Bibs VS casual commuting to work??

[sonssu]

Hi guys!

  Do you guys prefer wear  bibs to casual commuting to work in ther morning?

I often ride to work. It's about 9 miles very nice warm-up for morning:) But in a few months here it will be above 80 degrees and I will be sweating a lot! Obviously I don't wanna be sweaty at work but personally I only wear bibs for a long & proper ride such as race.

What's your preference? How do you guys deal with outfits riding to work? Do you guys bring your clothes all the time?

Sonssu

[waynemyer]

I might not be the best example, because my commute is 17 miles each way. It used to be 38 miles each way. I always wear my cycling clothes (bib, jersey, et al) to commute. If I was to go casual, I would be in danger of serious chafing.

As far as dealing with work clothes, I stage clothes at work. I'll bring a pair of slacks or jeans and a few shirts on one day. Everyday, I'll bring fresh socks or underwear, or stage a bunch on a different day. I leave shoes and a toiletries kit at work, too.

[RussSeaton]

I hate bib shorts.  Hate them, hate them, hate them.  Nobel prize winners would have a hard time conceiving of a worse piece of clothing.

When I commuted, it was only 2 miles each way.  So did not get too sweaty.  I carried my work clothes in a backpack.  Left shoes and a hair brush at work.  Always wore cycling clothes for the ride to and from work.  I always wear cycling clothes whenever I ride the bike.  Not sure why anyone would not wear cycling clothes when cycling.  Cycling clothes are the best for cycling.  Why would you not wear the best for an activity?

[John Nelson]

I stage clothing too. And we have a shower at work, without which it really wouldn't be feasible for me to commute.

[DaveB]

....we have a shower at work, without which it really wouldn't be feasible for me to commute.

That's what makes commuting feasible if the distances are anything but very short and the terrain anything but dead flat.  Given shower facilities, one thing that is often done is to drive one day a week and leave a week's worth of clean clothing at work and retrieve the past week's dirty clothes.   Suitable shoes and toiletries remain at work indeffinitely.  That way you don't have to carry much on the bike every day.

[waynemyer]

The shower, or rather lack thereof, is highly overrated. Shower in a bottle.

[Pat Lamb]

I commuted for about two years, 10 miles each way, to a place without a shower.  A few things make it possible:

(1) Shower before you leave home.
(2) Go slow in the mornings.  (In the summer, balance speed and sweating as best you can.)
(3) Check email until you stop sweating.
(4) Use unscented baby wipes in the handicapped stall of the restroom to wipe down before dressing.

FWIW, I carry clothes (in panniers) daily, except I'll park shoes behind a computer in my cube.  The key is to wash before you leave, so there's not an accumulation of stench when you arrive, dry and wipe when you get there, so the sweat doesn't "ferment."  Plain sweat doesn't stink until it's fed skin bacteria for a while.  Even after I'd been doing that for a while, there were people who were surprised that I did not shower after the ride -- those who hadn't seen me over the summer and didn't know the routine were amazed I didn't smell like a jock  or a locker room.

Also FWIW, I prefer a shower at work.

[commuter]

My commute is 17 miles each way. I don't shower at work but I do have a towel to wipe off with when I get there. If you shower every day and you don't smoke your sweat doesn't smell. I use my panniers to carry all the clothes that I need so I wear bibs on the bike. My job doesn't require that I wear a suit and tie so my clothes can look wrinkled at work. Since a lot of clothing is wash and wear the wrinkles that do appear smoothe out after a short while

[driftlessregion]

I shower every day in the summer, don't smoke, my sweat smells, and I think bibs are fantastic.
Once again, one person's experience on these pages is one person's experience.

[indyfabz]

When I ride/train it to my office in NJ, about 9 miles of pedaling total, I always wear bibs and a jersey and bring work clothes with me.

When I ride the two miles to my Philly office, I don't wear cycling clothes, and I bring work clothes with me. If it's hot (it can be above 80 at 7 a.m.) I will wear short pants of some sort and usually a t-shirt.

[Trek_geek]

I just started a train/bike commute a month ago. I pedal 2 miles to get the train and then 7.5 miles from the 2nd station to work. I'm lucky that there is a shower at work. I wear cycling cloths including bibs because I add a few extra miles on the return trip. I carry my work cloths everyday. I found a small nylon bag with a draw string top keeps everything in place and unwrinkled, when I slide it into the Ortlieb panniers. Commuting south of Washington DC can be a nightmare, so getting 40 minutes of exercise and 40 minutes of reading each way is so much better than sitting on I-95.

[bogiesan]

http://shop.eaglecreek.com/packing-solution-by-bag-type-view-all/l/210

Eagle Creek pack-it envelopes are great for minimizing wrinkles.

[staehpj1]

I hate bib shorts.  Hate them, hate them, hate them.  Nobel prize winners would have a hard time conceiving of a worse piece of clothing.

I don't feel that strongly, but also don't "get" bibs.  I much prefer regular bike shorts to bibs.

On the original question....  Bike shorts for me on any ride more than 2-3 miles, and maybe even then.

[patrickstoneking]

I hate bib shorts.  Hate them, hate them, hate them.  Nobel prize winners would have a hard time conceiving of a worse piece of clothing.

When I commuted, it was only 2 miles each way.  So did not get too sweaty.  I carried my work clothes in a backpack.  Left shoes and a hair brush at work.  Always wore cycling clothes for the ride to and from work.  I always wear cycling clothes whenever I ride the bike.  Not sure why anyone would not wear cycling clothes when cycling.  Cycling clothes are the best for cycling.  Why would you not wear the best for an activity?

My commute is between 14 and 17 miles each way depending on whether I take the sort route or the scenic route.  I happen to love bibs and have at least 15 pairs - winter and summer weights.  I typically ride fully suited up and then shower at the gym at work. Here in Cleveland we even have a really nice bike parking, repair, and showering facility managed by the city for commuters downtown.  I haven't needed to use it but I would if I didn't have the facility at work.

If my commute was under 5 miles I would probably just wear my work clothes.  I don't get that sweaty in the 20 minutes it would take me to get to work.