Keeping The Pants Clean



Sunflogun

Active Member
Apr 20, 2015
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This might seem a minor issue, but in my case it's not. When commuting it's pretty common that for some reason the pants get dirty with oil or something other. Changing clothes it's hardly practical when I arrive to work, so what's the best solution to arrive to work with the pants clean? Clothing springs?
 
You can tuck your right pant leg into your socks or use a strap to snug it to the leg so that it does not come in contact with the chain.

Keep the chain wiped down as well to minimize the grime.
 
Clips might not look the most stylish but they are there for a reason I suppose, you could also always wear a pair of ants you don't care about getting dirty and then change them when you get to work. This would help stop creased trousers (a pet hate of mine) but it is only practical if you have somewhere to change once you get to work.
 
bring your work clothes in a back pack or have it stored away in your locker at work if there is one. To limit the wrinkles in your clothing instead of folding try and roll them up like sushi.
 
If you wear a shirt and tie, your screwed. I don't know how you are going to pull this one off if you wear formal wear to work. Lets hope you have lockers at work where you can get ready and store your clothes in.
 
That seems to be the best option really, to put the pants inside the socks, it looks funny, but it's effective. At the same time that doesn't work with shirt and tie like you say adfnio as the pants will get all messed up.
 
You could tuck your pants in, use clips, or put a guard of some sort over the chain. However, I'd simply recommend wiping down the chain and changing your riding position to ensure that your clothes aren't coming into contact with the chain. It shouldn't be that hard to avoid getting your pants dirty, and I only experience that issue when the weather is a little dreary and I'm cycling through mud on the trails.
 
Sometimes that can be a little bit difficult. If I cycle, I wear light trousers that do not get dirty often and it's not that hard. If I was wearing pure black though, it could show some white spots, depending where I'm cycling.
 
It also depends on the maintenance of the bike, if we manage to have our bike clean it's a lot easier to keep the pants clear as well. It seems something of little importance, but it's a big deal when commuting.
 
I had the same problem. What I use to do is actually wear the bottom portion of my rain gear. It was baggy and could easily fit around any pants I was wearing at the time. That way, the rain gear gets dirty and not your work pants. If you don't have rain gear, then you could use jogging pants.
 
Yes, that could be an option, but it involves changing clothes always, so it's not really that practical when we have to be on time for work. At least in the summer it's easier, the rain is not our friend either.
 
Sunflogun said:
Yes, that could be an option, but it involves changing clothes always, so it's not really that practical when we have to be on time for work. At least in the summer it's easier, the rain is not our friend either.
Do you think it's easy to carry a backpack with you and putting some extra clothes in it when going cycling? I thought it was a good idea but I wonder if people can do that.
 
In your case you could perhaps strap a plastic bag to your lower legs with perhaps velcro closures, to protect the legs from road grime.

My workplace has showers and lockers that a bicycle commuter can use. What I have done in the past is to put my work clothes in a plastic bag and deposited that in a saddlebag. After arriving at work I would be lathered with sweat and would make use of the showers. However, other employees would lock up the available lockers (which is against the rules there), and over time, I became afraid to go in the shower barefoot but did not want to carry flip flops in the saddlebag, either. The weight of all my things bothered me a lot. Not just the change of clothes but my shower stuff too.

Today, I don't really care how I look at the office. So when I restart my bicycle commute (after a break of a couple years) I may just wear my cycling clothes. There are many employees and there is a very wide range in clothing preferences, so I don't think I'll raise any eyebrows.

Bob
 
kylerlittle said:
Do you think it's easy to carry a backpack with you and putting some extra clothes in it when going cycling? I thought it was a good idea but I wonder if people can do that.
That's not practical at all except if we are not running against the clock or else we can arrive early at work and considering we have a place to change clothes we can do it there.
 
kylerlittle said:
Do you think it's easy to carry a backpack with you and putting some extra clothes in it when going cycling? I thought it was a good idea but I wonder if people can do that.
My commute is 20 miles and I try to get there as fast a possible, there is no way to arrive without being a sweaty mess. Showering and changing takes maybe 5 or 10 minutes.

I wear a backpack to carry clothing, the clothes go in a plastic bag in the backpack to protect them from sweat that my seep through. You can also get a rear rack, trunk and/or panniers to carry clothing.

If I don't want to wear the pack and I think ahead, I will keep a stash of clothes at work. However, I am always a bit wary of arriving to find that my clothes stash is empty.
 
I too have found I can keep a stash of clothes at work. However, my desk is at one end of the office complex, and the employee showers are at the opposite end, and I prefer to respect the rules about not "locking up" a locker to keep it for myself alone. I think I can just wipe myself down with a warm wet washcloth and then do a quick clothing change in a toilet stall. All at "my end" of the office complex.
 
Ha, we can always work around it Bob. In the winter there are more clothes to change, in the summer we get sweaty, it's not easy.
 
Everything is still doable. I've been there, done that, and will be doing it once again very soon. So do many others who do it better than me -- I'm still in the baby category and have a lot to learn.
 

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