Cycling to work..

[Stradageek]

15 mile ride to work and I sweat profusely. But as it's the clothes that smell rather than me (and then only by the end of the day) I just take clean underwear and shirt with me (trousers and shoes left at work) and have a student shower (from a can).

My wife tells me to change as soon as I come in the door but has confirmed that it is the clothes not me, I can change and go out for the evening without a shower, if necessary, without ponging!

[horizon]

No-one called me a "loser" because I was sweating, I thinks that is a chip too heavy for the shoulder.

No denigration of the labour, simply disbelief that a normal person could ride in London (the 'you must be very fit' syndrome).

I'm glad you say that. But I think that turning up smart must say something about a person and one of those things is that you are rich enough to afford transport or simply don't descend to physical labour. This can be turned on its head (Gosh, you're sweating and fit!) but I would have to disagree with you if you felt that this wasn't a generally held belief. The fact that you rose above it and worked out a way of achieving an appropriate level of smartness at work (which I greatly respect) doesn’t really alter the fact that the social forces at work, at work, are both very strong and largely IMV anti cycling. Sometimes people are hiding behind this view as a way of not showing their own inadequacy in not attempting to cycle to work but there is also terrific fear of not looking right. If you look at some of the evidence (sorry no link), one of the common reasons for not cycling to work is not fear of traffic but fear of sweat and the problem of changing clothes and all that goes with it. I don't think you are typical; I think you are one of the brave few. (I was the brave few at my place of work – the only one out of 150 staff to cycle in. At least I had the only shower to myself!

[Ben@Forest]

My commute is a 50-mile round trip minimum (I tend to go further in the summer and especially on the way home) but I only do it about 50 - 60 times a year. Just looked at my diary to see it's 56 to date in 2014. There's no shower at work and I tend just to wash my face and change all my clothes (obviously I'm fully clad in Lycra anyway).

Although it would be nice to have a shower I work in a very small office with only five people max (often out and about) and would say that the advantage with that is that I have my own desk and space to put stuff where I want and it will stay there. Where my wife works there is a shower but she also has to hot-desk, no room for hanging lyrca or dirty cycling shoes. This morning my wet socks and pants went discreetly on the radiator(!) I can't see that being allowed in the offices at a busy call-centre...

[Vorpal]

I have worked in several offices where I needed to look professional. I have mostly carried my clothes with me, and showered and changed at work. I have ridden my bike in a business suit, though, and can imagine that I will do it again. I don't wear high heels (can't walk in them, even if I wanted to), but I'm happy enough just wearing a pair of shorts under a skirt, or putting a slap wrap on my trouser legs. I don't like to cycle in business clothes for any distance. I just do it a couple of miles to the train station, or something, rather than a 10 mile commute.

I have mostly been the only person, or one of a few who cycled to work. At the last office I worked for in the UK, there were several people who cycled to work. Only three of us came from more than 10 miles away. The attitudes of our colleagues were dismissive at best, and bordered on harrassment at the worst. Not one of the regular cyclists still works there. Oddly, all three of us who cycled further than 10 miles to work, now live in other countries. I don't know if that says anything significant.

But I will say that I was relieved to find that my Norwegian colleagues give me encouragement, and even admiration for commuting by bicycle. It was like going from nutter to hero in one fell swoop.

[AlaninWales]

No-one called me a "loser" because I was sweating, I thinks that is a chip too heavy for the shoulder.

No denigration of the labour, simply disbelief that a normal person could ride in London (the 'you must be very fit' syndrome).

I'm glad you say that. But I think that turning up smart must say something about a person and one of those things is that you are rich enough to afford transport or simply don't descend to physical labour.

If you have to turn up smart, achieving it whilst commuting by bike (including riding hard & getting sweaty) can be done; it's fun proving that to people (IME).

This can be turned on its head (Gosh, you're sweating and fit!) but I would have to disagree with you if you felt that this wasn't a generally held belief. The fact that you rose above it and worked out a way of achieving an appropriate level of smartness at work (which I greatly respect) doesn’t really alter the fact that the social forces at work, at work, are both very strong and largely IMV anti cycling.

Oh I wasn't saying there are not social forces at work, but we are all part of that society and how we respond does change people's assumptions. I'm lucky I guess that I learned early how to deal with bullies and was able to use that.

Sometimes people are hiding behind this view as a way of not showing their own inadequacy in not attempting to cycle to work but there is also terrific fear of not looking right. If you look at some of the evidence (sorry no link), one of the common reasons for not cycling to work is not fear of traffic but fear of sweat and the problem of changing clothes and all that goes with it.

Agreed, but we can only set an example to show it can be done. Dealing with their fears is their problem.

I don't think you are typical; I think you are one of the brave few. (I was the brave few at my place of work – the only one out of 150 staff to cycle in. At least I had the only shower to myself!

Well thanks but I'm hardly unique; you too are part of the reconstruction of their assumptions, Vorpal too is able to work in a smart environment and cycle there. I don't know whether Vorpal or you are rocket scientists, but I'm not and managing to do that is not rocket science!