i searched and the only thread that was similar was dead.

i just started biking to work (on days it's not raining). the ride is 1.5miles through a residential area. it would be 0.9 miles if i went the route i do in a car, but that's pretty dangerous (no room to get out the way of cars, can't trigger stoplights, a couple of large busy intersections, etc). i've been using a backpack to take work clothes in, but that just makes it harder to not get sweaty on the way in.

i have a gary fisher marlin (mtn bike) and am thinking of putting some sort of rack on the back w/ a bag. any suggestions?

any suggestions on how to not get yucky on the way in besides going slow?

even though i drive a civic, i'm trying to save gas if i can. biking to work is really relaxing. i had been meaning to try it for a long time but just never got motivated. i heard it was national bike to work week and thought it was time to start.

5/16/2008 9:09:35 AM

good job!

5/16/2008 9:13:46 AM

I used to walk to work when I lived a mile away. It was nice, except when it was cold or rainy. If I could still do it I would, but I don't think I'd ever bike to work because of the dangers involved. The only way I'd do it is if I had a route that wasn't heavily trafficked.

5/16/2008 9:21:41 AM

i suppose needless to say, there's no shower at your office?

5/16/2008 9:26:28 AM

Awesome

You could always sport the mamachari look.



I know the front basket isn't as popular in the States but they're perfect for big bags. All of my students throw their big ass gym bags in them and it fits my backpack really well.

If my backpack was in something on the back of my bike I'd always be paranoid of it falling off without me noticing right away

5/16/2008 9:26:49 AM

i'm moving in june and will be 3.9 miles away from work, so i'll be biking as well.

luckily, we do have showers at work.

5/16/2008 9:29:36 AM

i'd bike to work if
A. I was within a few miles of work
B. I had a bike (which I would remedy if A were true.)

5/16/2008 9:36:45 AM

no, no showers at work. that would be awesome if we did, but we're an architectural firm and that wasn't deemed necessary when designing the building i guess. lol

i considered walking, but even walking the route that i drive would be hazardous. there are no sidewalks or crosswalks, and very little space next to the road on which to walk.

^^^i was thinking something like this

plus

if anybody has suggestions on specific models to get or to stay away from, let me know.

[Edited on May 16, 2008 at 9:47 AM. Reason : ]

5/16/2008 9:45:49 AM

I'm about 8 miles but I think I'd still bike if we had some showers here at work

5/16/2008 10:07:02 AM

^^That would be the way to go. I would check out the REI store brands and shop/ read reviews
online.

^ A guy at my work commutes 14 miles by bike almost every day. We don't have showers either. I think he must have less sweat glands than the rest of us.

[Edited on May 16, 2008 at 10:09 AM. Reason : ^'s]

5/16/2008 10:08:18 AM

you can just take a backpack.
I live in southwest Raleigh and sometimes ride my bike to work in North Cary. About 7 miles via all residential streets and greenways, or longer if I want to take my time and go through Umstead, but I carry everything in a normal backpack. No real need for a bike-bag or anything. Of course, we have a shower at the office though. Wearing a backpack if you don't have a shower might make you more sweaty.

5/16/2008 10:11:56 AM

Quote :

"i've been using a backpack to take work clothes in, but that just makes it harder to not get sweaty on the way in."

5/16/2008 10:13:03 AM

go in earlier, before it gets too hot

5/16/2008 10:23:28 AM

if i go in earlier i don't get to leave earlier

5/16/2008 10:48:50 AM

well that's stupid

5/16/2008 10:51:27 AM

How do your clothes not get wrinkled in a backpack?

5/16/2008 10:51:51 AM

you could always bring a washcloth in your bag and do an "Irish shower" in the bathroom when you get to work

you'd be surprised how clean & refreshed you can get if you just wipe with a damp washcloth

5/16/2008 10:58:04 AM

or you could just take a "mexican shower" and slather on some cologne.

5/16/2008 11:05:52 AM

I'm thinking of doing something similar, but would run into the same problem. My thought was to do the Irish shower before everyone else gets into work.

