Cycling commute clothes?

thebman

Going to start doing this next week in new job.

Work has no shower facilities but its a short cycle from my house of about 20 minutes at most (leisure, non-sweaty pace).

So my work is casual dress and thats fine but I want to get recommendations on overalls to wear over that like rain gear etc...

Anyone got recommendations on the kit that will do the job of keeping rain and mud off my underclothes and not be a pain to put on and take off at work and will not cost an arm and a leg (I'll need those ). I thought Tesco would have cheap water proofs but couldn't find anything.

Dr.Millah

I cycle to college during the week (8km each way) and it only takes around 20/25 minutes at a moderate pace.

For such a short distance i dont boder with the cycling shorts/ shoes etc. I just wear my normal clothes for ease.

For the wet days i have a waterproof jacket, and waterproof pants that just go over my clothes. I do find these a bit sweaty though as the breathability of the clothing is reduced.
When i get to college its just a quick few seconds to be in casual clothing again. I also wear gloves if its cold out.

thebman

Yeah that's what I was planning on doing. I say 20 minutes but that would be very leisurely. The bus takes 5 minute when I'm on it and it doesn't get to full speed as there are speed bumps. its a 10 minute walk to the bus stop so I could probably do it in 10-15 minutes if I was putting a bit of effort in

I don't think waterproofs would be sweaty in that time. More worried about all the muck I could get covered in. I bought some proper mud guards for the bike, hope they do the job.

petethedrummer

if you're in dublin, you might find something in the camping/outdoor shops around Capel st. Theres about 5 of them all beside each other and one might have a deal on wet gear. Actually, I remember seeing those pocket rain macs on sale somewhere, but not sure how good they are.

Gelert Travel towels are great for drying yourself off after a wet ride cycle. They're small, they dry quick and they don't stink.

http://www.twenga.co.uk/dir-Homewares,Bathroom-linen,Bath-towels-10701 - Millets sell them. I've tried one from MSR, but the Gelert towel is better.

Dr.Millah

thebman wrote: »

Yeah that's what I was planning on doing. I say 20 minutes but that would be very leisurely. The bus takes 5 minute when I'm on it and it doesn't get to full speed as there are speed bumps. its a 10 minute walk to the bus stop so I could probably do it in 10-15 minutes if I was putting a bit of effort in

I don't think waterproofs would be sweaty in that time. More worried about all the muck I could get covered in. I bought some proper mud guards for the bike, hope they do the job.

It has been very mild the last while which has had alot to do with being a bit hot when i get to college. I imagine it will be the opposite from now on.

With proper mudguards you will be fine with the wet gear on aswell. The only thing that could get dirty is shoes. You could get a pair of shoe covers that would be waterproof. But i find these annoying to put on and off as mine are very tight and are designed for my road shoes.

Lumen

Waterproofing is easy and cheap. Any old waterproof overtrousers will do, and there are cheap commuting jackets available from Wiggle etc which will be fine.

You won't get sweaty if you cycle (very) slowly, but you also won't get any significant exercise.

Achieving waterproofing and breathability is difficult/impossible and expensive.

thebman

Dr.Millah wrote: »

It has been very mild the last while which has had alot to do with being a bit hot when i get to college. I imagine it will be the opposite from now on.

With proper mudguards you will be fine with the wet gear on aswell. The only thing that could get dirty is shoes. You could get a pair of shoe covers that would be waterproof. But i find these annoying to put on and off as mine are very tight and are designed for my road shoes.

Nah out in Maynooth and going to Offaly at weekend. yeah shoe covers seem like a good idea but I do have an old pair of runners that I could use and get filthy without any problems. I'll be bringing a bag anyway with lunch and some other bits a pieces.

claiva

hi op,
I cycle to rathmines from santry and I wear a tee shirt under my waterproof jacket. I leave a pair of shoes and trousers in work and bring a fresh shirt every day in my bag. I wear wellies under the wet trousers.
You do sweat a bit on the way in, so its nice to take off the tee shirt and change into your business attire when you get in.

petethedrummer

Lumen wrote: »

Waterproofing is easy and cheap. Any old waterproof overtrousers will do,

Thats a very good point. You could try a hardware shop and get a pair of builders waterproof trousers. They might even come with reflective strips.

gowger

I got an army surplus pair of gore-tex bottoms on ebay for about €20 and they are amazingly good!

Although do look a bit like a guerrilla as they are green camo.

dearg lady

I dunno I got cheapo waterproof bottoms and they started to let in after I'd worn them a few times, unfortunately to the way to an exam. Sitting in wet clothes for 3 hours doing exam=not pleasant!
In sayin that tho, it's not actually that often I get caught in the rain, it's reasonably easy to avoid. I'm glad of my waterproofs when I get caught in a nasty downpour tho! Got my trousers in Millets, and a really nice Northface jacket on sale. bit expensive but will last for ages!