CatJim

I wasn't sure if here or commuting was a better place. I chose hear as it isn't a regular commute.

Does anyone have tips for getting to a business or social event? Basically, how do you not show up needing a shower to a date or a company happy hour or similar?

Also part of it would be securing something like a laptop while you are at the event?

holytrousers

Hi CatJim , don't worry about it, with minimum higiene you'll do just fine
Put your laptop in a backpack and have it with you. That will always be the safest way to carry a laptop.

wipekitty

Totally depends on the time of year, location, and distance you need to travel.

Laptop is easy - I just keep mine in a messenger bag. If you're worried about fashion, there are some fairly professional-looking messenger bags suitable for people of all genders. It's no different than someone who carries a big purse around an event.

If it's hot or I'm traveling a significant distance, I'll carry formal clothes/shoes in my messenger bag, get to the venue early, change, and wipe off in the bathroom with witch hazel. Short distances and/or cooler weather are no big deal; I just ride in normal clothes, or, if it's a bit of a ride, I'll wear some liner shorts under my normal clothes. Again, the approach depends in part on the venue and location. Happy hour at a bar in the rural Midwest is gonna look different from a fine-dining date in an East Coast city.

noisebeam

In the summer you may need to take a taxi or public transport.

Bikewolf

It can be done.

Digger Goreman

Long ago, as a g.i., used a folding, hanging bag. As an educator, fold shirt lengthwise, lay on similarly folded pants, and rolled from bottom to top, placed in pannier/rack luggage. Birdbath in the water closet while changing... good to go.

wsgts

Here in Florida, where is hot this time of year, I would just leave my bike here in the office (locked up in my actual office), catch a ride with someone else to the venue then Uber/Lyft back to the office. If it's closer to home, I go home first, get ready and either drive the family jeep or get a ride another way (Uber/Lyft) from there. We have no public transport to speak of here.

Retfor

one word: ebike.

Jim from Boston

Getting to a business or social event

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatJim

I wasn't sure if here or commuting was a better place. I chose hear as it isn't a regular commute.

Does anyone have tips for getting to a business or social event? Basically, how do you not show up needing a shower to a date or a company happy hour or similar?

Also part of it would be securing something like a laptop while you are at the event?

Quote:

Originally Posted by noisebeam

In the summer you may need to take a taxi or public transport.

I’m a decades-long year-round commuter, 14 miles one way, here in Metro Boston. In my job I work pretty much solo, dressed in surgical scrubs, and I clean up before I leave home, so day-to-day presentation is no big deal.

However, if I need to get to an IMPORTANT business function, or social event, sometimes work-related, even black tie, I’ll just take more conventional transportation, because if I ride, I ride hard.

I have posted:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

… My cycling reputation, mundane as my cycling might be to the hard-core cyclists, is always a source of amusement and conversation with my friends and acquaintances; e.g. in bad weather, “You didn’t ride your bike today, did you?,” or at fancy social events, “Did you ride your bike here?.” Always asked with amusement and respect.

in fact when my wife and I go dancing dressed to the nines, we could take a subway, but prefer to drive.

If an event is important enough to be concerned with appearance, cycling just adds another hassle to attendance, and a perfunctory bathroom cleanup is not sufficient for me to feel comfortable.

curieux88

things like uber or public transit. I'm (soon to be) committed to living car free. It does not mean I will never use automobiles. It simply means I will never own a car. I'm still down to use uber/taxi/PB, and rent a car, if necessary.