What to wear for 4.5 mile commute? General commuting tips?

[Crankin]

There may have been a few days I washed my feet.
I rarely , but occasionally rode after work when I had the 6.5 mile commute one way. To me, 12 miles, with a hill, was a ride.
When I moved, it was just under 28 miles rt, with 2 big climbs, so I did not feel the need to ride after that! My commute was suburb to suburb, and no one around here looks twice at lycra. However, my experience on my bike errand days now, are the same as Murienn's. If I wear commuter shorts, or baggies/look like a city rider, even out here in the almost country, I am given more overall courtesy. I guess the pannier helps, too. I once had someone I met socially ask me if I was car-less, as she had seen me riding around town, shopping in the winter, during the years I was going to grad school.

[mzone]

Mzone -- do you use the hair dryer just to help dry your hair from sweat? My hair got a little sweatier today than I anticipated. Luckily I have long hair so I just threw in a little corn starch and brushed it out, I don't think it's too noticeable, but I am the slightest bit worried about odor. I'm also the slightest bit worried about foot odor (not that my feet usually stink, but I wore a pair of keen sandals for the ride and am now wearing open toed shoes). I'm sure no one will notice either of these things but I'm just curious what you ladies do!

.....

Do you all still ride after work on days you commute? I suspect I only will on days the weather is nice, although if we're being honest I pretty much already would only ride after work on nice days.

I have short, very fine hair that needs some gel and spray to do anything. I found if I style it before my ride, all shape is lost (or I get helmet vent head) by the time my helmet comes off. When I commute, I towel dry out of the shower and re-wet, apply gel, blow-dry and spray at work.

I find it harder to get the motivation to do another ride in the evening. I don't do a lot of serious training. I've kind of weighed the difference between the "feel good" boost I get from my morning commute that starts my work day vs. logging more miles on my road bike later in the day.

[carlotta]

I have long hair and it gets reasonably sweaty/damp, but I usually just put it up for the rest of the day (hair in experiments=bad)-- I've also found that if I put it in a loose bun for an hour or so it dries out and I can put it down and it looks ok (but I am also blessed/cursed with really straight hair no matter what I do to it so it doesn't get wrinkled/crazy being up for a bit).

I'll sometimes extend my ride home by taking a longer loop, but other than the very occasional run to the grocery store (1 mile...) I don't think I've ever gone for an after-commute ride (but my round trip is 22 miles). If I know I'm going to ride on the weekends, I'll usually take a day off during the week (usually Friday), but honestly the vast majority of my miles are commute miles-- I like to sleep in on the weekends, plus my fiancee works evenings/nights so Sat/Sun mornings/lunch are some of our only reliable time together during the week and he doesn't ride much (we occasionally toodle around the neighborhood, but that's it), I suppose I could ride in the afternoons/evenings on the weekends, but I haven't found a group that does that and I can/do ride by myself everyday on the commute, so that idea doesn't seem all that exciting.

[soprano]

The reactions I get from pedestrians are much more positive when I'm wearing something that doesn't look like a racing kit.

Ditto. Drivers, too. I counted one morning, and I see +50 bike commuters every day. Maybe 2 or 3 are dressed in Lycra. Everyone else wears normal clothing. So what if the seat of my jeans wear out faster? The cuffs and other points wear at around the same rate and I have to replace them anyway. I'm usually long out of style before holes develop in any case.

What I do is wear normal clothing and change out selected bits when I reach my destination. So, I wear a sports bra and pack my regular bra. If it's hot out I'll wear (normal) shorts and a cami, and pack pants and a nice cardigan. I'll wear bike shorts under a dress and pack a slip. Shoes stay in my locker. No big deal. I think that someone who needs to look very professional, such as a lawyer headed to court, would need to pack a full change of clothing.

I currently have a 3.5 mile commute each way. In the past it's been 5.5 miles + hills, but I did the same thing that I do now. If I've already showered the night before then it's not enough distance to get stinky.

[Crankin]

In the city, (Boston, Cambridge) most people are commuting wearing regular clothes, or casual cycling clothes. Here, almost everyone is in lycra, I'd say 90%. And, there is a large number of commuters. I'd say some of this is because the commuters in the suburbs have a longer commute... some of them up to 20 miles, even if it's suburb to suburb.
Personally, I cannot stand the feeling of riding in any type of regular clothing. I sweat really easily. Even when I had my 6.5 mile commute, I'd be drenched when I arrived. So, showering before the commute was OK, but I would have to do a serious clean up when I got there. The thought of being in sweaty clothes all day, yuck.

[Eden]

I'd say here it's probably a 50/50 mix of commuters who wear lycra and those who wear more casual clothes. I don't see to, to many people who commute in their actual office duds, just because it's hilly and you do sweat and our weather can be a bit unpredictable... I do see a few especially if the weather is nice. If they are young twenty somethings with white shirts and ties on, I usually think they are Mormon missionaries before I think officer worker though...

We also have a large number of racing teams and a lot of us also commute. I commute in my race kit. I'd have to be too restrained to not get to work sweaty and dirty... I do have a locker room, towels and showers available to me at work, so I don't have to worry about anything. If I'm doing really short errand running or towing my trailer I'll usually dress casual.

[GLC1968]

My commute is only 6 miles but I don't wear office clothes even though our office is fairly casual and our weather is mild. It's just too tough on the clothing and I frankly don't find it comfortable. I often wear a skort for my commute so I feel a little less exposed when walking around the building before I've changed. And I carry my lunch and my clothes in my panniers, so I don't have to 'plan ahead' at all. I keep extra underwear, shoes, toiletries and a towel at my desk so I don't have to carry that stuff.

Showering at home and driving to work costs me about the same amount of time as biking to work and then showering there...so it's a fairly even trade. I just hate that there are things I've committed to doing that keep me from biking to work a couple of days a week. I'd LOVE to get into a daily habit!

[Geonz]

My commute is only 6 miles but I don't wear office clothes even though our office is fairly casual and our weather is mild. It's just too tough on the clothing and I frankly don't find it comfortable. I often wear a skort for my commute so I feel a little less exposed when walking around the building before I've changed. And I carry my lunch and my clothes in my panniers, so I don't have to 'plan ahead' at all. I keep extra underwear, shoes, toiletries and a towel at my desk so I don't have to carry that stuff.

Showering at home and driving to work costs me about the same amount of time as biking to work and then showering there...so it's a fairly even trade. I just hate that there are things I've committed to doing that keep me from biking to work a couple of days a week. I'd LOVE to get into a daily habit!

My direct commute is 6.5 miles. I work at a college so I *could* shower there and now that there's a new athletic center, it's probably not the cold trickle that inspired me to just have washcloth, will travel. I also have baby fine straight hair... so "helmet head" is an improvement 'cause it puts a little wave in... except either that last haircut was different or my post-menopausal hormones are kicking in, but instead of looking like Jackson Browne (DISTRACTION ALERT -- so I google a picture and... he's got a little wave in it! Men must have menopause too...or perhaps we're related ) I'm a little blonder now in the summer, but about the same grey...
If I'm going to ride hard, I bring clothes; if not, I don't. If I change my mind, I go to the bookstore and buy a new outfit I keep spare undies in the bottom drawer.