Commuting to work by bike

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:I’ve been biking to campus for about three weeks now. 3.1 miles Just to give you a baseline for comparison, I finally decided to ditch the backpack and switched over to a rear rack 😉 The thing is, once you go after 9.3 miles riding with a bag on your back, your back is going to be absolutely soaked from sweat. Personally, I don't sweat much, but after these 3.1 miles my back is already feeling a bit damp. Honestly, I can't even imagine what it'll be like after 9.3 miles :/

So, if you ask me, the move is a rear rack, then just strap the bag onto it using

until I save up enough for some actual panniers 😉

You can grab some of that heavy-duty stretch wrap at a local Bike Barn or something for like $13. It should hold the bag onto the rack reasonably well...

And I won't even get into how much that bag chafes your back and armpits and everything else. Seems pretty impractical to me, especially when you're lugging a laptop around inside it :/ I mean, who knows how safe it actually is to carry a laptop that way. But investing in some panniers would definitely pay off in the long run.

When you realize that a bag big enough to hold all that stuff will cost you like $70, you might as well just buy the panniers and the rack at once 🙂

👍 Exactly. A rack and some basic panniers guarantee you won't have a swampy back, assuming you're riding "normally" and wearing decent cycling gear (or at least a jersey).

Leave the work clothes for when you get to the office—just use some wet wipes, a quick change, and you're ready to crush the workday.

I do all that, though I do have one major perk: my office has a shower 😁

I bike to work every day. 6.2 miles It’s about a thirty to forty-minute ride if I’m taking my time, though I could probably push it faster. I won't pretend I don't sweat; it happens. To manage it, I just ride at a steady pace and change my shirt once I arrive. Since my job is physical anyway, the sweat doesn't really matter. If I had a desk job or worked directly with clients, though, I’d be looking at an hour-long commute by car instead. :-)
That’s why my ride home takes thirty minutes and I need to hit the shower immediately.
Clothing choices and the weather make a massive difference. When it’s sweltering outside in the States, you start sweating just walking down the street, let alone pedaling a bike.

I cycle to work with a backpack too. Ten minutes in and my back is soaked😢, but this month I’m buying a pannier and the biggest basket available to mount on the rack. Goodbye, backpack. 👍

Since it's hot and I've ditched the jacket, I just bought one of those small waist packs for my keys, phone, wallet, cigarettes, and lighter. That's it. 🙂

Maybe later I'll get a front basket for bread and milk on the ride home... I'll look like an old lady, but at least my back stays dry. 🙂

I’ve been commuting to work for about a year now, including this past winter. For me, the hardest part is when there are huge temperature swings during the day—like just recently, it was around freezing in the morning and then shot up to 65 by the afternoon. If it happens to drizzle in the morning, you run the risk of being soaked all day long.

Joe Biden, I haven't taken my gear off once. I picked up some cheap stuff at Target for $17, and honestly, I feel pretty silly for not grabbing another set while they were still in stock. I’m seeing the exact same ones in other stores around $50 now. You can find really high-quality versions for $250, though maybe they're almost too nice for my taste—I'd hate to deal with the risk of someone swiping them.

I also carry a backpack and a small pouch in my car. As for the backpack, it’s nice if it has a slightly higher-end mesh material on the back, along with some padding and air channels, though I guess that's not a huge deal either.

Lastly, if you happen to have a decent-sized locker at work, maybe you could bring in a larger supply of clothes once a week to rotate through. That way, you can wear them down gradually and just take them home to wash.

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:I think the best way to go is just using a Paktreger and then attaching the bag to it. Simple as that.
I can't see any text to rewrite here! Just a link to an image. Send over the actual post you want me to work on and I'll get right on it.

You can grab some Zefal stretch at the local REI. $13I honestly think he should probably keep that bag more securely on the trunk...

I won't even get started on how much this bag chafes my shoulders and armpits. It’s just so impractical, especially when I'm lugging a laptop around in it too. :/ Honestly, I have no idea if it's even safe to carry a laptop like that. But hey, investing in some new bisage would definitely be worth it.

When you see a bag costing like $60... I mean, seriously? For that kind of money, you could grab some designer sunglasses and a whole set of tools instead.

Thanks for the heads-up!
This looks like a solid way to start... though I wouldn't mind having a backpack too. I need to carry basically everything on me—jeans, a shirt, my laptop, two phones, docs, and a few other bits...

