Cycling to work... Your thoughts....

JayClitherow

Hiya All,

Some time ago now, I used to have a company car... but sadly in a restructure this was removed... but that’s a whole other story, for a short period of time I then cycled to work, until my other half got a new job with a car, I then had a car to use again.

Well the insurance renewal dropped onto the door mat last week, and I am feeling like rather than pay 500+ insurance for a car that isn't worth much more than 2000 I should just sell it and cycle to work again, it's not far about a half hour at a reasonable pace, with the odd sharp hill.... However.... we have no shower facilities at work as they were ripped out just months before the car was taken due to “Health and Safety issues”... does anyone else contend with this issue and how do you get over it, I found before if I really went for it there was nothing worse than getting to work and changing without a shower and then sitting at my desk... so I am wondering if anyone has any "Tricks of the trade" short of taking out shares in baby wipes or something equally as de-moralising.

Any thoughts and tips much appreciated.

Jay.

SaraTonin

They actually do make shower wipes... :O

Is there a gym near work that might have showers? I wonder if they'd give you a shower membership, lol.

xraychick77

just stay out of the way of my car..hehe just joking.

i toyed with the idea of biking to work too. we have showers, i work at a hospital..but i work nights and its tough to get up early enough to get to work and clean up and then the ride back home at 7am while dead tired.

they make bike suits, you see people wear. skin tight things...some of these help wick away moisture and keep you dry so maybe you wont be so sweaty you'd need a shower. just use those baby wipes.

Genie30

I cycle to work a lot and I'm lucky that where i work now do have showers. Before that I used to use wet wipes and Deoderising wipes (what we call in my part of the world 'a Pilton bed bath' in honour of Glastonbury Festival lol). Just have a check at lunch time to make sure that your still fresh.

JayClitherow

Hi,

SaraTonin, there is a gym on the way... it's my gym... but sadly it's about 1 minute cycle from the house, so wouldn't benifit me, there isn't any close to work...

xraychick77, If I had the body of an adonis, I would have no issue wearing a body hugging suite, sadly I do not and I think the world is far to fradgile for me to subject them to that at 8am )

Genie30, it's sadly sounding like wet wipes are the way forward... ho hum, maybe I need to move to a more "Under air-con'd" desk, give me a good airing after the cycle lol.

Jay.

hartsmart

when i cycled to work, it was to a kennel, and the dogs and cats didn't seem to think i smelled too bad!
Is there a bathroom with a sink, at least? I would think a quick 'sink bath' would help...bring a wash cloth and personal towel to work with you, so you're not drying off with scratchy paper towels, and i would think you could feel comfy enough to work.

i'd love to bike to work again, but the place i'm working now often has me running errands, and they aren't things i can do on my bike.

good luck!

backinthenines

Jay,

These are hard times aren't they. :frown:

I think it is feasible still for you to cycle commute to work. I didn't have a car in 2009 and I've done it before we had showers installed etc (we had a lottery grant since then). What I did is this...

Once a week get a friend to drive a big bag of fresh clothes in and keep one week worth of work clothes under my desk.
I have a wash bag under my desk and a towel and body wet wipes etc. Even if you can't have a full shower you can still be perfectly presentable!!
All things you need with you on a daily basis, like wallet etc etc can go in a little back pack.
Got all heavy shopping delivered from supermarkets, like potatoes, tins etc.

How long is your commute?

It kind of makes a difference if it's 4 miles or 20 miles each way.

kayemme

i bike to work.

the sweating thing depends on

a) how much you sweat and
b) how much you care about it.

my commute is about 40 minutes. sometimes i'm a little sweaty when i get there, but i'm certainly not pouring sweat. when it gets hot enough to be pouring sweat, EVERYBODY will be pouring sweat, so i'm not concerned by it.

as more and more people move back into biking as a reasonable way to travel, sweating will be less of a concern. just keep yourself clean and you won't stink.

k

JayClitherow

Thanks for all the comments, certainly food for thought!!

backinthenines my commute is actually relitivly short now, when I was cycling in last year I was furthur away, I am now only 4 miles, so actually at a decent pace uphill I should be able to manage it in about 20 minutes, without pouring in sweat.

