EnsitMike

Just had a question for some of you who are true commuters. I'm easing into the commuter side of cycling just because I love to ride whether it is competitive or cruising. I'm enjoying it for trips to the store, dinner, the pub, or whatever it might be but I never feel fresh. This is one thing that is holding me back from commuting to work. How do you all commute to work and not feel like you need to hit the showers the second you arrive?

I don't know if it is the mediterranean climate here in California or my genes, but fresh is not what I am post-commute.

GhostSS

I'm lucky enough to have a shower at work and I also bring a change of clothes. At the very least I have a change of shirt and just wash my face if I'm too lazy. Although I do live in Hawaii, most people are used to seeing each other slightly sweaty, it's always warm and most homes don't have central AC.

Also office full of men = hygiene not as huge of a priority. Bed head, casual clothing, flip flops (a Hawaiian thing) and unshaven faces are kinda normal.

Shahmatt

My commute to work is around 4 miles.

I try to keep my speed to strictly cruising, slow and easy. I don't aim for speed, but I do try to time myself so that I reach the next traffic light when it turns green. Restarting after having stopped takes more energy, so anticipation is everything.

I do not try to avoid sweating. In tropical Singapore sweating is impossible to avoid. But a take-it-easy ride results in me only having to change my sports tshirt when done and nothing else. I wear office grade cotton pants and regular black shoes when riding anyway so I don't change that.

Once I reach the office I head to the washrooms and use a towel and water from the sink to do a proper upper body wipe down. Rinse and repeat as necessary. I change to a shirt and start my day.

My legs don't sweat very much so I've never felt the need to change trousers. But there's no reason why the towel method won't work for a full body wipe down. You don't need showers if you've got a wet towel to do the job.

rtwilli4

I live in London so it's rarely warm enough for me to sweat. In winter I ride as fast as I can to stay warm and in summer I ride slower to keep from breaking a sweat. Half the year the temps are perfect, cool enough to keep from sweating but warm enough to be comfortable. I keep plenty of clothes at work, along with stuff to wash up and brush my teeth, etc. No shower but a wet rag and face wash go a long way.

NOS88

I'm one of those folks who perspires just thinking about heat, and have no shower at work. I've found that unscented baby wipes, fresh deodorant and fresh clothes work for me. The trick is to cool down before using those three things.

AusTexMurf

Don't really worry about it in Austin, Tx or elsewhere.
Hot most of the time in ATX. Ride all of the time.
Shower most mornings. Tom's natural deodorant, if any.
I wear organic patchouli and rosemary oils.
Eat fresh foods, drink LOTS of water.
Hope for the best smell possible as an outdoor, active human bean.
Don't really care that much what others think anyway.
Works for me.

chaadster

The two most important things have been mentioned above already: to moderate your pace to avoid getting really hot, and to wash up AFTER a period of cool down.

What that means to me in practice is that I have to leave sufficiently early to accommodate both the slower pace and a little time outside for cool down. Once I head into the restroom, I carry a loop-knit microfiber cloth and antibacterial soap to wash my upper body with in cold water.

Let me highlight the need for a loop knit microfiber: smooth surface microfibers foam too much and are hard to rinse the soap out of for the final body rinse and drying. Loop knit makes it fast, and of course microfiber is excellent for drying after wringing.

Also, the antibacterial soap, though I know it's bad for the environment in a general sense, is very good at neutralizing the bacteria that cause odor on your body, and is really much more effective at restoring freshness in the work restroom than say, Dr. Bronner's castille soap, which is what I use at home and is great, but requires getting into the shower already cool, and a lot of sudsing and rinsing to do the job.

Loop knit microfiber and antibacterial gel soap: magic combo!

spivonious

I give myself 15 minutes to cool down (and down 16-24 ounces of water), then change clothes, towel off, and do the unscented wipes thing. Maybe not out-of-the-shower fresh, but not covered in sweat either. No complaints from the co-workers yet. It's really only a few months a year that I need to worry about it here in PA. It's usually cool enough to minimize sweat in the mornings, even in August.

tarwheel 

We have showers at work, so I wash up as soon as I reach the office. I doubt that I would bike commute if we didn't have showers, altho I might at least try the "sink bathing" method. I sweat a lot, even in winter with morning temps in the 20-30 F range most of the time. My commute is also 15+ miles and takes about an hour each way, so slowing down is not an option. I don't have time for a 1-1/2 hour commute each way, or at least I am not willing to commit that much time. My commute route is also very hilly, and summers are hot and humid, so slowing down won't really stop the sweating.

imi

A good long cold shower before setting off makes quite a difference I find... builds character too!

David Bierbaum

I'm one of the unlucky few who sweats buckets. My only consolation is that at least my exercise sweat doesn't smell, unlike my more usual at-rest nervous sweat. So going somewhere by bike leaves me ironically fresher than after I've stopped and "percolated" for a while...

MattFoley

I shower at work every day, except (casual) Fridays...Those days I just ride in my casual work clothes. I shower before I leave and, even though I'm a little sweaty when I arrive, I'm fine after a few minutes of cool down. I find that if I'm dripping sweat, then I definitely need a shower, but if I'm just a little heated up and slightly sweaty, I'm fine. Wearing wool and synthetics, rather than cotton, whenever possible also helps. Wool won't get smelly and synthetics dry quickly...cotton takes forever to dry, which contributes to that "unfresh" feeling.

FWIW, my commute is 7.5 miles with 450 feet of climbing, which I usually ride on a fixed gear (72 GI). It's all about pacing and managing your effort so you don't heat up too much.

