Commuting in "Work Clothes"?

stampz

Just curious as to whether anyone commutes in their work clothes...shirt and trousers for example...?

I am starting my commute to work from Monday, its approx 4 miles and should take 20 mins (I drive the first leg of the journey)...working up a sweat and stinking through the work day worries me...yet putting cycling gear on in the morning to sit in the car for a while and then ride, and then have to worry about having stuff either with me or at work to shower and change into seems excessive.

As I say just curious as to what other people do, should I just suck it up and deal with the inconvenience of changing and showering at work for the joy of the morning and evening ride?

alan_sherman

You could gimp up and cycle the whole way?

I used to do a 4 mile commute, if you take it easy and don't have a rucksack there is no need for a shower. I used to change clothes though as i didn't want a shiney arse patch on my suit trousers. No need for lycra though, just a normal pair of shorts / tracksuit trousers.

Rucksacks will give you a sweaty back so I use panniers.

craker

On a filthy wet day it wont matter how hard you're cycling, you'll want to change when you get to work.

whoof

Used to do a 4 mile commute and did it in 'normal' clothes and a pair of trainers. Used a pannier so I didn't get a sweaty back and rode slowly. A lot quicker that changing and showering. I don't see a lot of people walking to work in 'techncal' clothing and then showering on arrival.

If it rained I put on a jacket and overtrousers.

tangled_metal

I change clothes for my 7 mile commute but one occasion I had to go home at short notice so rode home in work clothes. I then had to ride back again in them and I tell you it was not nice. Since the day was very hot and I just can't take it easy on a bike I just got too sweaty.

Also waterproofs will make you wet with sweat unless you really are going very slowly within your ability. I do ride in normal clothes and even worn waterproofs but that is usually with my family and only at a top speed of 8mph. Seriously slowly. I still feel a bit damp with sweat due to the overtrousers.

apreading

My commute in the morning is just under 5 miles, but my commute home is as long as I want...!

I ride in cycling clothes, with jeans & T-shirt in pannier and a pair of trainers live at work for use there.
Many others seem to have a routine of driving to work one day a week and taking enough clothes for the week in then, so they dont have to transport them each day on the bike.

My commute is an important part of my training and general tactic for keeping my weight down, so dont want to pootle along slowly enough to avoid sweating.

Daz555

On nasty days when I'm head to toe in wet weather gear I just ride more slowly to work to ensure I do not work up a sweat - same in hot weather. One of the benefits of riding to work on such a short journey is travel time. Seems a shame to turn a 15 or 20 minute cycle into a 30 minute effort because of showering etc.

I always ride home hard though.

As for the OP - if you are going to get a sweat on then riding in your work clothes really gets grim quite quickly - ok for the odd day or two but week after week? Nah.

andyfraser

My old job was 4.5 miles each way. I had a locker and kept clothes at work. I'd cycle in in t-shirt, shorts and trainers with a jacket in cold weather.

My current commute is only 3 miles each way so I cycle in slowly in normal clothes then push it on the way home when it doesn't matter.

I start a new job soon and that'll be 8 miles each way so it'll be back to t-shirt and shorts and change at work.

cookeeemonster

Personally I wouldn't consider changing clothes if I had a 4 mile commute unless it's raining or really hot. You're not gonna get much fitness benefit at that distance anyway (though better than none at all) and you're better off slowing down and enjoying the ride more. Posibbly when hot you could just change into your work shirt at work and wear a t shirt until then?

The Rookie

I wear a T-shirt and baggy cotton sports shorts for a 7 mile commute, refrain from getting too sweaty and it's a 30 second change in the toilet into shirt and trousers, for me even over 4 miles that would be better than protecting work clothing.

fatsmoker

I wouldn't do it, and don't do it myself - all very well trying to take it easy, but when you see someone ahead of you it's impossible to not catch them up.

peat

If it was around the 5 mile mark, I could deal with cycling slower and making do with a wet-wipe and a change of clothes the other end.

As it is, mine in 15miles. So I go hard, arrive in a sweaty mess then take a shower.

t4tomo

whoof wrote:

Used to do a 4 mile commute and did it in 'normal' clothes and a pair of trainers. Used a pannier so I didn't get a sweaty back and rode slowly. A lot quicker that changing and showering. I don't see a lot of people walking to work in 'techncal' clothing and then showering on arrival.

If it rained I put on a jacket and overtrousers.

