Avoiding the sweat monster!

[Debian]

How do most cycle commuters deal with this?

I have to wear a suit and tie at work. When I arrive at work I'm usually sweating fairly well and could not wear my work attire whilst cycling for this reason as well as the fact that my clothes would be ruined by road dirt and oily chains.

If I pack my work clothes in a rucksack or similar then they're a crumpled heap when I come to put them on. So I have to keep a stock of clean shirts, underwear, socks, etc. at the office.

Finally, there's no way that I could do a days work after cycling in without having a shower first and this all takes extra time and inconvenience so I have to arrive at least a half hour before I'd otherwise need to. It also means I have to either carry with me, or leave in the office, towels, shampoo, etc, etc.

Now I do put up with all of this and do commute by bike but I really wish there was a more convenient and comfortable way.

How do others deal with this?

 

[Debian]

How do most cycle commuters deal with this?

I have to wear a suit and tie at work. When I arrive at work I'm usually sweating fairly well and could not wear my work attire whilst cycling for this reason as well as the fact that my clothes would be ruined by road dirt and oily chains.

If I pack my work clothes in a rucksack or similar then they're a crumpled heap when I come to put them on. So I have to keep a stock of clean shirts, underwear, socks, etc. at the office.

Finally, there's no way that I could do a days work after cycling in without having a shower first and this all takes extra time and inconvenience so I have to arrive at least a half hour before I'd otherwise need to. It also means I have to either carry with me, or leave in the office, towels, shampoo, etc, etc.

Now I do put up with all of this and do commute by bike but I really wish there was a more convenient and comfortable way.

How do others deal with this?

 

[gavintc]

Leave your suit, tie and shoes etc at work and only take shirt, undies and socks in a day sack. I find that if you carry a weeks load of shirts on a Monday, the creases will shake out during the week.

As for showers - it is one of the penalties if you have a commute of more than a couple of miles. But, you would have had a shower at home, so you are just moving the time it takes in the morning to slightly later. I find that a cycle then a shower at works really refreshes me for the day ahead.

 

[gavintc]

Leave your suit, tie and shoes etc at work and only take shirt, undies and socks in a day sack. I find that if you carry a weeks load of shirts on a Monday, the creases will shake out during the week.

As for showers - it is one of the penalties if you have a commute of more than a couple of miles. But, you would have had a shower at home, so you are just moving the time it takes in the morning to slightly later. I find that a cycle then a shower at works really refreshes me for the day ahead.

 

[Moodyman]

Hello Debia,

Sweat can't be avoided if you have a decent commute - say 3 miles or more, especially if you have some climbs.

I'm blessed at my work - we have secure weather-free cycle parking & heated lockers plus decent showers.

All cyclists at my work come in cycle gear (lycra) and change at work after their shower. You will need to drive in or catch public transport every couple of weeks and leave your gear there. Otherwise you'll have to carry your suit everyday and it'll get creased in the bag.

By wearing dedicated cycle gear you'll enjoy your commute more and not give a damn about getting dirty. The downside with dedicated cycle gear is the initial outlay - it is expensive getting lycra pants, windproof jacket, mid layer, base layer, overshoes, etc.

Regarding getting up early to shower & change at work - it's negligible. Ordinarily I would shower before leaving the house. By cycling, I shower when I get to work - either way, I shower. No real time lost there.

The advantage? I'd have to commute anyway, but by cycling I get two hours exercise daily. As a result, I've not renewed my gym membership - £374 per year. This is the equivalent to my new bike & all my gear.

 

[Moodyman]

Hello Debia,

Sweat can't be avoided if you have a decent commute - say 3 miles or more, especially if you have some climbs.

I'm blessed at my work - we have secure weather-free cycle parking & heated lockers plus decent showers.

All cyclists at my work come in cycle gear (lycra) and change at work after their shower. You will need to drive in or catch public transport every couple of weeks and leave your gear there. Otherwise you'll have to carry your suit everyday and it'll get creased in the bag.

By wearing dedicated cycle gear you'll enjoy your commute more and not give a damn about getting dirty. The downside with dedicated cycle gear is the initial outlay - it is expensive getting lycra pants, windproof jacket, mid layer, base layer, overshoes, etc.

Regarding getting up early to shower & change at work - it's negligible. Ordinarily I would shower before leaving the house. By cycling, I shower when I get to work - either way, I shower. No real time lost there.

The advantage? I'd have to commute anyway, but by cycling I get two hours exercise daily. As a result, I've not renewed my gym membership - £374 per year. This is the equivalent to my new bike & all my gear.

 

[BrumJim]

Half an hour to shower? Practice, time yourself, use CYCLOGS and buy yourself a shower computer, and you should be able to get this down to 10 minutes. It will take practice, and will be difficult to start with, but once you get the hang of it, get a rhythm going and review where you can shave off precious minutes, the time you take will drop dramatically.

Seriously, though:

If you roll your clothes rather than fold them. Then put them in a plastic bag (even more important if you polish your shoes regularly), and they should be very wearable when you get to work.

 

[BrumJim]

Half an hour to shower? Practice, time yourself, use CYCLOGS and buy yourself a shower computer, and you should be able to get this down to 10 minutes. It will take practice, and will be difficult to start with, but once you get the hang of it, get a rhythm going and review where you can shave off precious minutes, the time you take will drop dramatically.

Seriously, though:

If you roll your clothes rather than fold them. Then put them in a plastic bag (even more important if you polish your shoes regularly), and they should be very wearable when you get to work.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Slow down for the last mile to work, and any sweat built up will (mostly) evaporate.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Slow down for the last mile to work, and any sweat built up will (mostly) evaporate.

 

[potsy]

are you wearing moisture wicking layers? If not that would help reduce it.
My trouble is the only real hill on my 9 miler is at the 7.5 mile point so don't have much chance to 'cool down' as such.

 

[potsy]

are you wearing moisture wicking layers? If not that would help reduce it.
My trouble is the only real hill on my 9 miler is at the 7.5 mile point so don't have much chance to 'cool down' as such.

 

[thomas]

I used to do a 13 and 15 mile commute, just showered at home...when I got to work I'd open the windows and turn the fan on full and aim it at me, when I was cooled down I'd go change.

No shower, but would wash my face with some water.

 

[thomas]

I used to do a 13 and 15 mile commute, just showered at home...when I got to work I'd open the windows and turn the fan on full and aim it at me, when I was cooled down I'd go change.

No shower, but would wash my face with some water.

 

[Debian]

Half an hour to shower? Practice, time yourself, use CYCLOGS and buy yourself a shower computer, and you should be able to get this down to 10 minutes. It will take practice, and will be difficult to start with, but once you get the hang of it, get a rhythm going and review where you can shave off precious minutes, the time you take will drop dramatically.

Seriously, though:

If you roll your clothes rather than fold them. Then put them in a plastic bag (even more important if you polish your shoes regularly), and they should be very wearable when you get to work.

Shower time at work is inevitably much greater than at home. By the time I've collected my towel, change of clothes, toiletries, trudged to the shower, showered, dressed, walked back to office, put cycling clothes away it's a good half hour. At home everything is to hand, I just fall out of bed, into shower and back out; everything's to hand and it takes me ten minutes. So with the best will in the world a work shower is 20 minutes longer than at home

There's no way I can get all sweaty and then be comfortable at work without a shower, hair is the worst, sweaty, lanky, helmet-head which then dries to an unkempt greasy-looking mess!

Rolling clothes is a good tip, I'd forgotten that one from my camping days.