Solutions for commuting gear in the office?

[OneEighth]

@zanna_leigh 19656 wrote:

THANKS for this recommendation. I’m getting ready for the Climate Ride – 5 days of riding, a couple days of camping, and very little space for items like a large cotton towel. I am heading to REI tomorrow and will be purchasing said towel.

If you are an REI member, wait until Friday when you can use your 20% coupon. Or, use the coupon to buy something else there that you covet but haven’t yet found an excuse to buy for full price.

[OneEighth]

@consularrider 19657 wrote:

The last couple days it has been a challenge to get the morning ride clothes dry by afternoon. My outer rain gear is draped on my bike in the parking garage and my shirt and shorts (which are only slightly damp) are on a coat rack and hook in my cubicle. I’ve started bringing a spare dry pair of socks and gloves on mornings when I ride in the rain because I can never count on the the ones I used to be dry 8 to 9 hours later. It’s easier during the winter because I can use the warm air coming out of the heater to help dry them.

You know, I almost didn’t recognize you yesterday in your rain gear… Glad to see you out there, though. Saw Pete on the way in and you on the way home. Made riding in the rain even more fun to know y’all were out there, too.

[zanna_leigh]

@OneEighth 19660 wrote:

If you are an REI member, wait until Friday when you can use your 20% coupon. Or, use the coupon to buy something else there that you covet but haven’t yet found an excuse to buy for full price.

Thanks for the helpful advice but I leave for my ride on Friday and tomorrow is the only day I can do it. I’ll remember next time not to leave these things to the last minute…

[JeffC]

Towels can be a problem. The typical bath towel is way too large and thick and a hand towel is too small. I found some towels on line that are thin and about mid way in size between a bath towel and a hand towel. I don’t need much more to dry myself and I only use it once before laundering. It’s also annoying to have to lug around a large towel in my gear when I really need something just a bit bigger than a hand towel. I’ve never had problems with it drying, think I picked up a dozen for $15, they kind of remind me of the gym towels they hand out at places like Golds Gym.

[eminva]

@consularrider 19657 wrote:

The last couple days it has been a challenge to get the morning ride clothes dry by afternoon. My outer rain gear is draped on my bike in the parking garage and my shirt and shorts (which are only slightly damp) are on a coat rack and hook in my cubicle. I’ve started bringing a spare dry pair of socks and gloves on mornings when I ride in the rain because I can never count on the the ones I used to be dry 8 to 9 hours later. It’s easier during the winter because I can use the warm air coming out of the heater to help dry them.

I use a space heater by my desk for wet stuff. Yesterday it took the entire day to get everything dry.

The building engineers helpfully placed a fan in the tiny locker room downstairs. It’s probably not, strictly speaking, in compliance with the rules regarding leaving stuff in the locker room, but some of the bike commuters leave their stuff hanging on the hooks right by the fan. In a couple of hours, it is dry and you can go retrieve it. If you can convince the building engineers that a fan is needed in the locker room, this might be a solution.

Liz

[eminva]

One more thing (not boosting post count, I swear):

Go to the thrift store and buy the “beach towels” (I use the term loosely) that were freebie giveaways at sports events (Caps games, Nats games, etc.). After a dozen or so washings, they stop pilling. They are absorbent but really thin and fold up very small. Good for bringing to/from work in panniers.

Liz

[Arlingtonrider]

I’m another fan of the microfiber backpacker towels from REI, mentioned earlier. They fold up very small, but what I like best is that they dry really fast. I hang mine from the two clips of a skirt or slacks hanger, which I then hang from the top of the back of my office door where no one can see it, and by late afternoon the towel is completely dry.

[vvill]

I have one of these at work:
http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Mobile-Fan-External-Cooling/dp/B00080G0BK
plugged into a USB port. I bought 2 of them probably 5 years ago.

I hang my stuff around it and put it on full blast. As long as I rotate my items once they’re dry, everything is ready (with the assistance of some newspaper for shoes) by the time I leave.

[KLizotte]

I got one of these a few years ago at a discount store for a song and use it at home. It works great. It does take up a fair bit of floor space when in use though but folds up against the wall for storage.

http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-11510-4-Shelf-Garment/dp/B000R8E8OE/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1337129904&sr=1-1-catcorr

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1042[/ATTACH]

Here is another on the same idea but it appears to use hot air (which would make me a bit nervous):

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Dry-Portable-Clothes-Dryer/dp/B001DKJXK4/ref=pd_cp_e_3

[GuyContinental]

At least I’m not alone in this quest…

I like those stands- need to keep an eye out on discount sites… For now I’ll keep with the bike drying stand + Febreze + Fan

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1047[/ATTACH]

Has anyone found an air freshener that doesn’t smell just awful after awhile? If I plant it in front of the fan, it will spread its wonderfulness far and wide

[KLizotte]

Hahaha. I can only imagine what non-cyclists think of seeing a chamois in all its full glory. Hanging things on hangers I think will help speed up the drying process; allows for more air circulation.

[GuyContinental]

@KLizotte 19752 wrote:

Hahaha. I can only imagine what non-cyclists think of seeing a chamois in all its full glory. Hanging things on hangers I think will help speed up the drying process; allows for more air circulation.

LOL- I actually had that conversation with a bemused co-worker soon after the photo was taken. My chamois is now better hiding its “glory.” Usually I have hangers but they went home with last week’s batch of clothes and riding with a few shoved in the back of my jersey just hasn’t happened yet…

[pfunkallstar]

@GuyContinental 19756 wrote:

LOL- I actually had that conversation with a bemused co-worker soon after the photo was taken. My chamois is now better hiding its “glory.” Usually I have hangers but they went home with last week’s batch of clothes and riding with a few shoved in the back of my jersey just hasn’t happened yet…

Don’t hide your chamois shame!

[vvill]

On a slightly different but related topic – anyone have tips for washing helmet straps? Mine are starting to look and -smell- significantly less than clean, to the point where I took my spare helmet today.

[Tim Kelley]

@vvill 19801 wrote:

On a slightly different but related topic – anyone have tips for washing helmet straps? Mine are starting to look and -smell- significantly less than clean, to the point where I took my spare helmet today.

Just wear it into the shower–a little shampoo will do it good!

[Author]

Posts