I would always change ( whether you have shower facilities or a wet wipe in the loos) as it keeps your work clothes fresher and smarter.

What is this bullsh1t about showering taking longer? Either you shower at home or you get up and go in your cycle clothes and then shower, shave and change at work. Same time whether you shower and shave at home or at work, unless you're a scudder and don't shower at home or at work.

pyruse

I commute in work clothes (and I go home for lunch as the commute is only 3 miles).
I don't cycle fast enough to get sweaty.
It would take much longer if I rode fast and then had to shower and change when I got to the other end than it does cruising along and staying cool.
I don't understand this need to go as fast as you can and work up a sweat; surely commuting should be a pleasure?

apreading

pyruse wrote:

I commute in work clothes (and I go home for lunch as the commute is only 3 miles).
I don't cycle fast enough to get sweaty.
It would take much longer if I rode fast and then had to shower and change when I got to the other end than it does cruising along and staying cool.
I don't understand this need to go as fast as you can and work up a sweat; surely commuting should be a pleasure?

Depends if your commute is also your only fitness activity or training time available during the week. If it is then for me the sweaty run is better after work than before, but for some people early morning might be the only opportunity.

Also, no matter how much I cruised in normal clothes, I would sweat - that is just the way I am, I run hot. Even in cooler months, but especially in summer. In proper cycling clothes I sweat alot less and then have fresh clothes to wear at work too.

I would question the benefit of going home for lunch if it is a 3 mile trip each way and you have to cruise - you must have to rush a very short lunch when you get there, surely? Why bother with that...

Cycling does mean that I need to factor in time for a quick wash/freshen, change of clothes but if I cycle at reasonable pace and change, this takes me more or less the same time as driving and being stuck in traffic on a good day, less than if the traffic was bad. If I cycled slower and didnt wash/change it would probably take me about the same amount of time and I would enjoy it far less and get less fitness benefit from it.

pyruse

It takes less than 15 minutes to get to/from work at a nice gentle pace. Time to observe wildlife (helps that the whole commute is traffic free).
By going home I get to see my wife and cats more, and sit in a nice garden.

cookeeemonster

pyruse wrote:

It takes less than 15 minutes to get to/from work at a nice gentle pace. Time to observe wildlife (helps that the whole commute is traffic free).
By going home I get to see my wife and cats more, and sit in a nice garden.

What if your commute was 4 -6 times as long and you had endless traffic lights (and traffic) to deal with?

That's why people go fast and shower at work

KerSplosh

I commute to work in my work clothes every day (around 5-6 miles). Here in Sweden most people seem to. When I lived in London I commuted about 8 miles and defo got changed - even when I worked closer to home. It wasn't just the getting sweaty, but the pollution sticks to your skin and I felt that I need a fresh change of clothes before starting my day at work.

By way of gloating a little :oops:, I stopped a few times on the way to work a couple of times and took a couple of pictures to make a photo montage of my commute in Stockholm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApDP330oWco

cookeeemonster

KerSplosh wrote:

I commute to work in my work clothes every day (around 5-6 miles). Here in Sweden most people seem to. When I lived in London I commuted about 8 miles and defo got changed - even when I worked closer to home. It wasn't just the getting sweaty, but the pollution sticks to your skin and I felt that I need a fresh change of clothes before starting my day at work.

By way of gloating a little :oops:, I stopped a few times on the way to work a couple of times and took a couple of pictures to make a photo montage of my commute in Stockholm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApDP330oWco

looks hoprrible.

Austerby

I've been living and working in London for 25 years now and have regularly cycled to work.

When I first started cycling into work in about 1991 - from Fulham to Temple, about 6 miles - I only ever cycled in work clothes - for me a suit, though I probably took the tie off for riding. It never occurred to me to wear anything else at that time. There were no showers anyway where I worked and I don't recall having any problems with clothing or sweatiness.

I had a 3-speed Raleigh gents tourer and would fly past mountain-bike riders with their nobbly tires which were fashionable at the time. I don't recall seeing anywhere near the number of lycra'd roadbike riders you see today. Most people work "normal" clothes - the technical sports wear market hadn't really launched by then.

More recently I've been cycling in shorts/t-shirts or jacket/tracksuit trousers and then changing at work. My ride is about the same but coming from SE London into the City. I wouldn't want to ride in my suit as I'd worry more about the wear and tear on the suit.

