Commute to school anyone?

[tumbleweed77]

I commute to school and I am wondering if anyone else does as well... if so, do you wear cycling gear? I wear bike shorts, jersey, gloves and clipless shoes... but how do you get them to dry out? it's no fun putting on damp shorts, socks, gloves and jersey... normally i just put on a pair of bottoms over my bike shorts and keep the jersey on to let it dry... ( not bad for an hour or so, but for longer days?)

 

[lil bunnyFooFoo]

I commute to school and I am wondering if anyone else does as well... if so, do you wear cycling gear? I wear bike shorts, jersey, gloves and clipless shoes... but how do you get them to dry out? it's no fun putting on damp shorts, socks, gloves and jersey... normally i just put on a pair of bottoms over my bike shorts and keep the jersey on to let it dry... ( not bad for an hour or so, but for longer days?)

My last semester of College I commuted via bicycle. My trip was only 2.5 miles so I never wore any gear. I just made sure I had a comfortable seat.

What kind of distance are you talking about doing?

 

[tumbleweed77]

my commute is 15 miles each way... it's a pretty uneventful ride... only one medium size hill.

 

[lil bunnyFooFoo]

What kind of school do you go to? If it is a college or university remember that they probably have facilities so that you can shower and lock things up. That's what I would do if I were in your situation. But for those distances I would wear some gear.


Walmart sells some quality moisture wicking clothing. Shirts are only $10 each and I actually like them better than my $50 biking jersey.

 

[tumbleweed77]

I go to a university... I will have to check out the locker thing.. good idea! my jerseys are great for keeping me dry, but they get wet from my backpack... but if i could hang things up in a locker... the possibilities are endless!

 

[lil bunnyFooFoo]

I go to a university... I will have to check out the locker thing.. good idea! my jerseys are great for keeping me dry, but they get wet from my backpack... but if i could hang things up in a locker... the possibilities are endless!

As far as lockers, my school had 2 things. First was the Commuter Association. The lockers were open from like 7am to midnight. No shower facilities. The athletic center had similar hours, but the swimming pool locker room hours were slightly different and you weren't allowed to have a locker overnight.

Either way, check and see if you school has a commuter asssociation, room, ect, because that will offer you the greatest flexibility.

 

[tumbleweed77]

wow.. you've got a cool program there! I'm excited to find out what my school's got available to me as soon as the holiday weekend is over... since it's a commuter school, i would think that there would be some sort of options available to those who choose to ride in vs. drive in.

 

[frost_from_hell]

i commute to school too, but school is only about 5 km's away, so I don't have to worry about sweating all over my shirt.

 

[tumbleweed77]

Okay, I got a great response back from the equipment manager from my school... no special commuting room, but they do have lockers for general student use that I can have for the entire semester.. at no charge.. only have to buy a special lock (probably $15)... I'm going to check it out first thing tomorrow morning! I'm so excited i can't contain myself!

 

[tumbleweed77]

I got a locker! hooray! just got one of those oust mini fans so hopefully my gear will dry by the time i needed it... was bummed when i got back to my bike though, i had a sidewall flat.. thankfully my mom was able to resuce me w/ my truck rather than me having to take the bus all the way home.. it's a long ride. Also am going to have to get a second lock... found out from someone that my cable lock is not enough...

 

[lil bunnyFooFoo]

I got a locker! hooray! just got one of those oust mini fans so hopefully my gear will dry by the time i needed it... was bummed when i got back to my bike though, i had a sidewall flat.. thankfully my mom was able to resuce me w/ my truck rather than me having to take the bus all the way home.. it's a long ride. Also am going to have to get a second lock... found out from someone that my cable lock is not enough...

Cable locks are generally not enough, but depending on how high/low crime and the quality of your lock it might be ok. Also, since you now have a locker, use that opportunity to store some extra supplies, such as tubes, for these emergencies.

 

[e0richt]

I got a locker! hooray! just got one of those oust mini fans so hopefully my gear will dry by the time i needed it... was bummed when i got back to my bike though, i had a sidewall flat.. thankfully my mom was able to resuce me w/ my truck rather than me having to take the bus all the way home.. it's a long ride. Also am going to have to get a second lock... found out from someone that my cable lock is not enough...

someone mentioned that they were able to use the hand dryers in the restrooms to help dry things (including the bike shorts, I believe...)

 

[tumbleweed77]

hand dryers would be a good thing.. but would you believe that we actually don't have a one? i could see how that would work as i sometimes use a hair dryer when my clean stuff didn't dry over night...

 

[e0richt]

Walmart sells some quality moisture wicking clothing. Shirts are only $10 each and I actually like them better than my $50 biking jersey.

any more info you could give? I am intrigued...

 

[lil bunnyFooFoo]

any more info you could give? I am intrigued...

They're base layer shirts at walmart. They come in sleeveless, short sleeve and long sleeve varieties.

That's all the detail I can give, really.

 

[e0richt]

They're base layer shirts at walmart. They come in sleeveless, short sleeve and long sleeve varieties.

That's all the detail I can give, really.

there is no brand name to look for?

 

[motorex259]

i really wished my home was more than 2.4 miles away from my school....

yay, finally someone who actually commutes to school!

i just use 2 locks for my bike, i dont really care...

everyone at my school thinks bmx's are lowriders, that must mean my specialized HR sport disc is the nissan SKYLINE of bikes! (at my school....)

my school has alot of places that are steep and perfect places to do MTB BMX'ing. (IF YOU DONT GET CAUGHT BY ANYONE THAT CAN GET YOU SUSPENDED.)

 

[garage sale GT]

My school's gym said anyone can actually use the shower and lockers. Why don't you ask at yours?

I guess I have a small campus though. If there's no other way, you could leave the house after showering to keep the bacteria count low, and simply walk around for 15 min in lieu of a shower so at least you'd be dry......or just go slower near the end.

 

[tumbleweed77]

My college is about 40,000 students so kind of in the middle for size... I was able to check out a locker for the semester.. only thing you have to pay for is the $5 lock once. we are allowed to use the showers and such too, though I don't... I just wear my bike clothes and change at school and use baby wipes if i got sweaty. my clothes normally dry in time for the return home since i'm able to hang them up in my small short locker... i cheat and keep a second lock in my locker and put my shoes, helmet and all the stuff i take off my bike in a second smaller locker so that it all drys out too... I still lock my bike w/ a cable and u lock which i keep in my locker as well... along w/ shoes, clothes, sweat shirt... it works out well. It took a while in the beginning to get everything organized.. but for sure, if there's a will, there's a way.... right now i'm exploring different routes cause there is no great way getting through the city my school's in cause the roads are really bad and so is the traffic, once i'm outside of the city into others it gets better, though now i'm trying to dodge construction.

 

[Elkhound]

I go to a university... I will have to check out the locker thing.. good idea! my jerseys are great for keeping me dry, but they get wet from my backpack... but if i could hang things up in a locker... the possibilities are endless!

Backpack? Get some decent panniers or at least a rack trunk for your bike. They make some that have a strap so they can convert to a shoulderbag when you take them off.

Panniers can also contain repair supplies so that you can fix a flat yourself.

I presume that your tires are SLIMED? They also make tire liners of Kevlar, the same stuff they make bullet-proof vests from. Between Kevlar and SLIME, you will be pretty much flat-proofed unless you run over a nail or something like that.