I am liking the idea of having a weeks supply of clothes, all left at work, that may well just save my bacon )

Jay

eantowne

I am a bike commuter (13 miles one-way). While I have the opportunity to utilize my car, I choose not to. I have one bike setup specifically for commuting, it has panniers on the back which allow me to haul a surprising amount of stuff around. (incidently this also provides additional resistance). I am not a big fan of using a big backpack to cargo transport. The backpack causes additional strain on your back while riding and also significantly changes your center of balance while riding, plus it will add to the sweat factor. The other bike is a road bike for the days that my clothes are already at the office, and when I want to haul @ss. As for cleaning up afterwards, well I lock myslef in a bathroom and commence to execute a "submarine shower". I keep a washcloth and towel in my cubby (changed out daily or so). A metal hanger with the head turned 90 deg is good for hanging your towel and jacket on in order to air out. The one issue that I have is my bike shoes, I normally spray them with deoderant after changing, but the smell is still there sometimes. I am going to have to find something better to use. If you choose to ride at night, gets GOOD lights. also check with your LBS (Local Bike Shop) they might be able to help you find a good route to ride that avoids traffic.

Ean

JayClitherow

Hey Ean,

13 Miles, makes my 4 look like nothing lol. We don't have any "cubbies" here just our desks, no lockers or space to put any personal stuff, but I am sure I could find somewhere for it (I.e. draped over my bag under my desk!?!?!? lol).

Ride at night? Lights? Cars don’t see you / don’t care in the day time either, just before I stopped towards the end of last year (one of the reasons I did stop I found every way possible to get to work other than ride… I couldn’t even walk properly for a day or two) I was knocked off the bike by a car, I was moving at a fair pace along a straight road, he didn't want to slow down as he went round but realised there was a traffic bollard / island in the middle of the road, he got to close and just clipped my handlebars with his mirror, I was already close to the curb knowing he was there and so I clipped it, myself and the bike departed the road, and landed about 10 yards apart on the pavement, gladly I was wearing my helmet (brand new no less even more frustrating) as my whole body weight landed on my head, well dizzy like I have never been, I lay on the path for what seemed like ages before it stopped spinning and I could hoist myself up, and in all that time nobody stopped not even the sod who clipped me, helmet went in the bin (best to air on the side of caution with these things I think).

I am also a little panicked about the new journey, having not tried it out yet but my new house means a ride across country (okay that’s fine) but then I have a short run along the side of a busy dual carriageway and up a slip road, the only other way to the office, would be via an equally busy (yet slower moving) and MUCH longer journey around said big river the dual carriageway goes over! EEK!

Do all in all, hygiene is do-able, fitness will be good, I now just have to overcome the fear of playing with the traffic 

Jay.

eantowne

Jay,

I can definitely understand the concern. Having been rear-ened on a bicycle by a drunk driver, and numerous close calls. One technique I have learned, is not actually ride to the right side of the lane. Depeinding on the local laws, bicycles may be considered vehicles with all of the same requirements and allowances. On busy roads, I will actually ride in the middle of the lane. This forces drivers to use another lane or wait until the oncoming traffic is clear before passing, thus preventing the driver from executing a "get as close as I can to the biker" pass. It also helps with visibility, it is hard to ignore the guy in the bright yellow jacket, flourescent orange bike pants and tail lights when he is in the middle of the road.
I would suggest getting acquainted with the local laws governing bike use and public roads, then try the middle of the lane method. I get a lot less horn blowing and close swipes that way.
By the way, the 13 miles is not so bad, it takes me about 1 hour and 15 minutes on the commuter bike, and 45-50 on the road bike, so it is a good morning/afternoon workout for me. What was rough was this weekend when I did my first group ride with the local bike club...45 in 2.5 hours.....I slept the rest of the day

Ean

JayClitherow

Ean,

My god, and you still get on the bike everyday lol. Yeah I had thought about this, but I always tried to stay out of their way as much as possible, but I guess it's better to be right there and prominent, luckily most of the route I will take, with the aception of the dual carridgeway section will be resonably traffic free!


