Commuting By Bike - Office Job

[finger_nails_are_pretty]

Hi,

I have recently got a new job, which is around 20 miles away.

The job is office based and the dress code is casual business (shirt and trousers).

I am considering commuting by bike (Kawasaki ER-5). Does this sound reasonable? What do you guys do for keeping your clothes dry and being fresh at work?

[supZ]

you've got 3 options.

1. wear textiles over your clothes and remove them when you get to work
2. pack clothes into a bag/tankbag and change when you get to work
3. leave clothes at work and change when you get to work.

personally, i choose 1. tis what i do in the wet/winter

that said im currently sitting in the office wearing a t-shirt and my kevlar jeans i rode in with as we're pretty relaxed in the I.T. dept
____________________
CBR954RR - Daily toy
CBR600RR - Trackbike

[P.]

I work for Honda, dress smart or GTFO basically.
Only thing that arrives messy is my hair

Erm, I just wear my textiles over the top and give myself 5 extra minutes to get undressed etc.

They wont have a go at you for commuting on a bike, if they do, do what my mate did...turn up in your road legal tank and ask which they prefer

[dogbot]

I've got a locker.

[DrDonnyBrago]

[finger_nails_are_pretty]

I think I'd be wearing textiles, and take a weeks supply of shirts and leave them there.

Do you guys commute by bike in ice/snow or go by car them days?

[dogbot]

Winter, depends really.

I used the car a bit, but mostly took the bike. Or worked from home.

[chillyman0]

I do around the same mileage and same dress code, textiles over work clothes and leave work shoes under my desk, in summer I can just about fit my leather trousers over work trousers and if you get the nylon type ones they dont crease too bad either

Takes you 5 mins to get undressed out of your textiles Paddy!? Do you need someone to help you? Do your shoe laces up for you?

30 seconds max!
____________________
preivious : 2007 Skyjet 125 (died), 1991 gsf400 (problems, rotting in garden)
1996 gsf600n (sold)
current : 1996 VFR750 for sale, PM for info! 2000 E1 ZX-9r

[chillyman0]

Oh and I only have a bike so all weather was on the bike, unless of course the directors ring and say the roads are too bad dont try and ride in... Thats just win, a paid day off just cos I dont drive
____________________
preivious : 2007 Skyjet 125 (died), 1991 gsf400 (problems, rotting in garden)
1996 gsf600n (sold)
current : 1996 VFR750 for sale, PM for info! 2000 E1 ZX-9r

[Paris2]

I just wear my shirt under my jacket and change into my trousers when I get to work, which I iron and fold neatly into my bag (which sits flat in my top box).

Winter will be just textiles over the top for the extra layers.
____________________
Current Ride: Daytona 600

[Daimo]

Done it for many years.

Invest in good clothing. Good jacket with removable layers (ditto with trousers).

Good waterproof boots, not these fancy shiney sparkly sportsbiker boots.

A good warm jumper.

Good thick winter gloves.

Balaclava.

Then you can do other things, handlebar covers (got some for sale ), heated handgrips (also got some for sale ), double screens etc.

Easily done. However, if you get to the point that your fingers are blue when you get to work, and you have to put them under a cold tap, to warm them up, and STILL get chill blaines, then its time to upgrade the gloves

[G]

I'd recommend considering a roadcrafter suit - expensive, but the entire one piece suit can be put on/taken off in under 60 seconds easily.

Alternatively, you can get various 'work' trousers with kevlar lining. Hood do some with a 'work' style material, while other brands do black jeans that may well be passable. Go for some army boots or similar and keep them well polished.

[Kris]

Bar muffs. Get bar muffs.


____________________
NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[P.]

[Dazbo666]

I tend to wear textiles when commuting for office hours... or anything I want when working shifts on unsocial hours.
Having said that, our office is fairly easy going - and a line manager who is also a biker possibly helps

I commute by bike pretty much all year round. The only time my biking was interrupted in the last year was around Xmas/New Year when the snow and ice got so bad that I failed to finish the commute home and had to leave the bike at the top of the street for a few days...
____________________
1st bike (Sept'06 - May'10) : 1991 GPZ500S / Current bike (since Nov 2009) : 2003 Suzuki Bandit 600N
Word of the day : DILLIGAF

[chillyman0]

[Benson_JV]

I just wear my work shirt and change out of my leathers into my trousers when I get there.
____________________
Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[Nick 50]

Link:
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/Ride/Product-Tests/

Product testing from past issues of Ride magazine. It covers most of the winter/wet stuff you would need.

[totalllama82]

I do much the same as the other people here.

I pack my trousers, shoes, belt and lunch into my bag on a Monday morning. I wear my shirt under my textile jacket. I'll ride in and change which takes a couple of minutes.

The bag will stay in work along with my trousers, belt and shoes until the friday night when I bring my stuff home for a wash. A clean shirt every morning and packing my lunch under the seat of the bike means I dont have to have to lug a bag around with me everyday.

The only snag in this is getting wet (ie leaving home 20 miles away to find it pisses down after 5 minutes) without having put my 1pc waterproof suit on. In this case I also carry fresh underwear at all times in my bag (which is at work) and the only real issue is my shirt which dries after 30 minutes with the aircon/heat of the office.

There is nothing worse than sitting with a soggy crotch and feet! Again the aircon will dry out the textiles ready for hometime, normally flipping them inside out 4 hours into the shift helps dry from both sides and generally only the cuffs will be damp if it was really wet that morning.
____________________
Gone: Haotian HT125-8 / Yamaha YZF 600R Thundercat / Kawasaki ZX9R C2
Current: Kawasaki ZZR 1400 A7F

[G]

[totalllama82]

[t121anf]

I would just change at work

[Pol Anorl]

[deleted111]

I'm office based and wear pinstripe trousers and a company T-Shirt.

I commute by bike every day and have done since January.

I wear my work clothes underneath Buffalo textile trousers and an RST TracTech textile jacket and have never had any issues. We have an empty cupboard under the stairs and I leave my bike gear in there, waddle up the stairs in my socks and whack my work shoes on which are left under my desk .

I carry deodorant with me just to freshen up as soon as I arrive, but never had any problems.

You'll be fine.

[G]

Heated grips are definietly worth adding in to the mix then.

Using not that great muffs (Oxford ones, held on over dirt bike bash guards) I was able to go over the Alps etc in October with one motocross glove and one medium weight glove (as lost my other medium weight glove in Harwich) thanks to heated grips.
I was finding my arms were getting a bit cold, but it almost felt like they were being warmed a bit by the blood returning from my hand!