GTC | Bike Commuting

As I mentioned in part 1, I live in Arizona and commute by bike year round. Unlike some parts of the country world*,  it is very easy to ride here in the winter and very difficult in the summer. OK it is not difficult and I am spoiled with sunshine and a flat, hill-less ride. But let’s ignore that and continue the sweaty summer saga.

Before we begin let me share that this post should be called “containing the stink.” If that does not repel or offend, read on.

Part 2: the Transition

So you made it to work, you are panting and sweating from racing the car commuters from stoplight to stoplight. (OK maybe just me — I’ll beat you one of these days, Pearl White Escalade Lady!) I know each case will be unique, but the following is my post-ride routine. A lot of these tips are obvious (deodorant) so I will try not to bore you.

Cool down period: I do not do anything until I cool off. Cleaning up before cooling off only leads to an “I’m clean/I’m sweaty again/now I am clean again” cycle.  I have a decent sized fan in my office, and I just sit in front of it for a good ten minutes while I peruse the morning’s email. Now is a good time to enjoy some ice water. Stay away from the hot coffee until you are cooled and recovered. There are two things to watch out for at this point: One, your chair could get soaked and stinky while you sit there and transition from a liquid to a solid again; and two, you are now circulating a locker-room odor around your office. (and maybe out the door and down the hall) For the former you can just sit on a towel. For the latter you will need some odor control. I use febreze now and then (not every day) but any commercial or home made air freshener will do. The cool down period takes about 5 to 10 minutes, so adjust your arrival time to include this period.

The switch from cyclist to employee: My next step is a quick wash up in the bathroom. Hardly anyone is in the office yet so I always have some privacy. Then I change into my work clothes, put on some deodorant, and I am ready for the work day.

More stink: We are not done yet! The clothes you rode in on are now a steaming pile of damp, what to do with those? If you stuff them in your bag, they will still be damp and even more malodorous at the end of the day. Plus you will ruin your bag pretty quick. You could put them in a plastic garbage bag to seal them off from the rest of the world, but again they will not be fun to wear at quitting time. Here are some options:

• Put it outside — maybe your office has bike lockers (like mine), a fenced-in bike parking area, or some other secure area you could hang or simply lay out your kit. Note: your leopard pattern thong is not to be displayed outdoors.
• In an empty file cabinet — you can pile them in a large empty drawer or file cabinet with one of these tree-type air fresheners inside. (or a similar product) Just be sure it is a drawer that a co-worker will never open. If discovered, they will not talk to you again and you will be “that guy.”
• A second set of riding clothes — I know it is more to haul and wash, but you will be more comfortable for the ride home. (at least initially)

Transitioning for home is much easier. Just gear up. There is the added bonus of stopping work early — “Sorry I can’t help you with those TPS reports, I gotta gear up for my ride home.”

So a little common sense and attention to your co-workers noses is all that you need. A fan, towel, deodorant, and air freshener will always come in handy. There are many other products out there I have not tried, such as Athletic Body Cleaning Wipes or even just baby wipes. If you wear a suit to work there are nice garment panniers to consider. And of course a newer, more efficient bike will make you sweat less, so go buy something cool!

Commuting in the summer takes a little more effort for me. But I still would rather bike commute and sweat a little than sit in a car, get no exercise and pay for parking. Why not combine your workout and your commute? Think of the time and money saved.

Final note: Someone with hair will have to chime in on what to do about hairstyle issues. I shave my head to keep cool so I have no input on that.

*just read posts from part 1, hello international readers!

Heat
I live in Arizona. The heat is of the brutal, searing type. I also ride every day. Rain, shine, or temperatures in the teens.*

Note this is 91º at 8am, later in the summer
it will be over 90º all night long!

My ride is only 3.5 miles, and only takes 10 minutes if I hit all the lights and average above 16mph, but I am still a sweaty mess when I get to work. There are no showers in the building, although there are some across campus. I usually don’t get out of the house until 7:40 so I have no time to stop and shower on the way in.

So what do I do? Am I wet and noisome all day? No, I have some tips for staying fresh year-round. The key is in the clothes and a few supplies.

Part 1: the Clothes

Let’s start with what you wear while riding to work. For pants, I have some of those meshy, basketball-type drawstring shorts. If you commute is more than 10 miles, I would invest in some bike shorts. If you have an aversion to showing your goods in public, the bike-short undershorts are good too, or you can just wear shorts over your bike shorts. Keep in mind the heat factor here. Things get swampy quick.

Speaking of swampy, I have to talk about one of the greatest inventions of the modern age — Under Armor. This underwear makes you feel like an NFL astronaut. Space-fricking-age materials keep you cool in the most moist of nether regions. They ain’t cheap, but once you go there, you will never wear anything else. The “HeatGear Boxerjock”® make fantastic ersatz bike shorts. But only use as underwear, not shorts, which I may or may not do in the early morning on Sunday while doing yard work.

Actual photo of me, my ripped abs, my package, and my massive veiny arms

T-shirts are good to ride in, bike jerseys are better, and the poly-spandex athletic performance shirts are best. Bike jerseys can be pricey, but you can find athletic shirts at a discount outlet (Ross) for about ten clams. The loose t-shirt style are preferred over the spandex-bodybuilder style for ventilation and summer comfort. (and not looking like a douche)

Socks are another thing to consider for heat and comfort. Thin socks to ride in, dress socks at work, and if it is a really hot day you can change your dress socks at lunchtime to a fresh pair which can help restart your mojo. As for shoes, sandals may seem like a good idea but sunburn and road rash are an issue. Also if you have not discovered clipless pedals, you are definitely creating more work for yourself, and creating more sweat!

