I wish a shower was an option for me, but have been unsuccessful so far finding one close to work. I shower before, try to keep my effort to not break a sweat, take the last couple miles a little easier to start cooling down. When I get to the office I part the bike, and boot my laptop up to give me a few more minutes to cool down. I wet wash cloth from face down and put on clean clothes, then rinse my face and hair in the sink and dry off with a backpacking towel. So far so good. It will only get tougher though as the weather warms up.

I shower the night before, then in the AM I get dressed in my bike clothes for the 8.5 mile commute. When I get to work, usually sit down talking with a couple of people at work about our commutes (cool down period) for about 10-15 minutes. I then use a single use bathroom, rinse face and hair, towel off, apply pit-stick/aftershave lotion and then get dressed in fresh socks/underware/tee-shirt/jeans/polo shirt. I'm able to hang my bike clothes at my cubical (out of view of others) and are ready to wear home. I rotate bike clothes during the week and wash a load each weekend. This seems to work for me ... and co-workers haven't complained ... yet :)

I'm surprised it took so long for this to come up. A merino base layer is the best deodorant in the world. And a thin one won't overheat you.

The rest of the advice already given is spot on, so I won't repeat it. But I wanted to +1 the wool advice.

I'd simply ask for if I could use the showers. Can't see any reason you wouldn't be allowed. I work at a hospital and use the showers in the Surgery department everyday.

if you go with cycling clothes .. watch out for poly-stank

It only sounds complicated. My "procedure" is about as involving and takes about the same time as taking a shower. Actually, unless we had a shower like on the same floor I wouldn't bother going too far to take a shower.

Are any of the women hot? Are you single?

You work in a hospital and can't use a shower anywhere? the place is full of showers.

I used to work in a hospital and had access to the showers in the physiotherapy area. They had large shower & change areas as part of the the pool and gymnasium complex, but I had to find them and ask the department head who was very accommodating (he and most of his physiotherapists were a commuter cyclists also). I'm sure you could negotiate access somewhere in the building.

It *always* boils down to this :lol::lol::lol:

This is the best post so far.

The fear of stinking is what you have to deal with. Ask someone you know at work to evaluate your body odor. If you shower before and cool off at work (I'd avoid alcohol-base wipes by the way... dries out your skin), you probably don't smell bad at all.

The fear of sweat really started in the age of the automobile. You drive to work smelling like a rose in an automobile that emits ozone... which is worse BO or ozone?

Couldn't these many women take turns soaping you up and sponging you off when you arrive each morning?

Adam, that sounds like an instant migraine attack for me! Glad your co-workers don't mind.


I shower in the morning and then take it easy on a commute. Luckily it's mostly a gentle downhill on the way there, so I don't have to work too hard.

I agree about not putting on any deodorant before. It's much easier to clean up after the ride, and then apply.
Besides, even though unpopular in our society, sweating is good for you. It means that your temperature controls are working like they should, and you're eliminating toxins. I would be worried about person's health if they said they don't get warm or sweat at all, during 10-15 mile bike ride. But yes, nobody wants to stink, and even less sit next to the person that stinks.

Take a change of clothes, including underwear, socks and shoes to work. Wipes work great, but two face clothes do as well (one wet, one dry), and mother earth will thank you.

I need to take advice of arriving early and having more time to cool down, and get ready for work. I usually arrive with minutes to spare.

P.S. Are there any women in this thread besides me? Just curious.

Colleen raises her hand. ~waiving~ :)

OP, can you wear mesh type shirt. You can get more airflow cooling your upper body. Also check out your helmet if you wear one. Some helmet make my head warmer than others. Those alien looking helmet have lots of air flow.

As for me and sweating, I leave so early in the morning that I am freezing cold and welcome any sweat I get. :p

*waves back* :)
It just seemed like only guys were brave enough to talk about it.

All good advice, but for me -NO POWDER! At 250# and as sweaty as I get during the day, all I'd do is make gravy! That little mental picture is my personal gift to you all!

