To all the business men and suit wearers

DonDaddyD

When cycling to work what do you do, where do you store or how do you pack your suits for work?

Rich158

There's various coat cupboards arround our office where I secrete my clothes. I generally have one day in the car as a clothes changover day, although the suit stays in the office and gets taken to the local dry cleaners every so often.

I'm beginning to think it may be easier to have two wardrobes and just find somewhere local that'll do a service wash and return all my gear cleaned and ironed - better service than I get at home

Bassjunkieuk

I reckon they make so much money they just buy a new suit each day ;-)
My guess would be keep the suit and bits at work, get dry cleaned as needed at a local place and maybe even do the same with shirts?

Kieran_Burns

I have a suit and shoes at work. I also leave a toiletries bag hanging with them, so only carry in a clean shirt and towel each day.

I get changed in the shower room or disabled toilet as available and hang the cycle kit to dry

I also leave my bike lock at work as well (locked to the cycle racks) so that doesn't need to be carried either.

vanquished

I ride in wearing my work clothes - using either those dead sexxxxy trouser clips, or the natty and stylish trousers-tucked-into-socks method to try and keep the trousers off the chain.

jedster

My system:

At work I keep two suits, each with two pairs of trousers, shirts, ties and shoes. Shirts and suits live in a wardrobe we have for coats.

I carry in underwear every day and try to keep a couple of pairs in my desk for when I forget...

I rotate the shirts through a dry cleaner near the office that does a shirt laundry service. It costs me £2 per day which is less than I save by cycling and I get the benefit of beuatifully ironed shirts without either me or the missus having to pick up an iron.

What's not to like?

I'm sure that other people have different approaches but they are just wrong - this is the RIGHT way of dealing with the problem

J

bigmat

Suit trousers / shoes stay in locker at the gym. Jacket over back of chair. Fresh socks / undies / shirt go in my courier bag (fold a shirt and put it in a supermarket carrier bag and it will be pretty much immune to creasing).

I change the suit / shoes once a week or so on the days when I'm not on the bike.

Christophe3967

In the office I keep 2 smart suits, one smart casual suit, a pair of chinos, a Dinner Jacket, a collection of ties and cufflinks, a washbag and almost as many shoes as a girl. So I just need to bring in a shirt each day. And pants, obviously.

greg66_tri_v2.0

I keep my suits, shoes and ties at work. I keep a supply of socks at work. I take a clean shirt and pants in each day.

If I have to carry a suit (eg black tie for a "do"), I fold it into my courier bag. Trousers fold along the creases, then half (as if hanging on a coathanger) then half again. Jacket: turn the body (but not the sleeves) inside out. Lay flat and pull the fronts of the jacket in. Then fold into thirds with folds across the body from the bottom up.

FyPunK

Keep shoes and trousers at the practice, don't wear jacket, the clean shirt is rolled rather than folded and put in a carrier bag in me pannier. Once a week clean trousers are brought and rolled like my shirts.

FyPunK

Keep shoes and trousers at the practice, don't wear jacket, the clean shirt is rolled rather than folded and put in a carrier bag in me pannier. Once a week clean trousers are brought and rolled like my shirts.

Christophe3967

jedster wrote:

I rotate the shirts through a dry cleaner near the office that does a shirt laundry service. It costs me £2 per day which is less than I save by cycling and I get the benefit of beuatifully ironed shirts without either me or the missus having to pick up an iron.

What's not to like?

I'm sure that other people have different approaches but they are just wrong - this is the RIGHT way of dealing with the problem

J

Or have an au pair. And let her iron your shirts. 8)

jedster

Or have a au pair. And let her iron your shirts

Is "iron your shirts" some kind of euphemism? We should be told...

This doesn't solve the getting shorts to the office problem or does she deliver them for you?

J

tarquin_foxglove

I have one of these by my desk with 2 suits, a pair of shoes & a selection of ties on it. I bring a fresh shirt etc every day.

I have to drive in at least once a week and so I'll swap suits over on one of those days, if I didn't have that option, this is how I'd want to roll...

At work I keep two suits, each with two pairs of trousers, shirts, ties and shoes.

I rotate the (items) through a dry cleaner near the office that does a shirt laundry service. It costs me £2 per day which is less than I save by cycling and I get the benefit of beuatifully ironed shirts without ... having to pick up an iron.

nasahapley

Before I started cycling to work I thought the whole suits/shirts thing would be a logistical nightmare, but I found an easy way round it - cheat. Whenever my stock of shirts at work is exhausted I just take a load more in on the train. Keep suits and shoes at work, take underwear in each day - easy peasy.

