How to deal with sweat and general stink from commuting?
 

I work at a retail store as a backroom associate so I don't dress up fancy and get a bit dirty, however its quite embarrassing to show up to work with a huge sweat stain on your back lol.

Any tips?

To reduce the smell, have a shower before you ride.

I always bring a spare shirt at least to work and on those really hot days where I know I'll sweat a lot maybe a full change of clothes. Keep some spray deodorant with you as well.

Shower before you ride. A wicking shirt for the ride. A washcloth to clean up with. Baby wipes will work but I've come to like a washcloth better. After you cool down, use the deodorant, maybe some cologne and then change into your work shirt.

How far is your commute? Flat, hills, mountains? What city are you in and what is the weather like?

If I ride at a reasonable pace of maybe 11-13 mph then sweat isn't much of a problem until low to mid 80's. Even in to the 90's it's not significant. If you wear a helmet or anything on your head that's like covering the radiator on your car—it limits the most critical cooling element of your body. Leaning over rather than upright also reduces your body's ability to cool itself, induces more sweating and much more odor in the folds of your skin. A white or light colored shirt is much better than dark. I often wear a white or light blue oxford or polo.

I will sometimes ride a bit extra so that I can take a route with more shade on hot humid sunny days.

For some people wearing anti-perspirant creates more problems than it solves. You may want to try going a week without and see how it works. Think about your body's cooling mechanisms. If you're plugging your underarm pores with aluminum, folding your stomach skin over and reducing surface area and airflow, and preventing large portions of your head (your body's radiator) from cooling then you're going to sweat a lot more elsewhere.

Change of clothes, cool down period, and a place to get cleaned up. Even wetting down paper towels in the sink helps. I keep with me deodorant, matching body spray, unscented baby wipes and a small bottle of cologne. I don't necessarily use all of those but they are nice to have so that I don't smell at work. I do shower right before I leave for work which seems to help. 8.5 mile commute with a rolltop messenger bag every day so I get the sweaty back. Biking specific or moisture wicking shirts really help. Cotton t-shirts are absolutely no good for the ride so I avoid those.

When I get to work, I allow a cool off period which means I have to get there a bit earlier. That is alright with me and I have gotten used to it. Then off to the bathroom to wash the pits and privates and get cleaned up. Change clothes and by that time I have cooled down. I work in a hospital so having body odor is simply not acceptable. My coworkers all know that I ride in, so I feel like there is a high expectation for me not to smell or I could have a problem on my hand. I would not skip the deodorant, maybe skip the anti-persperant part of it like I have. That causes a rash for me. Straight up plain deodorant works really well in my case. Old Spice makes some nice modern smelling stuff if you are looking for something new.

Wear a wicking shirt for riding, a no-name polyester t-shirt is fine.
On hot days, 5 mins before you arrive, pour water over your head , arms and back. Stop riding hard and coast along to cool down on the go.
Carry a work shirt.
Keep an extra work shirt in your drawer or locker for when you forget.

And, if you ride in cycling shorts which some of us do, make sure to always have a spare pair of undergarments stashed at work or in your bag. You will forget at least once.

I bring my regular clothes and fresh undies and socks to change into. I keep toiletries, deoderant, cologne and a towel at the office. I don't usually need the towel, but if I do and if it gets really ripe, I take it home and wash it. In my backpack I carry an extra emergency pair of underwear and a large hand towel incase I need it. I am lucky in that I have room to keep an extra jacket and extra winter coat at the office, and extra shoes and socks incase I forget or don't have room that day for shoes.

i agree you have to bring another change of clothes with you.

along with the clothes and a towel, use rocket shower. shower in a can and it works. seriously. you won't smell. then wash your head/hair in a sink. you should be good to go.

http://media.treehugger.com/assets/i...ket-shower.jpg

http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/show...cuse-gone.html

Anyone ever use the No-Rinse shampoo Walgreen's among other placed carries for this?

Just to make sure: do you have access to a shower? Bringing a change of clothes is a must, shower or not. I ride in with an older dude...nice guy but it grosses me out that he gets off his Kona and walks right past the locker room. Maybe he changes in his office...

I have the luxury advantage of having showers in our office building. I carry spare clothes in one panier and the laptop in the other one. So I shower and change in the office locker/shower room. We even have lockers where we can leave stuff. Without the shower facility I would probably not ride the bike in the Texas heat because I really sweat a lot.

My commute though rather short at 8 miles is rather strenuous due to hills. As I wear a uniform and rather not wear it when commuting and the company frowning on it, its a win win for me to change shirts at work. As others have mentioned, a shower before leaving makes all the difference in ones oder.

You don't need a shower. All you need is a change of clothes and some deodorant.

This is what I do, plus some witch hazel and a wash cloth or paper towel to wipe down.

I just go slow. If you are wearing a backpack, consider using a rack+bag.

Either shower and change at our fitness center or share with others.

That would be news to a few million Dutch, Danes, Swedes, Finns, French, Spanish, and others.

Not sure where OP is, but I'm dealing with weather here in Memphis that no one on that list (except maybe the Spanish) ever have to deal with. 90s and very high humidity. Plus, social norms are different here. It probably won't go over terribly well in many work places to announce "I'm going [fill in the blank with a place where BO is okay] style!"

Ride as slow as possible and you should be fine. No need to complicate things with deoderant, clothes change etc. Cycling is simple. If you complicate it then your removing the whole point and beauty if it.

important to use deodorant/antiperspirant before the ride.

Going 3 miles at 8mph is just different

http://satwcomic.com/art/how-to-use-a-bike.png

The OP doesn't say where he lives, but there's no way I could work in the same clothes I ride in, living in the heat and buy of NC. I wear cycling clothes on my commute, and I am drenched when I get to work, even in cooler weather. I say bring some clean clothes, wear cycling clothes while riding, rinse them out when you get to work, and wear the clean dry clothes at work. If you hang up your cycling clothes during the day, they should be dry by the time you're ready to ride home.

I grew up in B'ham and lived in Muscle Shoals and Nashville for a number of years. I understand. Also keep in mind that riding upright at a moderate pace should produce no more sweat and often less than walking from your car in to a building (which can produce considerable sweat on some days). A bicycle rider should be no different than others (except those parking indoors).

I do think that sometimes we in the U.S. are a bit over reactive about showering and body odor. There are indeed many people who should clean more often (and I'd include the average sweating MAMIL coming in to a cafe among them) but most people likely shower too much, wear too much under their arms, and wear way too much cologne (like the guy in front of us in church last Sunday).