My work location is changing, from the City to Canary Wharf next year and I'm thinking again about cycling in my work clothes as it's a much shorter journey. I've worked in the Wharf before and found it almost not worth cycling if I have to get changed.

I may treat myself to a Brompton as that feels more suitable for riding in a suit.

cookeeemonster

Austerby wrote:

I've been living and working in London for 25 years now and have regularly cycled to work.

When I first started cycling into work in about 1991 - from Fulham to Temple, about 6 miles - I only ever cycled in work clothes - for me a suit, though I probably took the tie off for riding. It never occurred to me to wear anything else at that time. There were no showers anyway where I worked and I don't recall having any problems with clothing or sweatiness.

I had a 3-speed Raleigh gents tourer and would fly past mountain-bike riders with their nobbly tires which were fashionable at the time. I don't recall seeing anywhere near the number of lycra'd roadbike riders you see today. Most people work "normal" clothes - the technical sports wear market hadn't really launched by then.

More recently I've been cycling in shorts/t-shirts or jacket/tracksuit trousers and then changing at work. My ride is about the same but coming from SE London into the City. I wouldn't want to ride in my suit as I'd worry more about the wear and tear on the suit.

My work location is changing, from the City to Canary Wharf next year and I'm thinking again about cycling in my work clothes as it's a much shorter journey. I've worked in the Wharf before and found it almost not worth cycling if I have to get changed.

I may treat myself to a Brompton as that feels more suitable for riding in a suit.

or what about a 'dutch bike' style? You could get a half decent one for the price of a brompton, and would suit a suit just as well (rubbish at folding though)

apreading

Out at lunchtime, saw the opposite - a bloke all lycra'd up, riding a brompton. That just looked wrong in every conceivable way...!

cookeeemonster

apreading wrote:

Out at lunchtime, saw the opposite - a bloke all lycra'd up, riding a brompton. That just looked wrong in every conceivable way...!

That was me a couple of months back when I took the bianchi in for some work to be done...I was told I'd be given a courtesy bike...thought it'd be at worst a hybrid...it wasn't

Not helped by half flat tyres and a heavy carradice weighing one side of the handlebars down...luckily my work is only 5 mins away, felt a tw*t though and returned the next day at lunchtime in my normal clothes

byke68

Am I the only person doing a 10 mile commute? Bunch of girls, you lot doing 4-5 or 6 miles!

Anyway, yes, I wear a works t-shirt under a L/S Jersey or thin jacket but have a pair of trousers waiting in my locker as I wear 3/4 shorts even in winter.

Kieran_Burns

byke68 wrote:

Am I the only person doing a 10 mile commute? Bunch of girls, you lot doing 4-5 or 6 miles!

Anyway, yes, I wear a works t-shirt under a L/S Jersey or thin jacket but have a pair of trousers waiting in my locker as I wear 3/4 shorts even in winter.

Oooh don't go there... there are lots of us doing more than 10 miles :P

cookeeemonster

byke68 wrote:

Am I the only person doing a 10 mile commute? Bunch of girls, you lot doing 4-5 or 6 miles!

Anyway, yes, I wear a works t-shirt under a L/S Jersey or thin jacket but have a pair of trousers waiting in my locker as I wear 3/4 shorts even in winter.

10 mile commute? I wouldn't get out of bed for that. 10 miles is warm up time :P

anewman

I like the idea of getting to work and being able to use a shower that doesn't add to my energy bills Gotta look after the personal hygiene

daddy0

byke68 wrote:

Am I the only person doing a 10 mile commute? Bunch of girls, you lot doing 4-5 or 6 miles!

Anyway, yes, I wear a works t-shirt under a L/S Jersey or thin jacket but have a pair of trousers waiting in my locker as I wear 3/4 shorts even in winter.

10 miles. Cute. 8)

byke68

Thanks.

CitizenLee

I couldn't handle not having a shower after a cycle. I'm not a particularly sweaty person but I'd still feel grim sat at my desk without being shower fresh. The trade off is slightly creased clothes from carrying them in my backpack but body heat sorts that after a little while.

Dandelionclock30

Do a lot of workplaces have showers that workers can use? Nowhere I've ever worked has and I wouldnt have wanted to be getting changed in the toilets either.
I think it depends on the person if they need a shower. I've ridden for miles and havent been all hot and sweaty. I think needing a shower for a 5 mile bike ride seems a bit excessive unless the person is very unfit.