Christophe3967

Plastic bags are brilliant for transporting shirts, if they're folded correctly in the place. Get an army mate to show you.

And the au pair isn't obliged to iron my shirts, but she chooses to do so because she's keen to earn more money. :roll:

BoardinBob

I pop in to the office early on a Sunday morning leaving my suit, shirts and underwear for the week in my locker in the changing rooms. It's only a 10 minute drive on a Sunday morning (about an hour at rush hour on a weekday! :shock: )

always_tyred

I tend to take the train once a week. Suit, a jacket, several ties, shoes, gym kit and several shirts typically somewhere in the office. You can get a suit and several shirts on a single hanger and hide it behind a filing cabinet secretly inched away from a wall. No one need know.

I get a shower at a local gym and hang bike clothes on my bike or nearby. If someone wants them they are brave or stupid, and I'll take that risk.

Did I mention the toothbrush and razor?

passout

Rich158 wrote:

There's various coat cupboards arround our office where I secrete my clothes. I generally have one day in the car as a clothes changover day, although the suit stays in the office and gets taken to the local dry cleaners every so often.

I'm beginning to think it may be easier to have two wardrobes and just find somewhere local that'll do a service wash and return all my gear cleaned and ironed - better service than I get at home

That's what I do. Always keep a back up supply of clothes in case you forget your socks or pants!

Jay dubbleU

vanquished wrote:

I ride in wearing my work clothes - using either those dead sexxxxy trouser clips, or the natty and stylish trousers-tucked-into-socks method to try and keep the trousers off the chain.

Likewise - although I'm thinking of switching to baggies as the weather improves 8)

salsajake

Suits and shoes stay at work (in a locker with washbag), socks and pants come in with me each day.

I also keep a pair of black trousers from next, that look like suit trousers but are just normal, washable trousers. I wear them most of the time, keeping suits for best. If I ever drive in / train in I make the most and bring shirts in - but being in a cold a/c office all day, shirts can be worn twice! I have about 7 shirts down there so that is nearly 3 weeks worth. I have some Vaude Freiburg panniers and a loosely folded shirt shakes out pretty well when hung on the shower rail and activated by a bit of steam!

Towel - use a Lifeventure trek towel XL - it is very light, packs tiny, dries extremely quickly (even in a freezing cold basement) and has an antibacterial thing which means it doesn't smell and only needs washing every 3 or 4 weeks or so, so that hardly ever goes back and forward either. If only the Freiburg pannier wasn't so outrageously heavy though, especially with my day's sustenance packed in it...

cee

local shirt laundry services are great....i have a bunch of shirts in the office and just get them all done on a friday afternoon. again, suits stay at the office and are drycleaned and returned straight there during lunch.

Toilet bag and shoeshine equipment in the desk drawer....only carry pants and socks, but even then spares in the desk just in case.

tarquin_foxglove

cee wrote:

... spare (pants) in the desk just in case.

But try explaining that to non-cyclists.

Kieran_Burns

What's the lightweight towel that people use?

I'd like to be able to ditch the full cotton one I have and maybe keep the towel in the office to dry as well

Rich158

tarquin_foxglove wrote:

cee wrote:

... spare (pants) in the desk just in case.

But try explaining that to non-cyclists.

It's stopped any unauthorised access to my desk

The thought of what they may find in there keeps the stapler thieves at bay

alien

I use one of these http://www.paramo.co.uk/en-gb/garments/ ... RIESUNISEX

Dries really quickly, very light and packs well.

Kieran_Burns

Thanks Alien, next purchase sorted

alien

np Kieran,

do checkout the bigger versions http://www.paramo.co.uk/en-gb/garments/ ... RIESUNISEX if you have a habit of being totally drenched, the expedition towel is just ok for me but I'm not Chunky ;-)

Roastie

tarquin_foxglove wrote:

I have one of these by my desk with 2 suits, a pair of shoes & a selection of ties on it. I bring a fresh shirt etc every day.

Please don't tell me you get changed at your desk! :shock:

Roastie

My solution to the smart clothes issues was just to buck the dress code and dress like a slob.

coffeecup

I leave suits, shoes and toiletries in the office and carry shirts every 3 or 4 days. On the other days I carry nothing

I use one of theseto carry the shirts. The 'Folder 18' is better than the 'Folder 15' (but you'll need to make sure you've got room in your backpack/pannier for it)