How to commute with a change of cloths?

[MCL1981]

I have a dillema that I’m sure the rest of you have figured out by now. I would love to start commuting with my bike rather than Metro. I live in Grosvenor right by the metro stop and I commute to downtown right by Metro Center. The route is no problem, there are many ways I can go. Parking my bike indoors at home and work is no problem. The added time for my commute is no problem on either end. The added wear and tear on the bike is no problem. I used to do bike-train-bike commuting before I moved here, but the distance was short so I just wore my work cloths on the bike.

But HOW prey-tell do I take my nice work cloths with me to and from work? Nice pants and a button down shirt is what I wear at work, but that won’t fly on the ride to/from. How do i take those with me on the bike without wrinkling them up and making them a mess?

I have a rack on the back of the bike. I have a small bag on top of the rack. That is it for storage apparatus though I’m willing to expand on that as needed.

Topic

[gregbilling]

Great question and believe it or not a pretty frequently asked question in our WABA Commuting Seminars and other classes.

There are bicycle garment bags for rear racks. I do not have personal experience with them because our office attire is pretty casual, but I know there are forum members that use them or have used them. Below is a link to one on Amazon and a quick google search will result in a bunch of brands and styles. Perhaps others can chime in with their favorites.

http://www.amazon.com/Bushwhacker-Westwood-Commuter-Garment-Pannier/dp/B004053Z0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300898113&sr=8-1

Welcome to commuting!
Greg Billing

[paulg]

I use one of these:

http://www.rei.com/product/796369

an Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder.

I’ve used it for years for just generally traveling (vacations etc.) with nice clothes like dress pants and a button down shirt. I’ve even got a larger one that I have used for suits.

I bike commute 3 or 4 times a week and always use one. It fits into most daypacks or the ortlieb panniers I have.

How does it work? There is a stiff plastic sheet inside that you use as a template to fold your shirts and pants etc. (there are even instructions printed on it) and once a stack of nicely folded shirts/pants is made, the plastic sheet is put on the top of the stack before closing up with the velcro sealing flaps. A similar stiff sheet is sewn into the base to act as a sandwich for your clothes which keeps them nice and flat.

It works well for me and judging by the reviews on REI it works for others too. I’ve had mine for nearly 8 years now and apart from a small crack in the top sheet it still works perfectly.

Paul G

[Joe Chapline]

You might want to check out this earlier thread, some of the comments might be helpful: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?349-8mi-commute-in-work-clothes

[PrintError]

Since I do it 5 days a week, carrying my clothes is mandatory. Piece of cake though. I’ve got a trunk rack and a TransIt Epic trunk bag. I simply roll or fold my clothes as appropriate and haul em in. Bag is big enough for my tools, garage door opener, work ID, bike wallet, lunch, clothes, first aid kit, and has a bungee net on top for my coffee thermos. Ride, change, work.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one who commutes with a thermos full of coffee!

[OneEighth]

Roll your clothes, but not tightly. Leave shoes and belts in the office. Heavy overcoat and spare gloves, too, if you have the space and intend to ride year-round. Over the years, I have found that if your dress shirt collar, pocket, and cuffs stay flat, you will be fine.
I just put the rolled up suit, shirt, tie, etc. in a plastic bag to protect them and carry the whole mess in a Timbuk2 backpack.
Easy.

[MCL1981]

I never thought of rolling cloths up rather than folding them, and frankly I suck at folding clothing to begin with. Though I’m having a hard time pictuing how to roll up a shirt without making a mess of it. I think I’m going to get a pannier setup though as a backpack would be way too hot in the summer.

I believe then my next purchase after a pannier bag will be go-go-gadget spike strips and nail launchers for cars.

[eminva]

You would also not believe how many hangers of clothes you can fit on a hook on the back of your office door. There are dry cleaners all over downtown so for me, some items just live in the office rather than my home.

Good luck!

Liz

[Greenbelt]

Save the plastic from the dry cleaners and roll or fold your work clothes up in that. Helps avoid wrinkles.

I use a backpack, so the plastic also avoids soak-through on rainy or sweaty days.

[MCL1981]

@eminva 2906 wrote:

You would also not believe how many hangers of clothes you can fit on a hook on the back of your office door. There are dry cleaners all over downtown so for me, some items just live in the office rather than my home.

This would require promotion to a position with an office and a door. Wouldn’t that be nice. I do however have an unlimited supply of cubical hooks…..

[eminva]

Ouch, sorry. I do hope you get a promotion though.

Don’t know if you have drawer space, but I fold up sweaters and scarves and put them in my filing cabinet. I also put spare gear there in case of drastic weather changes between morning and evening. Since we went paperless, I don’t have much use for them otherwise.

There is also a coat closet by the entry to our department that no one was using, so one colleague and I hang up our towels from the locker room there. Possession is 9/10ths of the law, right?

Liz

[billy]

@OneEighth 2903 wrote:

Roll your clothes, but not tightly. Leave shoes and belts in the office. Heavy overcoat and spare gloves, too, if you have the space and intend to ride year-round. Over the years, I have found that if your dress shirt collar, pocket, and cuffs stay flat, you will be fine.
I just put the rolled up suit, shirt, tie, etc. in a plastic bag to protect them and carry the whole mess in a Timbuk2 backpack.
Easy.

i don’t wear a suit, but this is more or less my method – fold/roll up slacks and shirt, throw in my big ol’ timbuktu backpack.

it’s worth nothing that this method works best with wrinkle resistant clothes. i also tend to take the metro into the office if i really need to dress nicely, because i am a total sellout.

[JohnL]

For the past eight years, I have used a folding garment bag that hooks onto the rack on back of my bike. I can lay a suit, dress shirt and tie in the main pocket and dress shoes, toiletries, work papers and a flat repair kit in the side pockets. The bag folds in half across my rack, and the suit is unwrinkled when I get to work.

See http://www.twowheelgear.com/

[Author]

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