45 miles in 2.5 hours, got you must have been shattered, well done that man!

Jay.

hellen72

I used to cycle 3 miles at a leisurely pace and didn't sweat so no need to change. Now it is 1.5 miles mainly downhill

If u don't push it there will be no need to change

backinthenines

On busy roads, I will actually ride in the middle of the lane. This forces drivers to use another lane or wait until the oncoming traffic is clear before passing, thus preventing the driver from executing a "get as close as I can to the biker" pass. It also helps with visibility, it is hard to ignore the guy in the bright yellow jacket, flourescent orange bike pants and tail lights when he is in the middle of the road.

I ABSOLUTELY agree with you.

When I was Ironman training I spent a lot of time on the road, doing 50 -60 - 80 - 100 mile rides regularly and you take your life in your hands sometimes.

I totally agree on an assertive riding style. Own the road!!! Don't be forced into the gutter. Make them have to overtake you properly rather than within an inch of your thigh!!!

backinthenines

Ride at night? Lights? Cars don’t see you / don’t care in the day time either, just before I stopped towards the end of last year (one of the reasons I did stop I found every way possible to get to work other than ride… I couldn’t even walk properly for a day or two) I was knocked off the bike by a car, I was moving at a fair pace along a straight road, he didn't want to slow down as he went round but realised there was a traffic bollard / island in the middle of the road, he got to close and just clipped my handlebars with his mirror, I was already close to the curb knowing he was there and so I clipped it, myself and the bike departed the road, and landed about 10 yards apart on the pavement, gladly I was wearing my helmet (brand new no less even more frustrating) as my whole body weight landed on my head, well dizzy like I have never been, I lay on the path for what seemed like ages before it stopped spinning and I could hoist myself up, and in all that time nobody stopped not even the sod who clipped me, helmet went in the bin (best to air on the side of caution with these things I think).

Jay that's a horrible horrible thing to get over. It'll take a bit of getting used to being back in the saddle. I was cut up on a roundabout once and had to break so hard I didn't have a chance to unclip, so crashed spectacularly in the middle of a roundabout bringing traffic to a complete standstill. Very frightning.

But... In all the throusands of miles I've done that's only happened once, so I guess it needs to be seen in context.

Be assertive, be visible, and treat everyone else as if they're idiots (i.e. be prepared for anything, doors from parked cars opening etc etc) and you'll be ok.

kayemme

i use a police whistle, too, to help drivers know i'm there.

kayemme

Be assertive, be visible, and treat everyone else as if they're idiots (i.e. be prepared for anything, doors from parked cars opening etc etc) and you'll be ok.

excellent advice. there's more activity in your eyes than your legs sometimes!

backinthenines

Be assertive, be visible, and treat everyone else as if they're idiots (i.e. be prepared for anything, doors from parked cars opening etc etc) and you'll be ok.

excellent advice. there's more activity in your eyes than your legs sometimes!

And your ears!!!!!

The number of cyclists I see with Ipods plugged in their ears drives me wild!!!

I mean do you have a death wish???

kayemme

excellent advice. there's more activity in your eyes than your legs sometimes!

And your ears!!!!!

The number of cyclists I see with Ipods plugged in their ears drives me wild!!!

I mean do you have a death wish???

[/quote]

guilty! but remember it's not always up louder than the volume of the environment.

hyper_stitch

Ha ha this is all making me smile. I commute to work just 6 miles each way .... firstly don't be ashamed of the lycra :bigsmile: You can put shorts and a tshirt over the base layers if you're feeling self concious, a good wicking base layer is a god send, panniers are a must too.

I do a good old strip wash in the bathroom and that sees me right, as already said you could opt for more of a pootle and definitely learn the road rules. There's no problem taking primary position in the middle of the road, some car users may not like it but they clearly have no clue.