | Road Bike Rider

and an old bikeforums thread here: http://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...es-work-2.html (there's another linked thread in there)

it's basically a shower in a spray bottle :) that you don't have to wipe off after spraying (air dry)

In the rain you could a try a rain cape. I use one. It looks goofy but works really well and keeps me from sweating in the rain.

Stay sweaty.

I ride to work and cool off at my desk. I sweat profusely, but usually there is little odor associated with it, outside my personal space, certainly nothing which would cause others to note it or comment on it as offensive.

A few concessions:
- I keep dress shirts at work and change from typically either a wool shirt and/or cycling outerwear into a clean shirt on some days. Other days, I wear what I rode in with. Typically, those shirts hang in my office for months before they need a wash due to odor.
- I keep a change of formal clothing -- suit jacket and slacks, decent shirt, socks, belt, and shoes -- at the office, just in case.
- I tend to stay away from cotton in life, favor wool and synthetics, and weed out clothing which easily shows sweat salt stains.

We have a shower at work, which I have used on occasions when sleeping over due to weather, but have not used it merely regarding a commute. Others in the office (all women) often work out at lunch -- show up business casual, change to workout clothes at lunch, stay in them until end of work -- so I am not exactly alone in my sweatiness at work.

When I worked at a bike shop (with a shower), I basically existed the same way. I don't think I want to complicate my life, adopting some hygiene routine or schedule at work, so I believe I will stick with work situations which don't require such...

Regarding rain gear, I'm a big Gore-Tex fan but it tends to be pricey which limits how many pieces I have. However, I've been using some rain gear for camping/hiking called Dri Ducks. DriDucks - Frogg Toggs - DriDucks
They do a pretty good job of breathing in my experience but best of all is how inexpensive they are. They are not super durable, but they are very lightweight and if/when they tear, it's not a big financial loss. Or, peruse the other products at Frogg Toggs that are meant to be longer lasting.

I Put something over my sweater, The knit is not much of a wind block .. :rolleyes:

Start early , ride at a dignified Pace.

this.. cycle rain capes are cone shaped .. Ponchos are flat.

I'd also like to know.

If you ask me they gave up dignity when they put on the suit. But I guess some people like to dress that way?

I was thinking sub sweat inducing speeds.. though maybe Brompton world championships attire may be what suit some who still want to ride fast..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJUHC5yTGvo

Maybe park the Rolls (Or Range Rover) Outside the Taxed Congestion zone, and ride to the City Of London, to your Investment Banking Career.

No shower at work but I find that if I go early I can ride quicker because it's still cool out. I crank on the way home because the shower and a cocktail are waiting... :thumb: