Clutch bumping... Have you ever driven a manual trans. car in traffic? Is where you are going so slow you have to just let the clutch out ("bump") to move forward a few feet at a time.

Is the because its warm or because Texas is one of the fattest states in the country?

My practises overlap somewhat with what you've already been told:
No coffee at home before the ride. This makes a big difference.
No backpack.
Cool off before changing/washing.
Buzzed head for summer.
A short-sleeved casual dress shirt or a perforated light football practice shirt, are much cooler than a cotton 'T'.
I try to be very disciplined about keeping to a modest pace on the ride in, and I ride harder on the way home.
Road bike is cooler than mountain (thermally, that is). Or get thin/slick mtn bike tires.
Use shady side streets if available...much cooler than main streets.
Fan by desk.
Ignore or learn to love that slight sticky feeling...it's not a sign of bad hygeine - it's a sign of responsible commuting.
Robert

Uncalled for.
R

Aww poor baby. It wasn't directed at anyone in specific. He made a general statement and I responded with one. I hate it when people act like Texas is the only freakin hot place in the US. I hear it all the time "Oh, well this was in Texas - its real hot there" Gimme a break.

Average August temperature: Austin - 84.5, Denver - 71.4. www.cityrating.com
RGC

What's the upper mileage limit for no showering? I have a 43 Mile Round trip commute now with a shower at work, but may be switching to a location where the Round trip is 50 Miles. I would be wearing full cycling gear and sporting a pretty short haircut, but without a way to wash my hair I am concerned.
Does anybody wash their hair in the restroom?
I would do it if there was a single restroom, and could clean up afterwards, but in a normal multi-stall, multi-sink restroom, I would feel odd rinsing my head under the faucet. Plus if I saw someone doing the same, I would probably think they were homeless or forgot to pay their water bill...
I would probably attempt a moderate pace the last few miles, followed by a cooldown, then the reuseable wipes/alcohol wipedown routine, but I wonder about the hot months. IIRC the winter months, I was pretty dry when I got to work - The concern there was overdressing and getting sweaty as a result.
Mike

First, I'm not a "he."

Second, I don't recall saying that Texas is the only hot place in the U.S.

Finally, in many places, while it gets extremely hot -- even hotter than here during the day -- it cools off at night. I grew up in Indiana and Michigan without AC. We'd go to bed with the fan blowing on us and have to get up in the middle of the night to turn it off because it was chilly. We'd take a sweater or jacket to the fireworks on the 4th of July because it would drop into the 60s at night.

That doesn't happen here. It's often still 90 degrees at 10 p.m. and may not drop below 80 during the night. That's the effect of high humidity. When I visit my daughter in Denver or my son when he was stationed at 29 Palms, CA, it would be hot in the son but cool in the shade. I went swimming in Las Vegas when it was 104 degrees once and actually felt a chill when I got out of the pool because the water evaporated so quickly! :eek: I can see how handy those evaporative coolers must be but they don't work here.

The only reason I mentioned the heat on this thread is because well-intentioned advice to take it easy on the way to work in order to avoid perspiring does not work here. I just spent ten minutes in the shaded driveway making adjustments to my bike and my hair was soaked from perspiration. The only way I could avoid perspiring on the way to work this time of year is to drive my air-conditioned car and I'd still sweat walking from the parking lot! :)

I have shoulder-length hair and also have to clean up in a public restroom at my campus. I take a wet washcloth and wipe it all over my hair, something that I think would be even more effective with short hair. I used to let it air dry but recently I got a mini hair dryer so I don't have to go tutor or teach a class with stringy wet hair. Either way, it dries as if I just washed it. I wipe down my arms and legs at the sink but do the rest of my cleaning in a stall.

I once commuted to a workplace with no shower. In addition to all of the other advice given here, I'll add something that I know at least works well for guys. It is counter-intuitive, but I would always wear an undershirt under my dress shirt. It seemed that no matter how long I took to cool down, towel off, etc, I would always start sweating again after I put on my dress shirt and get those nasty looking sweat marks that last for 1/2 an hour. :eek: Putting on an undershirt would absorb most of it for me, and though it added a layer, it didn't seem to add sweat.

I took a new job a few months ago in no small part because they have locker rooms with showers! :D In addition to the luxury of showering at work and saving on my water bill, I store pants, shirts, ties, shoes and belts in my locker. If I get my lunch on my tie, I can change it right there. I lived without a shower at work for 6.5 years, but I can't imagine life without it now.

Yes, because I was comparing something to Denver. WTF does Denver have to do with anything. I don't live in Denver anyway.

Interesting thread - if there are no showers, I don't commute!!! :cry:

Alright so its hot. I thought you were one of these people that was boasting about how much "better" Texas is than everywhere else. I've heard it time and time again where Texans brag about how their state is so hot, or stuff is so big, or etc, etc. On the other hand, it sounded like you were making a general statement that IMPLIED that Texas is hot. Sure it is and I got that, but since I thought you might have been gratuitously "boasting" and you left the door open, I stepped in with a fact that few Texans talk about. It was mostly meant in jest, honest - and I guess I misunderstood you and happened to be in a cranky mood or something. Heh. Anyway, the facts don't change but maybe they would if more Texans would follow in the footsteps of people like you (or Lance...). My apologies!
:o :o

They didn't have Fort Collins on that site. RGC
Regards
Robert

Nor was I trying to make a comparison to where I am compared to Texas. To do that would be to do the very thing that I thought she was doing in the first place. I'm not going to talk about how hot it is here - ****, it isn't that hot. I prefer it. YMMV

I am new to commuting so I tried two different approaches this week. First was to ride to the gym, work out and shower than ride across the street to work. That was fine but time consuming. After two workouts (the ride, and weights I needed a shower though) Second most popular approach was riding into work, cooling off,baby wiping myself down, powdering up, new deoderant and changing clothes. This works really well for me and I am a big time sweat-hog and stinker. I get filthy dirty at my job and by the time I am done, I actually smell better than I need to.

Hey jbhowat,
You wouldn't happen to live in Oklahoma, would you? That's about the only place I've heard such contempt for Texas and Texans.

You must not have been to the Front Range of Colorado recently.

I thought the Front Rangers hated everyone. ;)

Yes, I drive a stick through the Lincoln Tunnel a couple days a week. Never heard the term before.

Yeah, I'm originally from NJ. Driving the Parkway / Turnpike on a Friday at 4 or 5pm trying to get down to our beach house in Virginia every couple of weekends taught me about clutch bumping.

Anyway, yeah. I don't know if its an official term, nor to I know if I've ever heard it before. I may have, but I guess I just figured it out...

I worried a bit about what people would think when I started riding to work and arriving in shorts and with sweaty hair (this is 13 years ago) but I quickly discovered most people don't care a damn and most of those who do notice make positive comments.
RGC

Wear technical gear, use wet paper towels, use dry paper towels, put on business clothes...

I just found some great stuff on advice from my girlfriend. The name brand stuff is called "sea breeze" but I got the no-name which is just "astringent." It is about 50% alcohol and has some essential oils and whatnot. It cools you down really well and if you have oily skin it helps with that too. I've found when I've gotten home and I'm a little sweaty I can just pour some of this stuff on a washcloth and rub myself down and it cools me down and as a bonus clears up my skin and helps with saddle sores. Great stuff and it was less than 2 bucks for a bottle of it.

Yeah..The only reason there are Texans is becasue they couldn't swim the Red River into Oklahoma :roflmao:

A few have tried, but they were turned back by the smell. :D :D :D