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Bike to Work??



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 30th 04, 12:16 PM
Maggie
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Default Bike to Work??

I have such a short commute to work that riding my bike would be a
piece of cake. No traffic to speak of...and not a long distance....yet
the thought of biking to work and then having to change clothes at the
office is keeping me from attempting it. I was in NYC one summer and
saw a guy riding a bike wearing a suit with his briefcase over his
back. I thought this was due to the congestion he faced everyday in
NYC traffic. I am a suburbanite and traffic is far from a problem.
Riding would just be fun if I did not have to change when I arrived at
the office. How do you handle this if you have to wear business
clothes to work, do you bring them with you? This seems like a real
chore. I would love to have the bike at work during lunch. Since I
started riding I am finally losing the weight I gained in the past two
or three years. Plus I feel energized after I ride. That's a nice way
to start the day. Normally I drag my ass in the office yawning while
juggling a cup of coffee, my briefcase and a donut. I'd love to arrive
feeling alive and awake.

http://www.geocities.com/lindaannbuset/mypage.html

http://hometown.aol.com/lbuset/
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  #2  
Old November 30th 04, 02:17 PM
Elisa Francesca Roselli
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Maggie wrote:

I have such a short commute to work that riding my bike would be a
piece of cake. No traffic to speak of...and not a long distance....yet
the thought of biking to work and then having to change clothes at the
office is keeping me from attempting it.


I wear a long-sleeved jersey t-shirt and quaint loose knee-length shorts
with a granny-flower print over my ordinary tights. I have a pannier on
the back rack which in addition to holding my hand-bag has my nylon slip
and a skirt. On arrival at the office, I pull on the slip and skirt,
remove the shorts from underneath and walk in looking perfectly normal. It
only takes about 90 seconds.

EFR
Ile de France

  #3  
Old November 30th 04, 03:14 PM
Bruce Rideout
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(Maggie) wrote in message . com...
I have such a short commute to work that riding my bike would be a
piece of cake. No traffic to speak of...and not a long distance....yet
the thought of biking to work and then having to change clothes at the
office is keeping me from attempting it. I was in NYC one summer and
saw a guy riding a bike wearing a suit with his briefcase over his
back. I thought this was due to the congestion he faced everyday in
NYC traffic. I am a suburbanite and traffic is far from a problem.
Riding would just be fun if I did not have to change when I arrived at
the office. How do you handle this if you have to wear business
clothes to work, do you bring them with you? This seems like a real
chore. I would love to have the bike at work during lunch. Since I
started riding I am finally losing the weight I gained in the past two
or three years. Plus I feel energized after I ride. That's a nice way
to start the day. Normally I drag my ass in the office yawning while
juggling a cup of coffee, my briefcase and a donut. I'd love to arrive
feeling alive and awake.

http://www.geocities.com/lindaannbuset/mypage.html

http://hometown.aol.com/lbuset/



Maggie: DO IT! Bike commuting is a great way of life. You'll feel
better when you get to work and better when you get home. If your
main concern is how to keep your business clothes neat, try an Eagle
Creek folder or one of their many other packing accessories. That's
what I use. You can see them he

http://www.eaglecreek.com/packit_folders.html

Good luck!

Bruce
  #4  
Old November 30th 04, 03:15 PM
Paul Hamilton
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If your commute is short, why not just wear your suit? If you get
sweaty, ride slower. That;s what I do (10 mile round trip). In the
summer, I wear a short sleeve dress shirt and roll (do not fold,
especially in humid conditions) my jacket and put it on the rack.

Paul
  #6  
Old November 30th 04, 03:42 PM
maxo
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On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 03:16:21 -0800, Maggie wrote:

I have such a short commute to work that riding my bike would be a
piece of cake. No traffic to speak of...and not a long distance....yet
the thought of biking to work and then having to change clothes at the
office is keeping me from attempting it.



If economics allow it for you, and you tend to wear pants and not skirts,
then getting a commute bike with fenders and a chain guard would allow you
to ride in business attire with perhaps a change of shoes.

If you don't want to sweat, just don't pedal too hard

Millions of Dutch do it every day, so can you.