Coluber42

It really depends on what kind of office environment you work in. If it's a relatively casual environment, you can probably just change your shirt if you need to, and some days you might not even need to.

I work for myself now, so I can dress however I want. But I used to work at a job with other people. It was a very casual atmosphere and I could wear whatever. I always rode my bike to work, which was about 8mi each way, and I never, ever changed clothes or anything. At most, in the summer I'd grab a paper towel and wipe off some of the sweat when I got it, but that was it.

I do ride my bike to music gigs where I have to be dressed up. If they're far or if it's raining, I change when I get there, which I can do in about three minutes. If they're close and the weather is decent, I'll sometimes ride in my concert clothes. I try not to do that too much though, because I don't want my concert pants to end up with a saddle mark on the butt.

But other than that, I just live with getting sweaty sometimes. I ride my bike everywhere I ever go just about; I don't even have a drivers' license. There is no way I'm going to worry about showering every time I go to the grocery store. A little sweat won't hurt anyone.

The one thing that is a bit of a drag is if I sweat in my jacket in the winter, and then come in and sit at my desk while the sweat dries, I get pretty chilly. Same thing in the summer if I'm sweaty and then come inside where the AC is really high. But mostly I just figure that if that's the biggest source of physical discomfort in my daily life, I'm so far ahead of most of humanity for most of human history that I shouldn't complain.

tigerteeuwen

Not sure what your planning on doing for packing, aka a backpack or panniers.

panniers really help though keep cool, keeps the pack off your back, or if you want to stay with a backpack there is a few that have well ventilated backs.

mstraus

I shower at work when I arrive. Luckily we have bike storage and a shower in the office so its really easy for me. If not I don't know if I would have started bike commuting.

I know a lot of people that bike commute and joined a gym nearby for the shower. They bike in, go to the gym and shower, then go to the office. This works well in big cities where there is likely a gym within a couple blocks of your office, but might be harder to do in the suburbs.

I also know a lot of people that bike commute and don't shower. They typically have shorter/less strenuous commutes (no big climbs) and keep the pace slow. I have done a multi-modal commute without showering, bus and then bike which is all flat. keep the pace down and you don't sweat to much.

If you only sweat a bit, baby wipes work pretty well to clean up and not stink.

cplager

This can work very well as long as you're clean before you ride. So shower, ride in, and then do this. (Sweat doesn't smell. Old sweat smells.)

EnsitMike

Showers at work, that's great! Looks like the options are limited. When I used to fight we would wipe down with rubbing alcohol after because we would get a lot of eachothers' sweat on ourselves. I may just go that route over soap and sink. Don't know if I'm going to be able to be a serious commuter though. The appeal at first was that it was less maintenance than driving but that might not be so true.

PatrickGSR94

My base layer is usually soaked by the time I get to work, even when it's below freezing outside! That's after 70-80 minutes of riding, so I don't need to go any slower! Luckily there is a shower at work.

Mark Stone

↑↑↑↑ This is what I do also, except it's about 7-1/2 miles. I save the high-energy riding for the trip home, or other rides. Chaadster mentioned it in post 7 also.

FBinNY 

I don't know if it's possible in LA, but the trick is to under dress. Under dressing so you're cool (not cold) for the ride prevents excess sweating. I dress to be about right at a mile into my ride, which starts out uphill slightly. Once I'm warmed up I'm OK, and the breeze keeps me cool enough all the way.

Ironically, I sweat and get to work wet worse in the winter, where all the added clothing costs me the breathability that keeps me dry. Plus NY winters (especially this one) are unforgiving of being underdressed, in case I get a flat and have to walk, or because of the difference AM/PM temps.

I also leave a towel, and multiple changes of clothing at work, using a messenger bag or the USPS to send my laundry back and forth weekly. (local USPS Priority Mail rates are super cheap) I also use them to ferry entire changes of clothing on multi-week tours. in the USA.

zacster

I do a complete change of clothes, and wash myself off with towels. My ride is 10 miles with a few modest climbs, but my mantra is "Steady, not Sweaty" as I go up. I end up a little damp when I get to work, but not too bad, except in summer, where the humidity climbs to 100%. There is a gym with showers in the office, but I'm not a member. My badge gets me in though from a prior need so I've snuck a few showers in when I'm really ripe.

PatrickGSR94

Whenever I'm trying to not get so worn out when climbing a big hill, I always seem to get that Eagles song in my head "Take it easssssssyyyyyy, take it easssssssyyyyyy"

MMACH 5

I live east of Dallas and work west of Dallas. I have a 52-mile round-trip commute and summer is my favorite time of year.

Three things that work for me:
1. Be clean, before leaving the house.
2. Baby wipes.
3. Hair short enough to wash in the bathroom sink.

Baby wipes are for my pits and my junk.

I'm not a crazy heavy sweater. One of my buddies is and I can't imagine him commuting, if he didn't have a shower at the office.

wipekitty

I used to do 7.5 miles one way in south Alabama on a fixed gear with a climb at the very end.

I showered right before I left and brought a clean shirt and a towel. Once I got in, I'd wait a few minutes for the sweat to stop, wipe the sweat off, and go wash my face. Nobody ever complained. The only gross part was putting on the nasty shirt for the ride home (I didn't want to do THAT much laundry!)

I couldn't agree more!

MMACH 5

Yes. And like wipekitty says, a change of clothes for the office makes a big difference. I hang my cycling gear from hooks under my desk to air out and dry before putting it on for the ride home.