Full lycra kit? Jeans and a cotton tee?

I'm a fan of bike jeans and tech tees. For shirts I'm doing a poly base layer, sometimes the sweet Cedar Cycling wool tee, but that thing is too nice to wear all the time. My commute isn't really that long though, just a few miles.

Depends.

* This morning I rode directly to the office. The weather was cool and dry. I just wore my office clothes: dress pants, button down shirt, tie. (I keep a blazer at the office for meetings)
* Yesterday was also cool and dry but I took at 20 mile detour as a prework training ride. I wore the full kit. (I brought my office clothes carefully folded in a backpack).
* Tomorrow it will probably rain and I will again take the long way in. I will wear the full kit plus a booties, a windvest, and I'll ride my fendered bike.

It pays to have options.

Jeans dont Give , I use sweatpants, they are Knit, not woven, so the fabric has stretch and rebound.

the ones with pockets, , and made of a Polyester, fleece back smooth face, in black
are my year round option.

I wear my normal work clothes - "business casual" wear - with cycling shoes and rain gear over it (in the summer, just a light jacket). My ride is short and I take it easy on the way in. Coming home, I don't worry about sweating. Occasionally I change to cycling clothes to ride home, and I enjoy the ride more, but is it hassle.

Lycra. Everyone is wearing Lycra.

It depends on weather conditions, distance, hilly vs. flat. Further some people are happy to take it easy. Others want to make it a workout. Some people have access to a shower at work. Others don't. Some people don't want the hassle of changing. Others prefer to ride in cycling clothes.

People wear a variety of stuff. There's not a wrong answer.

Everyone has their own priorities. My list looks something like this:

1. Comfort
2. Comfort
3. Convenience
4. Budget
12. Modesty
57. Style

That usually leads me to Lycra shorts or bibs under loose fitting gym shorts, with a cheap "wicking" shirt or a bike jersey. Depending on weather I might add other items.

3/4 shorts and a wooly sweater does me most days.

If the temperature is below 20 degrees Celsius, I wear sweatpants with athletic t-shirt and a windbreaker. In the event of really low temperatures, I also add a long-sleeved shirt and a tubular balaclava (don't really know what it's called).

Anything above 20 Celsius, and I prefer shorts with the above wicking t-shirt -or- a long sleeved shirt if riding in chilly weather.

Rain gear, mostly.

I generally wear a t-shirt with an appropriate number of layers over it on top. For pants my favorite choice are nylon tactical pants - they're cheap, water resistant, have a gusseted crotch, and look reasonable. I wear long underwear underneath if it's below 30ish F.

That's about my list, except what's clean would be #5. And I wear wicking underwear under loose nylon shorts when it's warm enough.

It's still chilly in the Midwest (and leftover snow) with lows in the mid to upper 20s F. I'm a thrift store shopper and found a nice Merino wool base layer, fleece mid layer, and Columbia jacket for a wind breaker. Also found a nice pair of poly unlined workout pants with a velcro strap at the ankle. Thrift store wool socks for the real cold days and my favorite find, thinsalate mittens for temps closer to 0. Too chilly to break out the sandals, yet.

Sometimes I wear my roadie clothes, sometimes street clothes, sometimes a mix. Today I wore my office pants, but had a capilene tee, a long sleeve thermal jersey and my cycling jacket. In the summer I'll sometimes wear my cycling shorts with a t-shirt. I don't usually wear my bright jerseys with the logos on them. It also depends on which bike I take. If I take my road bike I'm more likely to wear road clothes. On my commuter I'll wear just about anything.

In general, jeans and tshirt -- this time of year, wool base layer top and bottom, jeans, long sleeve cotton turtle neck, showerspass commuter jacket, wool socks and boots. In summer, cut off denim shorts, tshirt, sneakers. Get to work, shower there and change into work clothes.

The fact that what's clean didn't even cross my mind tells you all you need to know about my personal hygiene -- maybe more than you need to know.

Seriously though, that's an especially important point with padded bike shorts.

I guess I'm a little old school. My RT commute is 30 miles. Most days I wear cycling shorts (or pants if the weather is cold), a base layer shirt, a long-sleeve cycling jersey, and a Pearl Izumi wind breaker if needed.

To work I wear some hi-vis work clothes, long pants with a flouresent leg band. Helmet, gloves and a benie long enough to cover my ears. Go home in a pair of shorts and what the climate allows.

Levis commuter jeans..(nice and stretchy) under armor cold gear, balaclava, endura gloves, mavic shoes, fleece windbreaker jacket...at least at this time of year. In the summer shorts and a tee!

During winter I wore a merino base layer with a polyester long shirt over it, long and thick cycling bib tights, merino socks and goretex MTB shoes. A water and windproof cycling jacket, a merino balaclava, ski helmet and safety glasses. Convertible gloves/mittens with merino glove liners. During summer I wear just a t-shirt and some cycling shorts, MTB shoes, socks and helmet, safety glasses and bike gloves. My commute is 18 miles, about 1 hour bike ride.

Winter:
Long bib pants - Thermo shirt - Normal Cycling shirt - Softshell jacket + Windbreaker reflective fluovest/Rain reflective fluovest (depending on rain)
High MTB boots SPD

Summer:
Short bib pants - Cycling shirt - Windbreaker reflective fluo vest.
Low SPD shoes

this is my most useful piece of clothing in cold weather due to it's versatility and the fact that I can wear it around the office after cycling into work:

Lycra every time. This morning I was just below 60 with a wind from the SW and rain forecast, so I put on a Lycra sleeveless under shirt, and a long sleeved lycra jersey with my Nike nylon jacket over, lycra cycling shorts, Thermax tights, full finger gloves and helmet and such. I have panniers on my bike with my lunch in one side, and my work clothes (Forest Service Uniform) folded up in the other. It was HUMID and COLD, and that seems like a lot of clothes for a 58 degree morning, but the wind was gusting out of the SW and there was rain in the air. I should have put on my rain jacket, but the nylon jacket isn't as warm as the waterproof jacket is, so I wore it, and now it's sopping wet from the rain I ran into.

TractorTom in Okeechobee, FL

Do you have a washer/dryer at work? We do and it comes in super handy with wet clothes when the radiators won't do the trick