I used to ride to work and shop every day on a bike similar to one of the
Breezer Bikes when in Chicago. My usual outfit was Levis, leather vest,
and black boots--rather rock n' roll and sweaty you'd think--but if you
put yourself into cruise, rather than exercise mode, you arrive
refreshed, but not pre-moistened. FWIW, black Blundstone boots from
Australia look great shined with business attire, fit easily into
toeclips, and are totally weatherproof.

http://www.breezerbikes.com/
  #7  
Old November 30th 04, 03:54 PM
mark
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"Maggie" wrote...
I have such a short commute to work that riding my bike would be a
piece of cake. No traffic to speak of...and not a long distance....yet
the thought of biking to work and then having to change clothes at the
office is keeping me from attempting it. I was in NYC one summer and
saw a guy riding a bike wearing a suit with his briefcase over his
back. I thought this was due to the congestion he faced everyday in
NYC traffic. I am a suburbanite and traffic is far from a problem.
Riding would just be fun if I did not have to change when I arrived at
the office. How do you handle this if you have to wear business
clothes to work, do you bring them with you? This seems like a real
chore. I would love to have the bike at work during lunch. Since I
started riding I am finally losing the weight I gained in the past two
or three years. Plus I feel energized after I ride. That's a nice way
to start the day. Normally I drag my ass in the office yawning while
juggling a cup of coffee, my briefcase and a donut. I'd love to arrive
feeling alive and awake.

I cycle into work and change into work in the bathroom, it works fine. I
roll up the clothing before I stick it in my bag so it doesn't get wrinkled.
It works fine, and the exercise makes my workday much more pleasant. If
you're worried about sweat, just bring a washcloth and give yourself a quick
sink bath before you change into your business clothes.

Do you have some place to store business clothing at work? There are people
who bring in a week's worth of business clothing by car at the start of the
work week, then cycle in the rest of the week.
--
mark


  #8  
Old November 30th 04, 04:09 PM
siay
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If you do a little planning you could (on the days you drive) bring in
to work a change of clothes. That way you don't have to ride in your
work clothes.

Also, I shower and shave etc before riding in the morning. Luckily for
me I've got showers at work so I'm just washing off the sweat of the
bike ride once I arrive, no need for anything else.

Best thing I've done in ages.
Keep it up.


--
siay

  #9  
Old November 30th 04, 04:40 PM
SlowRider
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(Maggie) wrote in message . com...
Riding would just be fun if I did not have to change when I arrived at
the office. How do you handle this if you have to wear business
clothes to work, do you bring them with you? This seems like a real
chore. I would love to have the bike at work during lunch. Since I


From what you've said I'd guess there's no shower available to you at
work, which is a shame.

Ideally you can ride slowly enough that you don't sweat, but that's
easier said than done. If you've got a short commute - say 1-3 miles
- then you can probably find a pace that allows you to get there
without sweating. (You can do it for longer distances, but it takes
discipline to maintain such a slow pace.) In any case, you should be
able to find a pace that allows you to freshen up with a washcloth in
a bathroom sink.

As for clothes, it depends a little on how formal your office is. I
usually stow some clothes in my desk drawer -- pants I'll wear all
week, plus a dress shirt or sweater for Important Meetings(tm). If
you need to dress up every day, you can probably do something similar,
but you may need to be creative. Or if you've got wrinkle-resistant
clothes, you can probably carry them in a knapsack or pannier (it's
really not bad) and just stow a pair of shoes at the office.

The other thing to remember is to be prepared for bicycle-related
challenges (some of these I'm sure you already know). Make sure you
know how to change a flat. Carry tire tools, at least one spare tube,
a patch kit and a good pump. Carry a cell phone or enough change to
make a phone call. Make sure drivers can see you: if there's any
chance you'll be riding in the dark, be sure you've got working
lights. Get a mirror for your helmet or your handlebars.

Commuting brings cycling into your life in a unique way. Once you're
used to it, you can look for long loops that take you home in the
evening. (Actually, a "slow" ride in the morning and a "real" ride in
the evening is a pretty good system.) There are few things more
satisfying than leaving the office and heading out for an hour of
pleasant riding before you get home.


JR
  #10  
Old November 30th 04, 05:15 PM
gds
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(Maggie) wrote in message . com...
I have such a short commute to work that riding my bike would be a
piece of cake. No traffic to speak of...and not a long distance....yet
the thought of biking to work and then having to change clothes at the
office is keeping me from attempting it. I was in NYC one summer and
saw a guy riding a bike wearing a suit with his briefcase over his
back. I thought this was due to the congestion he faced everyday in
NYC traffic. I am a suburbanite and traffic is far from a problem.
Riding would just be fun if I did not have to change when I arrived at
the office. How do you handle this if you have to wear business
clothes to work, do you bring them with you? This seems like a real
chore. I would love to have the bike at work during lunch. Since I
started riding I am finally losing the weight I gained in the past two
or three years. Plus I feel energized after I ride. That's a nice way
to start the day. Normally I drag my ass in the office yawning while
juggling a cup of coffee, my briefcase and a donut. I'd love to arrive
feeling alive and awake.

http://www.geocities.com/lindaannbuset/mypage.html

http://hometown.aol.com/lbuset/


If you have access to a shower at work it isn't hard. What I did was
recognize that I wouldn't cycle every day. So, on the days that I
drive I bring in several sets of business clothes and leave them in
the office ( and take back "used" sets). So, when I cycle I simple
shower, change into fresh clothes and voila!
 




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