I'm about to start a new job and hope to be able to bike commute to it. It'll be at least a 10 mi ride each way and there's a big hill up to the building I'll be working in. I'm not sure yet about what facilities will be available to me in the morning, I doubt they'll be showers on site. For all of you commuting gals, what's your morning clean up at work like and do you have shower facilities on site? Do you put makeup on before you leave in the morning or once you get to work? How do you carry your work clothes (panniers, garment bag etc)? My office will be business casual so I'll need to carry a blouse each day and dress slacks. Thanks!

My commute is 8 mi and fortunately I have access to a shower. With the way I ride and the amount of sweat I generate, I need it!
I carry clothes in my pannier. I've found that strategically folding them works better than rolling them in terms of wrinkles. I do leave clothes in my locker at work for reuse on other days.
I don't wear makeup ever and my hair is very short. If needed, I could just rinse my head under a faucet and my hair would be fine.

I'm not a female and I do not play one on TV. No Holiday Inn Express stays of late, either.

There are a couple of things that are different, and I do not want to be too dismissive of them. Indeed, vive le diference! But I just want to note that there is a lot of non-female-specific info in here about the primary issues you raise (shower or no, clothes transpo and storage, etc.) and I hope you avail yourself of it. All are conquerable.

Good luck with your new position and with making it all work on the bike.

I am a man, a dirty sweaty man who breaks a sweat on his 3 mile commute (I grew up in WI, live in AL), a few generic pointers

- Roll your clothes. If you fold them you will have wrinkles.
- Have a towel at work.
- Have basic toiletries (skin lotion, soap, deodorant, perfume) at work for occasional as-needed use
- Have a spare set of clothes stashed at work. One day, your Tupperware of spaghetti will open up and spill all over your work clothes... been there, done that.
- Wear a comfortable pair of clothes on the bike, change at work. Even if you are a bit sweaty, the change into fresh clothes will help you appearance.
- When you get to work, if you can, cool down for 15-30 minutes before changing. Let your body cool off, wipe down sweat if needed.

I've found that as long as I shower before leaving, even if I work up a sweat it really doesn't smell or feel terribly uncomfortable since my skin is clean and there is little bacteria for the sweat to interact with which is what leads to odors. I just towel down, relax, and change after a short period of time.

Best of luck, and you will not regret the commute. It's the best morning wake-up I've ever had...

philip

I am a male, here is what I do:

I work in a hospital in which we wear scrubs that belong to the hospital, so I really don't have to worry about carrying clothes with me. My commute is currently 19 miles one way.

Since it's wintertime here in South Texas, I really don't sweat much at all on my commute to work, provided I wear the right amount of clothing for the weather. I always take a full shower before going to work, and once I get to work, I usually arrive to the locker/changing room about 30 min before everyone else so that I'll have time to wash up and eat breakfast. I usually go into the men's room, strip down, and give myself a little sponge bath, going over and areas where I've sweated with a wet soapy cloth, rinsing with a wet cloth, and then drying with a dry cloth. I usually put on a little bit of mild deodorant when I am done to take care of any lingering smell. So far, I haven't gotten sweaty enough to require a full shower; when it gets warmer out and I do, I'll find out which hospital ward has a staff shower room (mine currently doesn't) and use it. (My job as a nurse requires my being in people's personal space on and off throughout the day, so it's important for me to not exhibit any unpleasant odors).

Also, not a female, but 100% human.

I have not had luck with rolling clothes. I must be doing it wrong, but when I roll, I get tons of wrinkles, if I fold carefully, I get very few.

Otherwise - I second everything philski posted. The bit about cooling down is essential. If you shower before you leave, cool down completely, towel off and change clothes, the sweat is not an issue. I thought the idea was really gross at first, but I have since realized its really fine.

This is a very important point and something a lot of people don't seem to understand. A misguided fear of smelling has got to be one of the most cited excused for not cycling to work or doing any type of exercise whatsoever unless showers are available.

the what to carry stuff in, question, i vote for big open panniers,
as they invariably will be useful
for shopping on the bike too, on the trip home..
waterproof Ortlieb, roll closed, are tops.

With the exception of the fact that I carry a clean towel with me each day, this is exactly what I do and it has worked great for 3 years now.

Have extra set of clothe and makeup at work. Do the makep at work. I used a hardshell rack container to carry any clothe that I find I will need for the day but luckily we are very casual and shop clothing is all we wear. However when I do need to carry better clothing, I find my Planet Bike Escape Pod container very useful to prevent wrinkling my clothing and keeping them dry when it is raining. Other misc stuff goes into the pannier.

Do a wipe down with wet towel or better yet, use baby wipes. That stuff takes the sticky sweat feeling off your body.

If you have long hair like I do (down to my elbow), then tie it in a phony tale and tuck it behind your cycling shirt or jacket. Leave at work a hair dryer. You can use that to get the tangle out and fix your hair.