I keep a belt and  shoes in my office. Two reasons: I don’t need to haul them back and forth every day which would be more effort, and they are always there. (I hate forgetting a belt and having to tug at your pants all day) I used to keep a pair of pants, socks and a shirt in the office in case I forgot one of those items, but I stopped doing that after a year or so.

So that leaves very little to carry to work — socks, pants and a shirt. The shirt and socks are rolled up in the pants for easy transport. Just make sure your lunch is sealed tight so you do not leak last night’s leftovers onto your new pants. (never happened to me, really)

Don’t put those work clothes on just yet! There are a few more things to attend to once you are in the office. I will cover that in part 2: transition tips.

Editors note: I just noticed this is a very male-centric post. I cannot speak for the ladies, but if you are one and would like to contribute, please comment below.

*teens in AZ = over 112º f

“The council on Monday voted 4-3 to approve a plan that would narrow a portion of Arizona Avenue from six lanes to four and would sacrifice on-street parking in favor of bicycle lanes”

Good on ya Chandler.

via Downtown Chandler program moves forward | Chandler Arizona News – Chandler News – Chandler, AZ news | eastvalleytribune.com.

Well for my batchelor weekend (the wife and kids are in Colorado for a wedding) I decided to live it up. Well not so much live it up as get stuff done around the house. Yardwork, home reapair, wash the truck … take some picures with the new camera. However I had some opportunities to spin the cranks.

Grocery run – this is about 7 minutes from my house and I can carry a full grocery cart (although this time I just needed a few essentials).

Sunday morning I was lucky enough to gather some friends for a ride up Indian Bend wash and then on to Scottsdale to eat breakfast at the Breakfast club. Good food you should go there. Be ready to wait though!

I burned plenty of calories to make up for the batchelor eating and drinking that I did Friday and Saturday. I forgot to mention I had a serious bacterial infection in my intestines over Memorial Day weekend. Long story short, I was in the hospital 4 days, lost 10lbs that weekend, and now I am 19lbs thinner. I have decided to get down 10 more. It is pretty easy if you keep track of your calories and excersize. How do I do it? With this killer app for the iPhone (yeah, there is an app for that). It is called Lose It. This is not an iPhone app blog so I will just say it works!

- Paul

I would like to open with a big thanks to Paul for the invite to contribute on GTC and express even deeper gratitude for opening my mind the concept of bicycle commuting. While I have ridden off and on for over a decade it was always recreationally. The notion of bicycle commuting was a relatively novel concept like communism, good in theory but not in practice. That was until Paul’s first hand example inspired me. I have now been bicycle commuting to work (and all over Tempe) for a year. I will never go back to the daily rush hour grind behind the wheel of my petro beast.

Largely, transitioning to a bicycle commuting lifestyle has been easy in Tempe, which I would contend maintains rank as an above average city on a bike friendliness scale. Aside from the fact that in summer it gets hot enough to melt the fillings out of your head, this is a great place to ride. The City has over 160 miles of bike path and Tempe generally maintains the topography of a pancake. Essentially you can haul arse anywhere you please and you never have to deal with rain, snow or any other form of precipitation.

My mainstay is a 1971 Schwinn Sport Tourer that I have converted to a single speed. I love riding American steel and the beautiful hand brazing makes an elegantly seamless frame. However my favorite ride by far is a retro tricycle I purchased from Handlebar Helpers. It’s a great program that let me kill a few birds with one stone. I picked up a sweet ride for peanuts, I supported a program that is exposing the next generation to the world of biking, and as an added bonus I get an underserved but very real over inflated sense of self-worth for contributing to a cool local program…but back to the trike.

I largely attribute my love of the trike to the fact that it so brilliantly allows me to combine my passions: riding and imbibing beer. Riding a bike always makes me feel like I am roughly 7 years old. Beer always makes me happy-go-lucky. With their powers combined I essentially become a euphoric 7 year old. How could you go wrong? Well actually when riding home on two wheels full of liquid courage it happens pretty easily. I have numerous scars to show for it. (Kids if you should choose to drink and ride consider yourselves warned.) That is why the trike is great, the third wheel keeps me peddling down the road scar free while still enjoying as many bubbly suds as I care to.

While I am on the topic of bike + beer = fantastic, here is a great combination for a weekend ride. It is a quick cruise through Indian Bend Wash that ends at Four Peaks Brewery for some refreshments. I think this makes a particularly nice Sunday morning ride because of the potential to end in brunch. Once there I strongly recommend a Hop Knot. The beer is crisp, floral and refreshing which makes for a perfect post ride libation.

-Shaun

Greaterthancars would like to welcome Shaun Yunt as a new contributor to the site. Shaun is a neighbor, fellow “Manhatton-ite”, and passionate about bikes, bike commuting, transportation, travel, Xbox, and beer. Also Shaun’s wife is my co-worker and we all commute together sometimes.

I was impressed with Shaun’s writing on his other blogs, A Humble Beer and Tales From the Road (beer and travel blogs, respectively). So I asked if he would like to participate and he said yes and I was happy because this blog needs a kick in the pants!

Shaun is from Tuscon originally I think a native of Tempe, and he works in the governmental sector, and rides a skateboard so well my kids think he is the coolest guy in the ‘hood. He can fill you in on the rest, hopefully he will write an introductory post.

So thanks a ton Shaun, and I owe you one Fuller’s ESB.

Shaun is the tall one. The other one is Ex-Neighbor-Doug-Kennedy.

Flickr Photo Download: Hey Paul. It is your ex-neighbor, Doug Kennedy.

Apple patent filing shows off activity monitor for skiers, bikers.

Mmmmmmmmm a Nike+ type bicycle monitoring system for my iPhone 3GS? Anyone want to buy a Garmin Edge? This is a convergence of all things I love.