your first commute to work

[moo bean]

We don't have showers at our office either. We don't even have running water on our floor of the building

I keep a bag of toiletries at work, take in a fresh shirt and underwear in my panniers each day, and the heavier items (trousers, jacket or jumper, and a clean microtowel) once a week.

Once I'm at work, I'll give myself a few minutes to cool down while I boot up my computer, change my shoes, discuss the morning's commute with the other cycle commuters in the office.

Then off upstairs to the bathroom to get changed and wash up at the sink. The washup only takes a minute or two, and thus far I've been lucky enough that the only people who've walked in have been friends. It has meant, though, that I've had to stop wearing my really shoddy old bras to work!

Our office is casual too, and this routine seems to do the trick.

[Wendy]

I saw someone at work with a package of microwaveable, disposable cloths for cleaning herself. She said she got them through a medical-supply store, and they seemed pretty handy. The thing was, it was something like $4 for one package, and you're supposed to use the whole package at once. We have showers at work, so I don't know why anyone would spend that kind of money regularly (though she was taking a fitness class and said there was always a line for the showers -- not a problem when I get there in the morning).

[paintgirl]

I commute on a regular basis and we have no showers either. We do have a big private bath with a baby change table. I drive to work Monday am with my clothes for the week. I keep a rubbermaid container of toiletries at my desk, plus a few towels and face cloths. I drive home on Friday with my accumulated laundry etc. It works quite well. My hair is naturally curly, so I spritz it with cool water and use biolage curl definer creme to take the frizzy flat look out. I wear minimal makeup, but apply it at work as well. I have been lax commuting the last few weeks, it has been extremely hot and humid, and my menopausal hot flashes are nuts right now too, looking forward to the cooler fall commutes. Lori

[CorsairMac]

I commute on a regular basis and we have no showers either. We do have a big private bath with a baby change table. I drive to work Monday am with my clothes for the week. I keep a rubbermaid container of toiletries at my desk, plus a few towels and face cloths. I drive home on Friday with my accumulated laundry etc. It works quite well. My hair is naturally curly, so I spritz it with cool water and use biolage curl definer creme to take the frizzy flat look out. I wear minimal makeup, but apply it at work as well. I have been lax commuting the last few weeks, it has been extremely hot and humid, and my menopausal hot flashes are nuts right now too, looking forward to the cooler fall commutes. Lori

ROFL on the menopausal hot flashes!!! tell me about it!!!!

[crazycanuck]

My 45 min commute(cycling) in Auckland was usually spent wondering if someone was either a: going to open thier door on me while I sped past, b: run me over or just run a red light and ruin my bike.

Our first mtn bikes were crap and the first month or so I didn't have great cycling clothing and looked like a whale. Our plan was to ride 2-3 days a week and see where we'd go from there. My other half said he somehow knew the bikes might just end up as white elephants.

Long story made short, it's 2yrs since we bought our bikes (had them stolen and have nice marin xc now), made it to work everyday without being run over, have developed a nice shape, am avid mtn bikers and bike 6-7 days.

We just have one small problem..we live too close to our workplaces but can't move quite yet....My only solution is to bike before work (530am) or after...I just can't get enough of biking...

Am i obsessed or is this normal?

c

[DeniseGoldberg]

We just have one small problem..we live too close to our workplaces but can't move quite yet....My only solution is to bike before work (530am) or after...I just can't get enough of biking...

Am i obsessed or is this normal?

c

If you were looking for an answer other than that this is perfectly normal, this probably isn't the right forum! If you're obsessed, so are many of the rest of us!

And by the way, I think riding 6 or 7 days a week falls well within the range of normal behavior.

--- Denise

[Kryn]

Thanks for your replies and good advice.

You've all made it sound so possible, I might have to actually do it now.

[newfsmith]

If you commute to work by bike, what motivated you to do this?
What changes did this bring about in your life?

Hillnelly

In November of 1999 my daughter was an IMLP for GE plastics and working in Bergen-op-Zoom, Netherlands. We decided this was our best chance to go to Europe, and we had Dutch friends we hadn't seen since they visited us 15 years before. Our daughter was shocked that we decided to stay in a "Trekking hut" at a campground near BOZ, and that we didn't rent a car, but did rent Dutch Bikes (a pair of Gazelles). Her Dutch co-workers were pleased to hear we weren't planing to run over to Paris, but instead were bikeing around the little towns on the outskirts of BOZ. We took the train to the coast, and a ferry to Texel, an island where our friends lived. They loaned us bikes to ride around the island. Everywhere we went, bikes were such a normal part of daily life; kids riding to school, teenagers riding along holding hands, retired ladies riding along having conversations the whole time, people going shopping. It really made me think about how much I had loved riding during my prolonged (8 years) student days. When we returned I was thinking about how to start riding more. As luck would have it, the hospital I was working at was closed and I had to look for a new job. I applied at a clinic about 9 miles from home, and one of my questions on the interview was "How would you feel about my commuting by bike?" The reply, "I would encourage you to," sealed the deal. I've always thought that being able to bike commute was the Cro-moly lining to the cloud of losing my job of 17 years. Having acquired a computer, I learned about WSD bikes and once I was sure that commuting would indeed work for me I bought my first Terry, the very first bike that ever fit me. Now, 5 years later, I have 5 bikes, one for every season and every reason. While I'm still my chunky, peasant build self (after all, my family had been farmers since their neighbors told them about pointed sticks) my blood pressure has dropped to where my PCP no longer is threatening to put me on meds. I love riding through Moosehill Audubon Sanctuary mornings and watching the wild turkeys, deer, fox, raccoon, tree frogs, spotted salamanders, snapping turtles, and other wildlife. I've photographed my favorite tree in every season. I'm known to many people on my route. One cold winter day (-4F) one of the car commuters stopped, leaned out of his window to applaud me and yelled "Bravo, Bravo". When I found a cash box on the side of the road and called 911, there was a pause while I explained that I was on a bike even though it was mid-winter and I didn't want to wait in the wind too long. The cops were there in 5 minutes, and made sure my speech wasn't slurred or any signs of hypothermia before they let me leave to get to work. I love the commuting lifestyle.

[nicolezoie]

The good thing about commuting by bike is that the sweat you put off doesn't smell bad. It's easy to clean up...unless you get caught in a rainstorm and muck is coming up from the road.

I've been commuting to my current job nearly the entire 4 years I've been there, and while we don't have showers, I have *never* been told I stink. On those days where I'm extra sweaty, I just use some damp papertowels to clean up, and once I've cooled down, nobody knows any different. It's a *very* casual environment here; I can wear just about anything I want, so I don't have to worry about wrinkles or anything. People at work have also become used to seeing my jersey hanging from my desk drawer, but they don't know that I also hang my other stuff under my desk. I used to try and hang some of it on my bike, but I got told I shouldn't do that. Bikes are kept in the main breakroom which *everyone* uses, and it just didn't look nice. It is OK to keep bike shoes & socks there though.

I don't wear makeup or scent. As far as my hair is concerned, I'm kind of a minority.. I have hair to my knees and my hair is always contained in a special hair sleeve, which is rolled into a bundle at the nape of my neck. My scalp hair can get kind of frizzy from the inside of my helmet & my sweat band, but it's nothing that water-dampened hands or a small comb can't control.

If people didn't know any better, they would never know I biked to work 4 out of 5 work days.