Also not a female, <but i do wear womens clothing...wait, what, uhhhh sorry scratch that>

First shower at home. If you do need to clean up at work most use baby wipes or do a hobo clean up using the sink. As far as clothing goes, is it possible to keep some garments at work? If you do need to carry them then I would look into a garment bag. I would wait to put on makeup until after you arrive to work when you know what condition you will be in. Also try to arrive maybe 15 minutes early or earlier to give you a chance to cool down and freshen up if you need to.

I'm not female either, but would recommend taking it easy at first to avoid getting too sweaty. The extra travel time is usually less than the cleanup time, and it gives you a cushion if the unexpected happens.

Cool down once arriving is very helpful.

That's not a very believable story.

Wonce a pond a time, their was a girl named Colleen C who had a bed case off miss spilling and flonk grammar skewl.

Don't worry, it goes along with the spandex and shaven legs. Oh wait! This is not a roadie thread.

ok, female and commute year round, but not as far as you need to. I agree, shower at home, dress in wicking layers with a jacket that has pit vents. This will keep the sweat down. Use a good deoderant/anti persperant. I put my make up on at home too, just no mascara as frozen eyelashes then thaw. Wait till work or do without. Find a easy hairstyle that can withstand beanie/helmet head. I roll my sides and pin back, looks good when I take hat off.
I have a very casual job so I wear what I want, but this morning it was very cold and I had on jeans and just threw sweats over to keep warm and in case of mud. I have an Xtra cycle so I can carry what I want how I want. But, I saw this roll bag that you put your clothes in and then roll up and it kept everything wrinkle free, might try looking online for it.
Good luck and dont let anything keep you off your bike.

Hahahaha! You must be related to the Worlds Wildest -about Catfish

I ride in a pair of spandex pants or shorts. Depending on the job, I will slip on a skirt over them and get on with my day. I don't smell after riding and rarely need to use deordorant so I don't worry about stench. If I did, I would either take a monkey shower in the sink or wipe down with a face cloth and soap. As for the hair, I either wear a hat or brush it out. Makeup may consist of chap or lipstick. I keep it simple.

Definitely sigworthy.

I can't even spell caffeine correctly. That mispelling over my Avatar has been there from day one and several members PM me inquiring what it meant. For the heck of it, I left it alone since it's part of me.

This is pretty much my method too. I'd add that I also use some good wet wipes in addition to regular toweling down. If I shower before the ride, this generally takes care of any sweat that I've worked up on the ride, and leave me looking and smelling fresh over the course of the day.

+100

You may want to take this one in your granny gear at a moderate pace. Not being snarky just trying to help in keeping the sweat factor to a minimum. Like most everyone says shower, deo, etc. before leaving will lower your arrival prep time to a minimum. My rule of thumb has always been to not commute in my work clothes and not work in my commuting clothes. Allowing an extra 10 minutes for a cool down period is prudent.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...7_10000_200350 looks like it may be what you may need from what you say about your work environment requirements. Keep in mind it's NOT waterproof, but can be made so by Thompson's Watersealer (inside AND out)and some well placed clear caulking along the seams. The bag has compartments for shoes, ect. as well. Of course you'll need a rack to go with it. Panniers will force you to roll your clothes to keep them wrinkle free and are generally more expensive.

The main thing, truthfully is to do a complete change of clothes upon arrival...you'll get the routine down. It usually takes me a week or so at a new job to figure out the timimg and storage limitation(s). Whenever possible I try to store my bike inside. And most co-workers respect and accept a cyclist's quirks and needs in terms of privacy. In over 20 years of commuting in 3 different states I've never had a problem w/anyone complaining or being impatient.

Btw, be sure to keep an extra supply of clothes and personal items at work as well as hangers for your commuting clothes in the event of getting caught in a rain shower. Unless you plan on full time commuting then you'll need them for your rain gear, too.

And there's a website https://www.teamestrogen.com that has a whole sub-forum dedicated to all things commuter female...you may want to check that out as well. Have fun! Cycle-commuting is a great addiction.

I'm female and I commute May - August. I agree with a lot of the advice already posted.

- Rolling my clothes works for me. I put my clothes in a plastic grocery bag inside my backpack if I take my road bike (keeps them from getting sweaty if I get too hot on the ride), or I put the plastic bag in panniers if I ride my hybrid.
- I have found that skirts and casual dresses actually fare better than pants when rolled up.
- I have access to showers at work, but keep a towel, makeup and toiletries at my desk to make things easier.
- *MOST IMPORTANT* Keep spare undergarments in your desk. My spares have saved me from going "commando" on several occasions when I forgot to pack undies the night before.

I'm surprised no one mentioned this. All I do is allow plenty of time to ride and not get too sweaty and all that as it messes up my hair more. I just carry a hair brush personally so that I can brush it when I get there. Also typically I just wear slacks for simplicity and used the bands around the bottom of the legs. I have one of those hardcase panniers that has a dinky lock but I keep my purse and sweater/jacket in it while riding as well as anything else. If I'm going to school I throw a shopping pannier on the other side and put my backpack in it.