Hello all! I am seriously considering keeping the car parked unless an absolute need and commuting to and from school (approximately 28 miles there and back home) and I had some questions for those that commute but do not have shower access when you reach your destination, basically how do you "freshen up" and make it so you don't look or smell like you've just biked all the way to your destination

My plan is to bring one small towel to wipe down with
A different pair of clothing than what I ride in
some arm and spray deodorant

Is there anything else you guys can think of? Naturally I will have access to a bathroom sink, but that's about it.

11 miles (one way):

• Clean self (showered before ride, to be exact)
• Put on clean riding attire
• Pack clean change of clothes, towel and deodorant
• Upon arrival, enter bathroom, strip down from kit and commence bird bath
• Dry off, apply deodorant and clean clothes

For me, this is the equivalent of being freshly showered. My body (and nose) can't tell the difference through the course of the day. But everyone's different. I'm light on the body hair for one and even when I think I'm nasty and stinky, my wife says I smell fine.

22 mile commute round trip:

- Shower before riding
- Pack clean clothing
- When I get to work, I sit down until all sweat is stopped.
- Wash up, dry, use spray deoderent
- Change and I am ready!

and fyi: you will LOVE the feeling you get from commuting!

24 is mile round trip to class

I dgaf and just walk in all sweaty, face red, and chugging water with my cleats clinking on the tile floor, at least people know I stink for a reason

I am fortunate to have a shower where I work - I just cannot resist riding to the point of a rolling sweat. However, in years past I would religiously ride slow and easy on the way in to work, and actually work my jeans and work shirt. Deo, some baby wipes, and all seemed to be good. I never interviewed my coworkers though...

I've done cold water sink shampoos then did a head-to-toe wipedown in the handicapped stall with a washrag with a smidgen of diluted liquid antibacterial soap, then another wipedown with a wet clean washrag.
Followup with anti-perspirant and clean clothes.
It is as effective and as quick as a shower, although it is not as mood-enhancing.
Be neat, don't leave drips. Use sampler-size bottles for soap/shampoo/etc.
I got a XL camp towel to use. It is very thin, packs small, dries fast.

8.5 miles one way. Mostly down hill to work. I get the better workout on the way home, when it's normally warmer. Leave home, freshly showered and soaped, but sometimes it was the evening before. I keep a box of hand sanitizer wipes at work. Wipe armpits and crotch if I get there sweaty. Usually not needed. Even summer mornings here tend to be relatively cool and humidity is low. I do change clothes and underwear when I get to work.

don't rely on scented deodorant
arrive well before anyone else
strip head to toe and change everything including shoes
while naked wash with soap and water
for hair use diluted shampoo and rinse well
wrap used clothes in plastic so no one smells it
stow everything out of sight
wear fresh stuff for the ride home
good luck, I did it for years but then had the awesome use of new office with shower.

I don't do anything.

9miles round trip. Add miles in the summer when I feel like doing more before work.

4~5 baby wipes generally does the trick for me. Using Huggies Naturals now. If you can wrap them in smaller packs and charge 10x for them by calling them 'portable showers' it must be good enough for a short bike commute.

8 miles downhill and flat going to work. Much like the others that have responded. Shower before. Towel off the sweat when I get there. Use deodorant. Change into clean clothes.

your school should have a gym you could shower at.

just ride slow enough to not break a sweat

Baby wipe if no shower.

I have a nice short 3 mile commute and just change shirts with a quick towel wipe-down and some deoderant if neccesary.

my school is split up into different campuses based on Major, and the campus I attend is for Electrical engineers, Software engineers, Computer engineers, and general IT degree seekers, so there is no gym. I guess the high echelon thought it'd be a waste of time/money/effort to build one for us nerds they compensated by giving us badass labs.

Thanks for the responses everyone! Got a lot better idea of what to bring and make myself pleasant. apparently baby wipes help a lot so I'll add them with my sink shower.

15 mile one way commute in to work. i don't have the luxury of time to ride slow, i've got to hit it, so i sweat. a lot.

my routine:
shower before the ride (i can't stress this one enough)
strip down when i get to work
towel off sweat
reapply deodorant
change into work clothes


one of the best things i ever did for making my routine easier was buzzing my hair. i used to have much longer hair that got all mangled and sweaty by the helmet, and i would have to waste time at work making it look normal. now that i buzz my skull with No. 2 clippers once a month, that is a concern of the past. now my hair just looks weird all the time

14.5 miles each way. Shower, deodorant & clean bike clothing every morning.
When it is cool out, I don't get sweaty enough to be smelly, but when it gets hot, I give myself extra commute time so I don't have to push as hard, plus I bring some baby wipes. And, I work at a bike shop, so I am around like minded people who understand a little bit of sweat.

You're worrying what engineers will think about your personal hygiene and appearance?

Some great insights here. Key is to get at it and learn by doing. In a short time you'll be the one posting advice!!

My commute is 6.6 miles one way and I'm lucky enough to have a shower at work. The clothes I cycle in can get pretty sweaty. After a shower and fresh change of clothes I hang dry the commuting clothes in my cube, above an air freshener. I've had co-workers comment on the air freshener's aroma, but not my sweaty cycling clothes.

I ride every day and don’t shower and pretty much follow the gist of the advice give above. If you start off clean, it takes more than a work day for fresh sweat to turn into BO, especially if you do a quick wipe / apply deodorant. The thing you have to watch out for is stinky bike clothes.