Bike Commuting- what to do with all your stuff?? (Page 2)

HA !!! good point.... but the hair covers the big ears.   

I bring an extra set of bike shorts in with me to wear on the ride home.  I'll re-wear the jersey, sports bra, and socks.  But the bike shorts I don't recycle.  Mostly because of womanly biology and we have different bacteria down there than guys. 

Mine's only 30 minutes.

Those were my thoughts exactly. 

my commute would be 15 miles one way if i did the whole thing from home.  A bit ambitious for me.  So I have the choice of biking to the bus stop, crossing the bridge on a bus, and then biking the rest of the way to the office.  OR I could drive part way, park at another bridge and bike 9 miles.  Have yet to test these versions.  In one scenario I spend money on gas, and in the other hand I have to buy a bus pass.  Either way the fitness benefits will outweigh any minor cost or savings.

I bring my things to work the day before (I don't bike to work every day).  We have a locker room with showers so I have a place to leave everything.  I always keep shower supplies, extra makeup and extra undergarments in the locker.

When I bike to work I wear the same bike clothes both ways and I leave them in the locker to air out during the day.  I've never had a problem with bacteria or anything of that nature.  I think if you worked alday in your bike shorts you might have a problem but a 30 min ride followed by 8 hours dry time shouldn't cause any probelms.  

My ride is 40 min one way, however I am looking for a longer route I've planned out an 18 mile ride and a 22 mile ride.  Not sure how I feel about biking 22 miles before work.

You could bring the majority of your items to work ahead of time then use a smaller bag to carry your lunch.

I found some cycling underwear in a catalog that could replace bike shorts.  just wear tights over the underwear and bring an extra pair for the ride home.  i'll dig around and see if i can find a link.

Bless you... you give me credit for way more endurance than I currently have.  I think by the end of summer I can manage this.  But I'm still working on speed and fitness.  I defintiely have a temperature advantage.  There are some hills, but again, after a few months of this I might be able to laugh at them. 

I find I can't bike commut every day because of all the stuff that needs to be hauled around.  I usually leave a change of clothes or two by my desk, but I don't like to haul it back.  Too heavy, inconvenient, and unsafe.  I'm lucky in that my office contains a locker-like cabinet with room enough to hang things and keep other junk like a bike pump, helmet, supplies, etc.  Non-perishable foods stay in a desk drawer.  I can also trust my colleagues not to eat food I leave in the fridge for a few days.

That's an interesting idea.  I have a 40 mile drive to work but I drive about 30 of it to the gym most mornings and do an hour workout.  On days when I want to ride I could park at the gym and ride the rest of the way in.  I'll have to see if I can map out a safe route between the gym and work.  And I already have the beater mountain bike to do it on.  Just need the spare tire bike rack for for my Jeep.  Maybe some days I could even do a short swim workout before heading in or before heading home, although that might be a little over-ambitious.  Hmmm......

My commute is 16 miles one way, mostly on dirt trails.  There are some hills, and the trip in is slightly downhill overall.  Trip in takes me about 1:15 and the trip home takes me about 1:30.

I ride my cyclocross bike.  I used to have a locker at work where I would store my shower stuff and bring my work clothes in the day before.  The lockers sold out this year before I could get one, so now I use a rear rack with a trunk bag and panniers.  I have gotten caught in the rain, which is why I don't wear my work clothes.  That, and I get dirty on the trails.  And the summers in AZ are hot (even in the early morning) so I get really sweaty.

It took me awhile to find a route I was comfortable with.  I have a few miles of pavement, but those have bike lanes.  After that, there were no roads with bike lanes that was an easy/safe route in to work.  That is, until I started looking for dirt trails.  Now I ride a dirt access road along the railroad tracks, a powerline road, and the last 2 miles into work are far off on the dirt shoulder.  I'd love it if they'd put a bike lane on that road, but there's no bike lane and just lame "share the road" bicycle signs posted.  That's a major commuting and trucking road where the speed limit is 55mph, so there's no way I'm sharing the road with no bike lane.  I like being off on the dirt shoulder where it's a bit safer.

I'm very lucky in that the Y is 2 blocks from my office.  I run/bike to work every day, and keep my suits and ties in a closet at work.  I bring in sandwich stuff (like two loaves of bread, meat and cheese-on a weekend or the rare day I drive) on occassion and leave it in the fridge.  I wear a camelback backpack combo that's big enough for clean underwear, socks, and t-shirt for the day's outfit, as well as a pair of shorts, sox and t-shirt for the evening commute home.  I leave the dirty stuff in the Y locker all day and stuff it in my backpack to bring home in the evening. 

I realize this won't work for everyone for many different reasons...so.. the best tip I've heard is to use baby wipes for a quick "shower".  I've only tried them once after a race and they seemed to work pretty well. 

Here's the link to the padded briefs.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=18679

Great topic..many of the thoughts/questions I have ...rewearing bike shorts...I vote no for women.

I want to bike commute as we don't have enough cars as my son now drives and it makes life easier plus it is wicked great way to get extra bike time.

I have been having my husband drive me to work and I ride home. It is less of a hassle to bring all the stuff and I like to be home in the am to help get our 5 kids off to school. I'd have to leave 15 minute before them to get to work and shower in time. Everyone thinks I'm nuts at work as I work in a large building, carry my bike up the stairs, push it down the hall, and bring it into my locked area. The strange looks are funny but I think everyone is getting used to it.

We have a gym with lockers/showers at work. I workout 3-4 times a week during lunch. I keep shoes, a kit of shampoo and stuff, towel and a spare change of clothes at work. So I'm used to bringing all the crap.

Riding each way makes it harder to carry stuff and mostly to bring lunch as I try to eat healthly. I frooze some leftovers in the freezer so if I ride in I'll have something good to eat. I don't think I'd feel safe with a backpack.

Those pannier things can you easily put them on and off and the frame that holds them? I ride my road bike to work only one I have.