5/16/2008 11:09:05 AM

Quote :

"How do your clothes not get wrinkled in a backpack?"

i wear jeans and t-shirts to work..... not worried about wrinkles.
there are plenty of wrinkle-free khakis and collared shirts anyway

5/16/2008 11:26:19 AM

Quote :

"How do your clothes not get wrinkled in a backpack?"

i fold a wrinkle-resistant button down shirt VERY carefully with a piece of cardboard like they do in the store, then put it in a fabric bag and into the backpack. the fabric bag is there b/c i've taken the backpack fishing and camping and stuff and although it looks clean i don't want to risk it.

i just wear whatever dress pants for the day and carefully fold the right leg over to put a velcro strap thing on to keep them out of the chain & cassette.

i did forget to pack my dress shoes the other day. it took a while for people to notice thankfully.

i've wiped my face w/ a wet paper towel when i get here, but bringing a washcloth would be better i think. thanks for the idea.

[Edited on May 16, 2008 at 11:26 AM. Reason : e]

5/16/2008 11:26:34 AM

where do you guys work that have a shower at the office? I've read about bike commuting before and showers at the office seems somewhat common, although its totally foreign to me.

I bike commuted every now and then when I lived 5 miles from work. Until one day a box truck intentionally tried to run me over, and that was the end of that.

5/16/2008 11:27:12 AM

I think most of the big tech company offices and campuses in RTP have showers. Lots of large companies actually have full gyms, which would of course have showers.
The building I work at in Cary just has a single shower in the downstairs bathroom and a bank of 8 small lockers. Nothing big, really. But i bet theres a lot of buildings that have a simple shower in one of their bathrooms

5/16/2008 11:49:16 AM

yeah, we have showers in every building. good high pressure YMCA style ones, too.

5/16/2008 11:57:14 AM

I'd love to bike to work, but I live on Glenwood South and work in RTP, so there's just really no good way for me to ride.

If I were you though I'd just take 5 shirts, 5 pants, etc. and leave them in your office on Monday's, and you can just change when you get there every day instead of taking a backpack.

5/16/2008 12:02:04 PM

^I've been saying I'll do that every week for the past 2 years.

5/16/2008 12:06:26 PM

^haha, yeah me too.

However I think i've figured out how to save some gas until I can move closer to my job.

I bought a motorcycle a few weeks ago

5/16/2008 12:09:07 PM

4.5m is a bit far for me to bike...it's right on the cusp of being just far enough to be a pain

5/16/2008 1:13:35 PM

If anyone's looking for a GREAT bike to ride to work, let me know.

I'm trying to sell a 58cm Fuji Roubaix roadbike that I've converted to single speed.

It's pretty much all pimped out in blue (blue anodized wheels, blue frame, blue bar tape, blue seat). It really looks pretty sweet.

5/16/2008 1:40:23 PM

^^That would take you less than half an hour, and thats too far??

I'd love to ride to work. Less money spent on gas/vehicle maintenance and I could quit my gym ($80/month). But there's no freaking way I want to dodge the crazy motorists of Queens

5/16/2008 1:52:34 PM

I drove in Queens for a total of 5 min and I think i got the finger and "asshole" yelled at me at least 20 times apparently it's against unwritten law there to take a left turn when there isn't a light

[Edited on May 16, 2008 at 2:10 PM. Reason : d]

5/16/2008 2:10:38 PM

Livery Taxis are the worse. Last night this motherfucker tried to turn right onto another road from the center lane, while I was next to him in the right lane. Did he really expect me to let him go, esp. since he wasn't even using his turn signal? Fuck no.

5/16/2008 3:38:49 PM

Quote :

"How do your clothes not get wrinkled in a backpack?"

Must use Dorkage...

5/16/2008 4:16:21 PM

whenever I think about biking to work, I remember that episode of The Office when Jim rode his bike to work. Everyone got drunk and he couldn't ride home without falling down, lol.

5/16/2008 4:47:16 PM

The performance racks are great, but get the frame mount instead of the seat post one. A little harder to get on, but much sturdier.

5/16/2008 5:31:39 PM

http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/bags_and_racks?page=1



http://velo-orange.com/bapaandba.html

5/16/2008 6:31:18 PM

Unfortunately my commute is 11 miles over very hilly terrain. I have biked it several times on the weekend when the dress code is relaxed. I can cover it in about 45 minutes (vs. 15 in the car -- stop & go), but not without massive perspiration. There are no showers. It's not feasible unless gas becomes so expensive that coming into work sweaty is no longer frowned upon.

5/16/2008 10:43:11 PM

Quote :

"4.5m is a bit far for me to bike...it's right on the cusp of being just far enough to be a pain "

yeah, 5 miles is completely doable.

