What do you do to get dry? Do you wear spandex and just change? Its starting to get pretty hot and I'm getting pretty sweaty on commutes; what do you do to combat this ?

I wash up in a deep sink, put work clothes on and rinse out/hang to dry the spandex.

Why do some people use rubbing alcohol? What properties does it have that makes it beneficial?

Yes.

Kills the bacteria that causes the stink, and evaporates quickly.

Yup, me too. With a birdbath in the mens room sink.

I sweat profusely no matter how slow I ride, or what I wear--even in February in Upstate NY. So I have to change no matter what. The wicking stuff is dry by the time my shift ends. Regular t-shirts and cargo shorts were still wet. So I go the bike clothes route.

For the record, I just rinse my face and hair in cold water, towel my head dry, and change my clothes. That's it. In over 6 months, nobody's complained, and man, I sweat buckets.

Wear athletic shirt. If I'm going to school I just take my time after getting off my bike to get into class so my sweat will evaporate. If I'm going to work I just walk into the walk-in cooler and hang out for a little bit before I clock in.

Wearing proper clothing is key for me.

Sweating doesn't stop as soon as you park your bike, it continues until your body cools. It won't do much good to dry off if you are still sweating. Alcohol (due to its rapid evaporation) cools better than water, and doesn't need to be toweled off, especially when supplemented by a desk fan.

In San Diego maybe... Seriously, I think the alcohol/towell combo is pretty good. I've done it in the past and it works well. Shower before leaving and re-deo upon arrival. Change everything. Don't ride in work clothes or work in ride clothes. And yes I bike to work in full kit.

My situation allows me to bring a weeks worth of food and clothing in on Monday on my muti-geared mule as we've got lockers where I work. I ride a fg the rest of the week w/a seatpost/trunkbag combo. This allows me to bring my soiled clothes home after every workday.

For alcohol, I've purchased bottles from the drug store, and poured it into a spray bottle. This tends to leak, however, and makes white stains on the furniture in my office.

In looking for a picture to post, I used a pic of a spray bottle. This is a pump spray, which might have some of the same problems. I think an aerosol would work best, but there isn't a lot available.

The only one I can find is this, meant for cleaning electronics. How are you alcohol users applying the stuff?

I guess I'm lucky. I take a shower when I get to work. (work provides shower and towels)

Paul

I also go the cycle clothing route because unlike cottom they breath and are dry by the time I'm ready to head home.

When I arrive to work I head to men's room, wash my face, paper towel dry (used to bring a small towel, but it just stays damp and stinks... I figure a few paper towels a day is more environmentally friendly than the electrcity required to wash and dry my cloth towel daily), throw on fresh shirt, and a little blast of Lynx if necessary.

Me too. It feels great to take a hot shower after riding 20 miles in 30 degree weather.

I take a shower when I get to work, but I guess not everyone has access to one at work.

Rapid Cooling!

I get to work and cool down for 10-15 minutes before doing anything - this is very important. Then I change clothes and hang my bike clothes on the bike to dry (I keep it in a back storage room at the office). One of the main reasons I wear athletic clothes is that the wicking fabrics tend to dry quickly.

It also kills bacteria that cause the actual smell. I started using alcohol before and after the ride.

Here is a plug for my blog again: How to stay clean and fresh at work after a bicycle commute.

I never knew alcohol could be used to keep you kool. Also (i didn't think to remember the name sorry) whoever posted their blog +1 to you, i also thought of wearing beach shorts, great work on the blog too.

I usually just wipe down using the "hobo sink method". Also, try to arrive early to your destination so you can freshen up.

Merino shirt.

Depends on how hot and sweaty I get. I have access to a shower at work and take advantage of it pretty regularly in the summer. Other times of year, I'm more likely to just rinse off in the sink. For alcohol, another suggestion is hand sanitizer. If your building's like mine, there's some in dispensers in the restrooms. When I'm changing, washing up in there, I put a few squirts on some paper towels, add a splash of water and clean off the armpits, behind the ears, and other critical areas as needed. It works well and keeps me from having to actually carry any rubbing alcohol with me.

I wear wicking fabric tee-shirts as a base layer all year round, and as the only layer in the hotter times of year. For shorts, I also often wear swim trunks. If not that, then I wear underwear and athletic shorts.

I wear bike clothing and/or wool on my ride in. I think I sweat more during the winter because my yellow cycling jacket doesn't breathe worth a damn.

I'm one of the lucky ones. I get to work, drop my stuff off at my desk, and then walk down to the cafe. (I work on a corporate campus). By the time I walk back to my desk I've cooled off, drop off my coffee and banana, grab my towel and go take a shower.

i just stink it up all day long its fine thought most of the time im just cleaning dog **** off of peoples carpet any how