Communting to work! Awesome! But now I stink and my work clothes R wrinkled :( Nasty!

equality7

I've been trying to find a better way myself, but my routine sounds much the same as the others.

Clean clothes go in a garbage bag to protect from wetness; washcloth with travel bottle of body wash and deoderant goes into a plastic grocery bag (Where the washcloth and bike clothes get tied up for the day. ewwww). I usually pack lunch with high powered food since my food choices are limited at work. Add the shoes, belt, ID, etc. into the backpack and I'm loaded down for my 19 mile trip.

Has anybody used any of the special clothes bags that mount and fold over the back wheel?

Fatherzen

I have one of the garment bag style panniers out in the garage. It folds over the rack and removes fairly easily for taking it inside and hanging up. I only use it for inspections and dress uniforms.

It works pretty well, but I had problems from time to time with the zipper.

I cannot, unfortunately, tell you the brand name of the one I have is because I am currently a couple thousand miles away from my garage. I believe that it was the Twosheelgear Garment bag. (http://www.twowheelgear.com)

garage sale GT

How about rinsing the sweaty clothes and hanging them up somewhere? I even saw a miniature washing (laundry) machine in an ad but can't recall what it was called.

e0richt

I don't get it, I have driven in older cars that didn't have a working a/c. There were time where I was stuck in traffic during some hot days where I got sweaty but I didn't worry about this.

basically, I use one of the sinks with paper towels to wash up and also use paper towels to dry off, comb my wetted hair. use some baby wipes under the arms and change into my work clothes. No odor problem because I haven't cleaned up by the time I get home and if I stunk, my wife would tell me in no uncertain terms... of course, I do work in an office so there is air conditioning (not for the employees but to protect the computer equipment....)

TheBoyBilly

I'm going to try to part-commute on my Langster. My idea is to get a cheap ironing board and travel iron (to keep in my locker) and take my shirts as and when I need them. The wet-wipe tip sounds good too with a bit of deoderant spray. I'll let you know how I get on. My uniform jacket and trousers can stay at work and be cleaned at the local cleaners (I get given free vouchers). I can get a cheapo Iron and board for £17 from Argo/Robert Dyas which will easily be saved by using my bike instead of the car etc.

e0richt

ok, I have ridden in wearing my work clothes with bike shorts underneath. One thing that I found out is clean up but leave the bike shorts on underneath until you have "dried out" a bit. It makes things more comfortable because you don't get "swamp a$$" as one of the previous posters described it because bike shorts will wick the moisture out. when you have cooled down then you can change and you shouldn't feel too much different than when you drove the car in...

Don Shipp

This, of course, makes the shorts damp.
I dry mine off by putting them on top of my computer monitor.

It's the people who arive by public transport who really need a shower and change of clothes at work.

__________________
"Boudreaux pissed me off, what should I do?"
"Nothing, just shut up and take his advice."

JOHN J

hello stinky in st pete.

Im in NY not so hot in the morning 37 deg this am WTF!! But in the summer its pretty warm and humid.

my commute is 19 Mile and I dress office casual dockers so here is what works for me...

1) wear wicking clothing! no need to spend $$$ on cycling jerseys. Xmart 100% polester T shirts work fine and there cheap. I bought several 100% polester golf shirts from TJ Max for 11.00 each . these shirts will keep you pretty dry.

2) Cycling shorts will keep your bottom dry and rash free in the warm months.
Im a big guy and I wear them. BTW you dont wear underwear with them!
cotton drawers just keep you wet when you sweat ,wet = stink and rash.

3) fresh sweat does not stink, only after it pools and lingers does it get smelly (starts growing bacteria),SO if you wear Polester clothes youll have very little sweat sticking around after the ride ,just a quick wipe down and some deoderant and your good.

4) the only real issue I have is my hair gets real sweaty (helmet), I wash it in the mens room in the sink ,towel dry and brush..

5) I carry all my clothes with me , I keep one pair of shoes at the office for days I ride. but I carry pants , shirt, sox ,underwear.

thats it brother, this routine works for me no shower at work and I plenty clean and smell fine after 19 Mile.

"John"

e0richt

not any more than if you changed immediately, Im not talking all day, maybe an half hour to hour should let you get cooled down... you can still use the monitor for the rest of the day to dry the shorts out...

Raleighroader

I have commuted 13 to 17 miles to work regularly for the past few years, and want to convey what has worked for me, when I didn't have access to a shower at work.

I pre-position my work clothes at the office, along with a good supply of wet wipes.

Upon waking up, I shower before leaving. This guarantees that except for new sweat, I am going to be clean when I arrive. Then I ride to work in cycling clothes.

Once there, I hang up my cycling clothes on hooks and hangers on the back of my office door. They will dry through the day and be ready for reuse when I ride home.

I then go to a private place (I can close my office door, but if I couldn't, I would use the bathroom) and wet-wipe myself completely down. Private parts and underarms get priority.

Then I dress. Saved for last, I now wet my hair completely with tap water, and towel-dry it with paper towels. I brush my hair, and I am good for the day, just as fresh as if I had showered after arrival.

Because of the length of my commute, I usually only do it every other day. On the off-day, I take in fresh clothes and take home my used clothes.

slcbob1

On the "smelling better" piece, all the courses of action have been laid out in this thread already:
- air off & baby wipe
- go slower and don't sweat so much in the first place
- find a shower
Or course, you can blend the three. Beyond that, it's a personal problem

But on the packing side, here's two tid bits I haven't seen mentioned lately.

1) Travel stores, REI, etc. have these packing gizmos. I know Eagle Creek makes some of them. They're like big velcro envelopes that you fold your clothes into, then carry them flat-packed. There are a number of different sizes, I guess to dial the mix btween your bag size, your clothes size, and how many folds. I've found the medium one fits in my pannier or my messenger bag, and works very very well. Better than the roll technique, which is my next favorite. I do note that in either method, leaving the clothes in the cleaner bag seems to make them more likely to slip than crease, and is a decent supplemental technique.

2) Cheap portable closet, like at Bed Bath & Baubles or Lines & Things, for around $20-$30. I parked mine in an empty storage cube, and keep a whole wardrobe in there. I use the dry cleaners near my work instead of home. The stuff stays there.

Good luck with all the issues. Particularly that odor one

Camilo

Perfect advice - FOLLOW IT! Especialy the part of showering before the commute. Raises the cleanliness/odor-free baseline from which you start, if that makes sense. Use your normal anti-perspirant deodrant.

The only thing I'd add is talcum powder. I use a brand called "Shower to Shower Body Powder". I also call it "camping shower". Seriously, it is a fairly mild smell (I don't mind it and I don't use fragrence of any kind). I powder myself liberally with it, particularly the armpits and corresponding area where the legs meet the torso, front and back.

This stuff works great and actually makes me feel much cleaner as well as neutralizing odor and replacing it with a fresh, but not strong, scent.

You can put this on before the commute as well.

If I dont' have access to water, I try to let myself air dry, or towel off the sweat w/ paper or cloth towel ( a cloth towel is easy to carry on a bike), then sprinkle on the powder. I genuinely think works.

Another strategy I have for air drying is to keep an "interim T-shirt" available. Take off my biking shirt, put on the T shirt (or a nice polo shirt or such thing). After 15 or 20 minutes working in the T-shirt, I change into the dress shirt (or go through the powdering/clothes changing routine above). The T shirt serves as a socially acceptable alternative to air-drying bare chested.