I found a nice, safe route with wide shoulders most of the way to work. It's 25 miles each way. It's the sort of distance where I would probably want some padding below my sitbones, but padded shorts are a huge inconvenience at work. I was thinking I could wear liner shorts beneath regular exercise shorts, and change out of my liner shorts during work. Do others have other strategies?

What is the dress "code" at work?

Why not just wear a proper pair of bibs, and a jersey for that matter, and change when you get to work?

^^^+1^^^

Why go second rate if you're gonna change anyway?? I tried a pair of liner shorts. They ended riding up to a "briefs" line, wadded up like straddling a pool float noodle.

I have to walk through the chemical plant to get to my office, because it's located in the middle of the site.

why not just buy some mountain bike shorts (combines the liners with the shorts and look like regular shorts)...

i'm Sure there is a solution. i can't believe there isn't a convience store or something nearby or a bathroom, bush, elevator (use the stop button), dumpster, be inventive... don't chemical plants have bathrooms?

I was a Teamster for a bunch of years. on any number of occasions I waited for the punch clock in lycra. Who cares.

Teamsters today aren't as secure as Teamsters in your day maybe? The o.p. doesn't want to be the clock that's punched is what I'm guessing...

H

I think those Tyvek coveralls fold up pretty small. Small enough to fit in a jersey pocket.

Liner shorts under baggy shorts have worked well for me, or (even better) regular bike shorts under baggy shorts. One key for comfort is to find baggy shorts that don't have a really thin, flexible fabric. The thin ones tend to ride up on me. I always wear synthetic fabric baggy shorts. They don't necessarily have to be bike-specific, and they're generally more affordable if they're not.

I use baggy shorts for my commute because I ride through questionable neighborhoods and want pockets to hold my wallet, phone, and keys on my person rather than in a bag. (Never had a problem so far thank goodness).

I wear bib shorts with a pair of regular athletic shorts over them in that situation

I changed jobs last April. Doubt much has changed in 10 months. I got my balls broke a bit. Which I deserved. Bo up and give back as good as you get.

Touring for months .. 3 pair , so clean pair every morning.. so my .02p, wear a clean pair daily ..

If for whatever reason bike shorts aren't acceptable, - even if you intend to change into something else, just wear something over them.

And… you don't have to do that for the whole ride. Just throw some regular shorts in a pannier, backpack, whatever and put them on before you have to walk through your place of business.

I've commuted for years, and 12 miles each way in Georgia summers demands cycling specific clothing for me. People seem to love to hate fit people in lycra cycling shorts and especially men with shaved legs. And I'll admit it... I'm proud of my legs. I put up with a lot of ribbing... and sometimes downright mean remarks... until one day I got some help.

I was getting some particularly unpleasant "joking" from some highly testosterone laden male coworkers one morning. The remarks were going from good natured ribbing to insulting and demeaning. Then a female coworker saw what was happening and walked over. This woman is the hottest 50 year old in the county... and every guy in the office knows it.

She said, "You shave your legs?"
Me, "Yep."

She then leaned over and slowly ran her hand from my ankle up over my calf to the back of my knee. Then she smiled and said, "Mmmmmm... some things a girl can really get into."

Now... I'm no stud... and I know that she just did it to shut the jerks up. And it worked.

Those guys stood in stunned silence as she turned and walked away. And I've never heard another word from any of them about it again.

So unless you're in an environment in which it is dangerous or wildly inappropriate to wear your cycling shorts until you get to a place to change clothes... wear those shorts proudly!

For mountain biking I wear a cycling liner under lightweight Columbia hiking shorts. I think the key to them working together is to wear a light outer cover.

I'd like to find a pair of shorts that stick close to my legs, instead of being really baggy. cut up jeans comes to mind. I have a couple of jeans that I never wear; I actually don't like jeans very much.

I found that "liners" have an awkward feel to them. I just wear bike shorts under other things.

If you can wear regular shorts on the job, take a look at J&G touring shorts. They look like running shorts, have a thin pad, are comfortable, wear well and are reasonably priced.