Sweaty cycling gear in the office...

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tadpole

Senior Member
Location
St George
I'm not one to take it easy on my cycle in to work, and carrying a backpack I'm suffering from sweaty back syndrome. I already opted for the breathable/mesh style padding backpack which hasn't helped, presumably my intensity isn't helping. While my place of work has some great facilities (bike rack, teeny tiny lockers, shower room) there isn't anywhere obvious to hang clothes to dry other than the office coat rack.

I'm conscious that my clothes hanging from the desk is unsightly and might making the office smell, and while colleagues haven't complained yet, I think the time will come...

How do you air your sweaty jersey/shorts out at work without dedicated drying facilities without giving colleague grief?
Have a kindly word with your onsite facilities team and see if they have a boiler room or void space access room where you can hand your gear to dry out of the way.
 

MickeyBlueEyes

Eat, Sleep, Ride, Repeat.
Location
Derbyshire
Coat hanger/s on locker door does me. Unless there is company policy that states you shouldn't hang your top over your chair then I see nothing wrong with it. My colleagues expect to see my stuff hanging up and I don't know any if them who would kick up a fuss about it either. I personally think two sets of kit for one days commuting is way OTT.
 

martint235

Dog on a bike
Location
Welling
I have a coat stand next to my desk where my towel hangs and my cycling kit goes when I'm changed out of it. I've warned colleagues to use other coat stands if they value the scent of their clothing and mostly they do. Senior management have expressed concern in the past and even provided lockers (of the 2ft by 1ft variety) which I said weren't fit for use for damp cycling kit. There was a standoff period for a while and eventually I was asked what kind of locker it would take for me to move my kit out of the centre of the office. I provided specifications and even suppliers. Just waiting for news that it's been ordered now, doubt it has though.
 

vickster

Squire
What's special about one of those?
They don't smell like synthetic fabrics but you need a good one. You can wear more than once before needing to wash

As potsy...that's why you need a good one (my Rohan one doesn't itch at all but cheap Mountain Warehouse does...the former costs twice as much, go figure)

If you are spending £40-50 on merino, you could spend £50-70 on the rack and bag (roadbike, might need a beam rack or p clips)
 
OP
OP
confusedcyclist

confusedcyclist

Veteran
Need to get myself one of those then! :smile:
 

w00hoo_kent

One of the 64K
If the lockers have a decent drop (and are allocated) then you could stick a pole in there and hang the clothes inside. I have to hang stuff in the office as nowhere away from it is considered secure.
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
Carrying stuff on the bike will help with sweaty back syndrome. Taking a plastic bag for the morning jersey and a fresh top for the ride back means you are not stinking out the office.
 

TheJDog

dingo's kidneys
You are gross. Do you have no consideration for your fellow workers? What impression does it give should senior managers or clients or others visit your premises? I would put a stop to you hanging your smelly cycling kit if you hung it anywhere where I worked. Get your self a rack and panniers, a dry bag / plastic bag to put your sweaty wet jerseys shorts etc when you change out of them when you arrive at work. Take a 2nd set of clean dry kit to change into for your ride home. Jeese!

Well that seems like a whole load of washing no one wants to do.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Carrying stuff on the bike will help with sweaty back syndrome. Taking a plastic bag for the morning jersey and a fresh top for the ride back means you are not stinking out the office.

Finally another cyclist who considers how their choice of travel might affect others and deals with it. Whoooo whoooo! There is some hope.

And on a point of order, why do some cyclists who commute to work think they are owed showers, etc? You are not. If you have them great lucky you, but because you haven't you can still manage. Should car drivers who don't have air con in their cars or those who travel by bus on very hot days be entitled to showers? Or those who get soaked when it rains walking to work be able to change and hang up all their clothes including smalls to dry? Certainly not, the work place would resemble a laundry. Who is going to pay for and maintain all these showers plus the cost of water and electricity? Great if your type of business can support this such as a laundry, but many businesses or employers can't or won't. As a cyclist I don't feel I am owed anything. All I want is to be able to ride my bike without being crashed into or knocked down and killed. The rest is a bonus. Deal with your dressing arrangements. Having wet cycling gear, shorts and towels hanging around work places unless they are well out of sight for example in a boiler or drying room is gross and gives such a bad impression. I try to inconvenience as a few people as possible. I wouldn't want my cycling gear hanging up around a work place as my senior managers, even if they are cyclists as some are, wouldn't like it and neither would my colleagues or clients.
 
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