A couple of years ago I had a 24 mile round trip bike commute. I'd carry my clothes in a pannier, and after parking my bike in a space between my cube and the wall, I'd grab my pannier, dash off to the bathroom, and change into my work clothes. I was exposed to my colleagues for all of 5 minutes. At least that's what I did until a meeting I attended.
"Exercise is important, you need to find time to take care of your body. If you don't have time for the gym, you can ride your bike to work like Bob does, and wear those tight little ... shorts." My boss said this to a large group of people at a department meeting. I choked on my bagel, and laughed to lighten the moment. It was the last time I arrived at our office in bike gear.
The next time I rode, I stopped at the bathroom, parked my bike outside the door, and changed. I then took the elevator up to my floor, and hung my bike clothes out sight in my cube.
A couple of days later, a colleague stopped by my desk with a question, and asked if I was doing my laundry at work. I had to get a better plan. I was also getting strange looks in the bathroom as I went in to change. I had to change my game - again.
My next concession was to ride to a local gym, and shower and put my work clothes on there. I'd arrive at the gym in the morning, check in, use the shower, and then ride my bike the last 3/4 of a mile to the office. In the summer, I'd still be warm, and my sweat would often come through my shirt, causing some temporary dampness to show through. I'd then hang my bike clothes under my desk, on the back wall of my cube. All was well. Except I now had to add 20 minutes to my ride time to compensate for a shower and the last leg of my commute.
We then moved closer to my job, and I suddenly had a 17 mile round trip commute. I started to research my clothing options. My honey and I had ridden in Holland a few years before, and people just rode their bikes in their normal clothes. They didn't ride hard or fast, but they all rode. As I researched the options related to this kind of riding, I found a new term - cycle chic. This style of riding makes it okay to just get on your bike and ride. In whatever clothes you have on. Just like we did when we were kids.
At this point, I had lost almost 25 pounds, and needed a new wardrobe. My honey and I went shopping for machine washable clothes, with the idea in mind that I could just wash the clothes after I wear them (okay, after I wear slacks a couple of times). This different style of riding had me shopping for a new bike, one that was more upright so I wouldn't have anyone confusing we with a racer.
With my new bike and new way to ride, I just ride slower so I don't get as hot. My fast bike commute was about 35 minutes, with 20 minutes of shower time, for a total of about 55 minutes. My cycle chic ride provides me a commute of about 45 minutes. The difference in commute time is negligible, but the logistical simplicity of already wearing my work clothes and not needing to shower, made cycle chic a much better option for me.
Here is my advice (in no particular order) for determining what to wear for your bike commute:
"Exercise is important, you need to find time to take care of your body. If you don't have time for the gym, you can ride your bike to work like Bob does, and wear those tight little ... shorts." My boss said this to a large group of people at a department meeting. I choked on my bagel, and laughed to lighten the moment. It was the last time I arrived at our office in bike gear.
The next time I rode, I stopped at the bathroom, parked my bike outside the door, and changed. I then took the elevator up to my floor, and hung my bike clothes out sight in my cube.
A couple of days later, a colleague stopped by my desk with a question, and asked if I was doing my laundry at work. I had to get a better plan. I was also getting strange looks in the bathroom as I went in to change. I had to change my game - again.
My next concession was to ride to a local gym, and shower and put my work clothes on there. I'd arrive at the gym in the morning, check in, use the shower, and then ride my bike the last 3/4 of a mile to the office. In the summer, I'd still be warm, and my sweat would often come through my shirt, causing some temporary dampness to show through. I'd then hang my bike clothes under my desk, on the back wall of my cube. All was well. Except I now had to add 20 minutes to my ride time to compensate for a shower and the last leg of my commute.
We then moved closer to my job, and I suddenly had a 17 mile round trip commute. I started to research my clothing options. My honey and I had ridden in Holland a few years before, and people just rode their bikes in their normal clothes. They didn't ride hard or fast, but they all rode. As I researched the options related to this kind of riding, I found a new term - cycle chic. This style of riding makes it okay to just get on your bike and ride. In whatever clothes you have on. Just like we did when we were kids.
At this point, I had lost almost 25 pounds, and needed a new wardrobe. My honey and I went shopping for machine washable clothes, with the idea in mind that I could just wash the clothes after I wear them (okay, after I wear slacks a couple of times). This different style of riding had me shopping for a new bike, one that was more upright so I wouldn't have anyone confusing we with a racer.
With my new bike and new way to ride, I just ride slower so I don't get as hot. My fast bike commute was about 35 minutes, with 20 minutes of shower time, for a total of about 55 minutes. My cycle chic ride provides me a commute of about 45 minutes. The difference in commute time is negligible, but the logistical simplicity of already wearing my work clothes and not needing to shower, made cycle chic a much better option for me.
Here is my advice (in no particular order) for determining what to wear for your bike commute:
- Watch the weather within a few hours of your ride to make a determination if you are likely to get wet
- There are two ways to get wet - from perspiration, or from rain. Wearing rain gear may make you just as wet from perspiration as not wearing it. If you are likely to get wet from rain, make sure you can keep the water warm by wearing a vented and breathable outer layer. Wind from your forward motion combined with wet clothes can put you in hypothermia real quick.
- For cold weather, use layers, and wind protection
- If your ride is long, you may be better off in bicycle specific clothes instead of cycle chic
- Be sensitive to your colleagues and what may bother them if you show up at work in your tights
- Few people will develop body odor from 30-40 minutes of exercise, so don't shower "just because". The old "where will I shower?' question is a lame excuse not to ride.
- Choose clothing that breathes, and in warmer weather, will move vapor off of your body without soaking your clothes.
- Rolling clothes will prevent wrinkles, and allow you to put them in a pannier or basket
- Be flexible, and experiment
Did I miss anything? Please add to the comments if I did.
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interesting blog. It would be great if you can provide more details about it.
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