I work in Pathology and can wear scrubs all day; is that a possibility for your position in the ER? Your laundry problem is thus virtually solved with fresh clothes every day. My usual hygiene is to shower the night before (I leave early in the AM). On arrival I comb my hair without evidence of helmet hair; a gel works very nicely, and if you wear a cap the hair doesn't protrude through the vents, giving that "Klingon" look.

I then just use simple rubbing alcohol, 91%, as a deodorant and cleansing agent, just applied with a towel, and change into clean scrubs. I prefer alcohol because it's non-scented, dries quickly and refreshingly, and is an effective germicidal since that's what is used to prepare the skin for a blood draw. I may, but not often, wash my hair in the sink, and it's easy since most hospital sinks are equipped with the high rise faucets. I work with some women who would never let me get away with being "unpresentable," and they have no complaints.

If I need to dress in civilian clothes, I really don't feel comfortable unless I take a shower, in the OR area. I might suggest that if you have a hospital ID badge, just go up there and "do it" if it's not a locked area. It's often easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. :innocent:

When I first started using the OR shower, a surgeon wryly told me that there's only three reasons someone is showering there: they lost power at home, their bathroom is being re-modeled, or they got thrown out of the house. :lol:

I remember when I worked at a movie theater many years ago, the projectionist was looking for an on site shower facility. He discovered the janitor's closet had a drain in the tiled floor and large utility sink. The janitor had put a hose on the faucet to make it easier to fill up his mop buckets. So the projectionist came to work all sweaty and ducked into the janitors closet and showered with the hose over the drain. It was a cold shower but he was always fresh and clean. Check with your buildings janitors!

For me, commuting in Florida, a shower is a requirement. I wanted to cycle to work for YEARS but did not until my company moved to a new building with a gym and a locker room.

Very much so as it seem. As rumrunn6 noted, this is a very "sticky subject".

Unless I'm wrong, women generally sweat less than men and the distant of commute is probably shorter. Making less of an issue, but hair........ (well, I won't go into that, otherwise this thread gets hijack ;) )

Yes and no.... BUT my wife does work w/ me so.... We don't work identical schedules otherwise we would just go in one car. Thanks very much for all the input people! The ER doesn't supply scrubs for us but, I do have a locker and could keep a change of clothes in there. I'm back to work on Monday and plan to scope out potential showers. There are two in the ER but one is used for decontaminating hazardous materials and the other is in the "psych" area. Shower shoes will be REQUIRED. Either way, I plan on talking to OR staff and see if I can use their nice, clean and warm showers.... Thanks again!

ROFLMAO!


I also work closely with people, don't have access to showers but manage to not offend. I take a shower before heading off to work whether it's summer or winter (a wet head in winter is no issue because I end up sweating anyway). I don't believe in using 'detergent' soaps because they dry my skin and cause my oil glands to kick into high gear and create a haven for bacteria so I make my own olive oil/lye soap. Also I believe in keeping my body hydrated, IMHO it cuts down on the concentrations of the minerals that exist in sweat such as urea. When I get to work I cool down at my desk in front of a fan. I then go to the men's room and wash the 'hot spots', apply a little natural deodorant and change into my work clothes. I've also found that baby wipes are good alternatives in a pinch as are hand sanitizers. Apply the sanitizer with a paper towel to kill and wipe away offensive bacteria and dust with baking soda.

i've been riding my 21 miles to work for about 3 years now.most days on the way in i try to take it easy and
layer my clothing so if i start feeling too warm i can take my cycling jacket off and stow it in my backpack
today however since it is casual friday i figured "who cares", i'm exposed to enough large sweaty people trying to climb stairs whats a little sweat. i hammered the entire way here, what a feeling

[QUOTE=RobE30;10811310]Yes and no.... BUT my wife does work w/ me so.... We don't work identical schedules otherwise we would just go in one car.

Well there you go! Who cares what they think if you're not single and your wife works there in ICU (I see you)

LOL, no, I don't do that, that's why I said "optional", I only use a stick deodorant, that's it.

I do have a shower, but I never need to use it. Short commute. Not sure why we have a shower.. we're a stand alone outpatient cancer treatment facility.

Here is my newest technique for cooling down: I bring a frozen meal with me. Then when I get to work I stick it up my shirt, sit at my desk and lean back slightly while I check my email. Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh... that feels good! :D