William Alvarez35 said:👍 Exactly. A solid Packtreger and even fewer bisage will keep you dry, assuming you actually drive "normally" and wear a cycling kit—even if it's just a jersey.

Work clothes are waiting for you at the job. Grab some wet wipes, pop a deodorant on, and you’re all set to crush it today.

I've got all that, plus one little perk—my office actually has a shower. 😁

Me too. 😁 All I’m missing now is some kind of cabinet to stash my stuff in...

Sean Myers31 said:Same here. I bike to work with a backpack on and my back is soaked after just ten minutes.😢Anyway, I'm buying a trunk this month. Getting the biggest basket possible—I'll just throw everything in the back and say goodbye to my backpack. Bye!

It’s finally warm enough that I can ditch the jacket. Just picked up one of those little waist bags—you know, the small ones? Perfect for just my keys, phone, wallet, cigarettes, and a lighter. That's literally everything!

Maybe I'll grab a basket on my way home from work later to pick up some bread and milk... honestly, I'll probably look like such an old lady doing that. But hey, at least my back won't be killing me! 🙂

Haha, this basketball thing is awesome... I definitely need to track down a Hello Kitty somewhere. 😁
I'm joking, but honestly, my back matters more than looking good. So, maybe the Caplja solution + a fanny pack will work for starters...
Man, if my laptop takes a tumble somewhere... Caplja, buddy, you're the man 😁 😁

Andrew Wells58 said:I’m dreaming about commuting to work, like, for a whole year now, including this past winter. For me, the worst part is those huge temperature swings during the day—like recently, it was near freezing in the morning and then hit 65 by the afternoon. And if it rains in the morning, there's always that risk of being stuck in wet clothes all day long.

I don't take my bisage off the bike. I have some cheap ones I picked up for $17 at a Target, and now I feel terrible that I didn't grab another pair while they were in stock. I see the exact same ones in other shops around $50. You can get really nice ones for 250, though maybe too fancy for my taste—don't want to give a thief any ideas.

Plus, I use a backpack and a little pouch on my handlebars. With backpacks, it's nice if they have that breathable mesh on the back + padding and air channels, even if it doesn't make a massive difference.

Finally, if you have a decent-sized locker at work, maybe you could bring a bigger stash of clothes once a week, use them slowly, and then bring them home.

No matter how I look at it, the cost of the bisage and the panniers adds up to at least 300-$133. Plus, the bike I ride is an all-rounder, so I'd be constantly taking stuff on and off...
I'm also waiting for the weather to settle down so I don't have to dress like a bear in the morning and then melt from the heat in the afternoon... I think my "dream commute" project starts May 1st. 🙂

Thanks everyone for the advice and ideas... I'm a bit smarter now, but like someone already said, I'll just have to figure things out as I go once I actually start. 👍

Like I said before, you’ve got to grab a basket at the self-checkout first. You can shove your backpack in there and secure it with a bungee cord. Those specialty bike baskets they sell are always tiny—barely enough room for a kit, let alone flowers, and don't even get me started on trying to fit a backpack in one. Having a basket is a total game-changer. I usually head out dressed down in sweats and a windbreaker. By the time I reach Capitol Hill, I've warmed up, so I just strip off the windbreaker and stuff it into the basket underneath my pack. Fast and easy. Plus, I can pick up some groceries (onions, cauliflower, radishes, whatever) at Pike Place Market, and it all fits perfectly next to my bag. My backpack usually carries the essentials—tools, a spare tube, a backup waterproof jacket if I didn't bring the first one, a chain, and other bits and pieces—plus a shirt, pants, and a long-sleeved fleece that I basically use as a jacket. At work, I keep all my soaps and toothbrushes handy, and I dry my shirt by draping it over my chair back, much to the collective delight of my female coworkers.

My commute involves 6.2 miles a fair amount of uphill climbing. I work in a sizable office—roughly 30 employees—where the dress code is strictly business casual, if not full formal; crisp shirts and tailored trousers are non-negotiable. To make matters worse, there isn't a shower or even a private locker available on-site. After exhausting every possible workaround, I’ve finally conceded that biking to work just isn't happening. Biking in a suit? Absolutely not. Lugging around cycling gear just to change into professional attire? Not a chance. Instead, I drive to the office and then hop on my bike the second I get home. Besides, it's hardly worth the effort for any trip under 50-37 miles (two hours).