5/17/2008 12:43:18 AM

Quote :

"If I were you though I'd just take 5 shirts, 5 pants, etc. and leave them in your office on Monday's, and you can just change when you get there every day instead of taking a backpack."

That was going to be my contribution to the thread. Drive in once a week; take in a tub of new clothes, take out a tub of old clothes. Bike the rest of the time.

5/17/2008 9:48:10 AM

a lot of engineering firms and architectural firms have showers, especially if they have field workers and survey crews. considering how important it seems to be for firms to show they are going green (LEED) it may be possible to convince people in your company that a shower would be a good thing for your office... of course that maybe very far down the road. would definitely bring it up if there is ever an expansion or renovations to your office.

for now, a sink shower is the way to go. wet wipes make it easy too. just keep them at your desk so you have them when you get into work. they make some really thick ones that work very well.

5/17/2008 9:53:50 AM

^^thanks, i didn't think about bringing a full week's worth of clothes

^yes, we are all moving towards green building. we have 3 LEED APs, and i'm supposed to take the test at some point. even our new slogan thing is "design green. save green." lol. i've mentioned the shower thing once so far, and they joked about having one in the past, but i don't think they really took me seriously. i work for my dad so i could push it more, but i don't think there will be any renovations or expansions (involving plumbing) any time soon. our building is relatively new anyway.

i'm ready to buy a rear rack and some panniers. i'm looking at either the novara 'round town panniers http://www.rei.com/product/733820

or the wald 582 wire baskets http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Rear-Grocery-Baskets-Folding/dp/B000AO9LDS/ref=pd_bbs_9?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1211372405&sr=8-9


i can't decide. the wald baskets have better reviews, but i don't like the large holes in the baskets and the weight. the novara ones weigh 1.5lbs less and would definitely rattle less. both have problems attaching to racks, although i know that's dependent on which one you have. novara doesn't sell a rack that i can find and the wald one doesn't look beefy enough to me.

this rack http://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Bicycle-Welded-Spring-Black/dp/B000AO3HJ2/ref=pd_bbs_7?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1211374737&sr=8-7

is very sturdy and can hold up to 50lbs. the tubes on the sides from which you would hang panniers look really thick though.

sooooo...help me decide. any suggestions on other brands/types? i want to stick with the open-top, grocery type b/c i think they'd be the most versatile for everything i want to do.

5/21/2008 9:15:08 AM

Quote :

"any suggestions on how to not get yucky on the way in besides going slow? "

it's just a mile and a half? just take it easy, you're gonna be going faster than walking/running probably and getting less sweaty as a result...

the rack will probably help though.

sucks as i will soon be living close to work but on the other side of the freeway from it

5/21/2008 9:18:54 AM

yeah i've been leaving earlier and just taking it slow. i'm still hot when i get here, just not as hot. getting everything off my back will help though.

5/21/2008 9:29:35 AM

my job is about 2.5 miles away and i've ridden a few times. i just relax and take it easy (it helps its mostly downhill to work) and i don't get tired or sweaty at all. Its also obviously a lot easy on my road/commuter bike than my mountain bike. I def won't be doing it in July/August.

5/21/2008 11:22:20 AM

Quote :

"I def won't be doing it in July/August"

yeah, no kidding you won't

5/21/2008 11:56:02 AM

haha i laughed at that one myself...

5/21/2008 2:14:32 PM

i bike CASUALLY to work ~2.2 miles in 12-15 minutes.... CASUALLY, meaning i'm upright taking my sweet time.... never get sweaty cause i'm in Denver and relative humidity is 15-20%.... but still.

no showers, i just wear khaki's and button-down and just roll up my pant leg on the right to keep it off the chain... they have clips for this too...
http://www.amazon.com/Pant-Cuff-Clips-Bike-Bicycle/dp/B000MM5MSQ

[Edited on May 22, 2008 at 12:19 AM. Reason : m]

5/22/2008 12:17:02 AM

i have this already

5/22/2008 8:16:17 AM

^ I have two of those. I love them. I use them anytime I run or ride at night.

5/22/2008 8:55:16 AM

okay i just ordered that sunlite rack and the novara panniers. we'll see if they fit together. i'm excited! i can't wait to be able to ride to the grocery store...although i need to get a lock if i'm going to ride to places other than work. i still have the kryptonite lock that you can open w/ a bic pen.

5/22/2008 10:49:54 AM