Am I overlooking it?

[li10up]

I'm looking on here for all the tips and tricks for commuting...ie. ideas for cleaning up, what to do about clothes, etc. but don't see them. Am I just overlooking them or is there a different thread?

[liksani]

Hmm, usually I bring a change of clothes and rinse off at showers at work and then change into my regular clothes. I either bring my extra stuff in a backpack or a pannier depending if I think I'm going to run errands or not after not.

If I was going to a place without showers, I usually just wipe myself down as best as I can with a paper towel from the bathroom, change, and rinse my face. :P

Occasionally, I'll just bike in regular street clothes (capris and whatnot) if it's not that long a distance.

[mimitabby]

This is the right thread and you just started the conversation (congrats!)

:)

I am lucky, my morning commute is 95% downhill and flat. I don't get hot and sweaty until i decide to ride home which is UPHILL.

but especially when it is warm, I have found carrying a medium backpack is perfect for carrying my lunch and clothing and personal items. I used to
have a bag on the back of my bike, but I like the backpack better.
i also have a pair of shoes that i leave at work so i don't have to carry SHOES
around with me.

[CorsairMac]

here ya go: the commute to work advice is under all different kinds of headings but this one should help

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=7780&highlight=commuting

[GLC1968]

I quite often need to have my car at work, so I do the half commute thing. I drive into work with my bike on my car and then commute home that evening. Then I bike back in the next day, throw my bike on my car, and then drive home that evening. Then repeat!

This works for me for a number of reasons:
1) I always have a car at work if I need to go to meetings in other buildings
2) I have a place to lock my bike (we don't have racks...though I can't imagine why not since biking is so big with my company)
3) I can keep my day 2 clothing nicely hanging in my car
4) I can bring in toiletries, extra lunches, extra shoes, etc...when I do the drive part of the commute.

I'd love to commute both ways, but needing a car at work and having a 14 mile hilly route, makes it tough. Plus, to avoid traffic, I also try to commute very early in the AM or very late in the PM so if I did both ways on one day, that would mean that I always worked 10-11 hour days. Yuck! :p

Oh, and we have a gym/locker room at work, so I can shower easily enough.

[Thistle]

I found what works for me is to have everything I need to shower already at work. Was a bit of pain buying shampoo, soap, deodorant etc for work (i even bought a cheap hairdryer), but it has worked for me. Means I only have to take my clothes in (which i do once i week, cos i dont ride thurs) and remember my orthotics! forgot them one day... not good :eek:

So, for me, the best thing is having everything i need to shower at work... then i know when i get there i wont have forgotten something critical like deodorant :eek:

[7rider]

I'm looking on here for all the tips and tricks for commuting...ie. ideas for cleaning up, what to do about clothes, etc. but don't see them. Am I just overlooking them or is there a different thread?

Well, there ya go! You started the thread!
You've got some great info and a link to other discussions.
Here's my gig:
We have a gym at the office, of which I'm a member (although I don't use the fitness equipment nearly as much as I would like!). For me, it's easy, I ride in, lock my bike up to a railing in a guarded parking garage, shower and change at the gym, and in the evening, I dress and ride home. Easy-peasy. 7.5 miles of rolling terrain. However, there is a "runner's locker room" in another building in our complex that you can use without fee to clean up without joining the gym. But you'd have to cart toiletries in every day. I rent a locker at the gym, so that kind of stuff stays there.
So...couple o' questions:
1. Do you have shower facilities available? That's a consideration if your ride is long enough to get sweaty. Some folks I know take "spit baths" in the restroom - clean the important things and that's it. There is also a product called "Rocket Shower" that looks interesting, but I have never used it myself:
http://10nine8.net/ It's another option, lacking showers.
2. Do you have a bike that can carry a rack? Do you prefer a rack to a pack? I personally don't like courrier bags or backpacks. They make me feel top-heavy and lopsided. Strangely, however, I can tolerate a single strap pack - I use the REI Singular bag. Holds a ton of stuff and rides low and stable (here's a newer model of mine).
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=48028640&parent_category_rn=4501698&vcat=REI_SEARCH
That said, I also have some panniers on my bike, because summer is too hot for any pack in my book, and summer clothes are too small to justify the big bag. So I use a single pannier. In the fall, I'll go back to the pack.
How you carry clothes is up to you. It's a preference thing, but there are options out there.
Good luck!

[Geonz]

Hey, the topic has only been around for a little while!!

www.cicle.org has a bunch of commuter links for starters.

One thing I like about commuting is it's not quite as demanding on my attire. Since I am not in more or lessl the same position for a million thigh revolutions, there's less chafing to worry about... I really can get home in my work capris.

I have a little box that has soap and a washcloth so I can swab down, though sometimes I can actually control myself and ride in without working up a major sweat (not when somebody passes me :)).

[KnottedYet]

Try to find my favorite commuting book (which I've heard is now out of print) "The Essential Bicycle Commuter" by Trudy E. Bell

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Bicycle-Commuter-Trudy-Bell/dp/0070055033/ref=sr_11_1/103-5485126-8062223?ie=UTF8

This book is a treasure-trove of commuter info and advice.

[li10up]

Thanks everyone for the info and the links.

[pooks]

I'm not a bicycle commuter but was reading this thread out of curiosity. Just thought I'd mention something we found to be REALLY helpful when we were camping this summer, and I can see it being useful if you don't have a shower:

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47965964&parent_category_rn=4500610&vcat=searchrefine

Very lightly scented, and did leave us feeling (and smelling) pretty darned fresh.