Commuting to work - Body Odor



haagen

New Member
Nov 29, 2003
3
0
0
I'm considering starting the commute to work on my bike. I work in an office and I'm a bit concerned about the body odor issue. Obviously i'll take a change of clothes and deorodent but I was wondering if there where any other tips and tricks that ppl have come up with ?
 
Originally posted by haagen
I'm considering starting the commute to work on my bike. I work in an office and I'm a bit concerned about the body odor issue. Obviously i'll take a change of clothes and deorodent but I was wondering if there where any other tips and tricks that ppl have come up with ?

Washcloth and soap & water for a quick rubdown of the most important parts.
 
Have a shower before you set off in the morning, then wipe yourself down at work. Fresh sweat doesn't smell, so as long as you've showered before your ride you should be fine.

Either soap and a washcloth, or some ready-moistened baby wipes should do the trick of removing most of the sweat. Of course, you'll be best off taking it easy on the way in to work so you don't arrived totally dripping with sweat; if you want to push it a bit harder, save it for the ride home.
 
Baby wipes or/and towlettes, fresh street/work clothes for when you arrive at work, fresh/clean cycling clothes to wear while riding in. Wearing rancid cycling shorts will transfer more odors than almost anything else.

Some people take it easy on the way in to work and then crank a hard workout on the way home.
 
1. though it may be weird....shave your armpit hair. alot of odor will be eliminated when you dont have that hair to soak it up

2. I use "liquid rock" deoderant by "kiss my face". It kills bacteria that cause the odor, plus it has no scent, plus it contains no aluminum chlorohydrate - the key ingredient in most
anti-persperints which is not good for your liver.
 
I'd go with treebound's suggestions. They sound very ideal. You can leave baby wipes in the office and you can carry some as well.
I also like the suggestion of taking it easy in the morning and cranking it hard on the way home...sounds very good...time to hit the road to work! Thanks treebound!
 
Hello

I've been searching trhe archives, and this is the most relevant thread I can find.
Does anyone have any tips for keeping work clothes crease free on the commute?
 
dpc1l said:
Hello

I've been searching trhe archives, and this is the most relevant thread I can find.
Does anyone have any tips for keeping work clothes crease free on the commute?

Roll them instead of folding them.
 
That makes sense - thanks a lot. Now to work out a route and go for a practice run. I worked it out on the AA's website, and it's abnout 11miles each way! I think that's a bit too far to do everyday. Any ideas how long that would take in rush hour London, anybody?
 
dpc1l said:
That makes sense - thanks a lot. Now to work out a route and go for a practice run. I worked it out on the AA's website, and it's abnout 11miles each way! I think that's a bit too far to do everyday. Any ideas how long that would take in rush hour London, anybody?
I've just started commuting 7miles each way into the centre of London. No hills as such, takes about 30 mins if not pushing it. I would work on 4 miles a minute taking it steady and taking into account rush hour traffic. Having witnessed some other cyclists, rush hour traffic doesn't seem to slow them down at all but I find it takes longer on the way back (5-6pm) than on the way in (7am).
 
Thanks a lot for your advice!
I have just been away, so haven't had my practice run yet - hopefully this weekend.
 
One other recommendation: WOOL bike clothing.
When I commuted in regular cotton shirts or most bike clothing the stuff would really stink after a day or two. Wool clothing is more expensive but dries quickly and I can wear it all week without it getting stinky.
 
sfcommuter said:
One other recommendation: WOOL bike clothing.
When I commuted in regular cotton shirts or most bike clothing the stuff would really stink after a day or two. Wool clothing is more expensive but dries quickly and I can wear it all week without it getting stinky.
Where do you find wool cycling cloths
 
haagen said:
Obviously i'll take a change of clothes and deorodent but I was wondering if there where any other tips and tricks that ppl have come up with ?
I carry a small plastic bottle of rubbing alcohol with me, to splash on and wipe off before I put on my civilian clothes at work, for getting the sweat and bacteria off.
 
dpc1l said:
That makes sense - thanks a lot. Now to work out a route and go for a practice run. I worked it out on the AA's website, and it's abnout 11miles each way! I think that's a bit too far to do everyday. Any ideas how long that would take in rush hour London, anybody?

G'day dpc1, It depends on where in London you are talking about.

If you 're fairly fit and a young bloke you should be able to ride at about 25 kilometres an hour without too much trouble.

Work it out, it should take you three quarters of an hour, or more if you travel slower, however if you travel quicker it will obviously take you less time.

I used to ride from Manor Park (East End) to Whitechapel in twenty minutes?
Every day of the week, for about six years, winter and summer.

In summer I would leave Whitechapel and ride down to Southend and back to Manor Park, after work, three night a week, just to get a few more miles in?

One time I got stopped by a copper on Romford Road at Bow Church, he said I was "Riding Furiously" and told me to slow down?

Don't think about it just do it?

Keep the wheels in motion, and don't look back unless it's to see who you dropped on the last climb? TBC
 
Howdy All - I'm a reporter doing a story on ways to bike to work without sweating throughout the day. I've noted some of your tips and wonder if any of you would like to respond/be interviewed for this story, please email me at [email protected]. I write for the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I'd like to know if any of you have any stories about that post-commute sweat (I sweat for a full hour after biking to work and nothing seems to stop it - neither soap, nor cold showers, etc.). Also, have anyof you had problems with your employer as a result of your flushed appearance, or are they pretty cool about it? Thanks for any responses.
 
I carry body wipes, deoderant and most importantly arrive very eairly to work so I can cool down before I change.
 
I've used many of these strategies in the past and present;
- ride slowely
- wash down over sink
- mask - use toileties of choice
- roll cothes together with towe etc
Another trick with clothing is to let the cothing hang for 24 hours before you use it. This means you are brinning in tomorrows clothing today. Also helps with that nasty supprise that your forgot to pack your pants.

Having a shower can help a lot, I'm assuming that you do not have access to a shower? What about the buildings nearby, perhaps you can park in another basement nearby, use their shower and walk out to work. Are there joggers at lunchtime? Where are they showering? Perhaps one of the other business's in your building has a shower and will let you use it. Still haven't got a shower? What about the gym nearby? Apart from a shower, they have lots of other interesting stuff and they probably have an iron, handy for a quick touchup.

BTW, do you dryclean your shirts? Do it locally to work.
 

Similar threads