I hear that in more developed countries, there are actual designated spots where cyclists can just change clothes and grab a quick shower... meanwhile, we’re stuck improvising, trying to make do in office breakrooms, boiler rooms, or random storage closets. 👎

My current routine involves a quick scrub (with something heavy-duty antibacterial, obviously) and getting fueled up before the ride, then I just find some side room to change and hang my work clothes to dry—the ones I arrived in, anyway, back when I was actually working (well, hopefully, I'll be back at it again soon)...

In my experience, you really can't go wrong with a solid set of waterproof panniers—especially if they’re designed to clip on and off the bike without a massive headache.

I’ve been riding with this older version for a while now:

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k12....html?mfid=438

They’ve been fantastic. I don't actually bother using them for my daily commute through the city, though; I try not to lug around extra weight when I'm just heading into the office. For those trips, a simple top box mounted on my rear rack—kind of like one of those storage trunks you see on a Vespa—does the trick perfectly well.

jadetiger962 said:I don't bother riding around town with them since I have no reason to lug all that weight to work. A delivery box on the rear rack does the job just fine—similar to those scooter delivery boxes.

There are bike boxes too... see, see... sounds better than a basket. Got a link for one in NYC?

Sean Myers31 said:Well, they make those storage boxes for bikes too... you know, much better than just using a basket. Do you have a link for where to find one in New York City?

I’ve spotted some of them over at Walmart or even Kroger, but honestly, they feel pretty cheap compared to mine. I picked up my current setup about three years ago from Strauss, though I did see an identical version once while browsing through Cape Cod.

Mine is actually the exact same model, just without that specific sticker on it. 😬

jadetiger962 said:I remember spotting some of those at Walmart and even over at Kroger, though they seemed a bit lower quality compared to mine. I actually picked up my own about three years ago from Strauss, and I think I saw an identical one for sale once down at Cape Cod.

Mine looks pretty much the same, it just doesn't have that specific sticker on it. 😬

police in storybooks 😁, man, that sounds like something I'd love to do 🙂

So, what's the damage on the box? 😁

I guess I’ll just add that I always carry my laptop in a backpack on my back. It seems like that's where you get the least amount of vibration and impact.

I’ve been getting around to running my errands on a bicycle lately, though I actually went ahead and rigged up an electric motor so I don't end up drenched in sweat by the time I arrive... you might want to give that a thought
if you really want to take the easy way out, you just pedal lightly while giving it a little bit of throttle 😉

Every single Sunday, I haul my entire week's worth of laundry over to the laundromat. Then, on weekday mornings, I just throw on some basic shorts, a T-shirt, and hit the road at a full sprint 🙂

Honestly, once I'm back home, I couldn't care less if I'm covered in sweat or not

By the way, I finally tracked down those old beat-up boots I was telling you about over at Dick's Sporting Goods—$15. They probably wouldn't hold up on a serious trek, but for just grinding through the city every day, they're actually pretty great. They aren't much to look at, but they handle the rain well, and I honestly never take them off once I'm out.

Every single day, I commute 3.1 miles one way, which adds up to 6.2 miles total. Honestly, the sweating isn't even the worst part—it's the constant piles of broken glass scattered all over these "bike paths." It’s a nightmare. My tires are getting punctured constantly because I’m forced to ride through sections of Broadway and Fifth Avenue that are absolutely littered with shards. Thank God there's a bike shop right next to my office building. As for the gear, I stick to a city bike strictly for my back; I couldn't imagine riding a mountain bike when I need maneuverability and a clear line of sight. I work in an office and usually wear a blazer. Sure, I get sweaty, but since I use deodorant, I don't think anyone notices. I'm not out here racing through traffic either; I just try to cruise casually. I use a basket where I cram my bag and a chocolate bar, but it's a mess. Since my U-lock weighs a ton, it puts way too much weight on the front frame, making tight turns a struggle. I'm planning to grab a rear rack soon so I can finally move my stuff to the back.

quietskipper17 said:what’s the price tag on this box? 😁

I’m interested too. And how does it mount? Does it have its own bracket or just sit in the trunk? Looking at the photo, it looks like there's a bracket—but whatever, just asking.

As for commuting to work... lucky me, I've got a closet full of spare shirts, and my uniform is already hanging up at the office anyway. All I'm missing is a shower, but hey, at least I've got the closet. 😛

Here’s an interesting read on Copenhagen and some great shots of the locals commuting—whether it's to work, campus, or just getting around:

http://www.fotogard.com/bicikl-kao-lifestyle