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Original poster

Logistics of cycling to work?

19 replies

Silverclocks · 05/04/2022 15:18

I'm sure there must be a way to make this work.

I currently work approx 1m from my "home" office and a short drive to other offices that I need to visit occasionally.

From next week I will be based at a different office, but 6m from home. A perfect cycle distance and possibly even quicker than driving in rush hour because of traffic.

There are showers and secure cycle parking at the new work place, all good.

However

I will still need to go to the other places sometimes and I don't always know in advance.
I need to be fairly formally dressed for work so couldn't really cycle between the offices and if I could, suspect it would be frowned upon because of the additional time taken.
I'd need to carry clothes, wash kit and quite a heavy lap top plus some paperwork. Lap top needs to stay with me all the time in case I need to go somewhere unexpected "tomorrow"

I feel like I'm making this unnecessarily difficult, but I can't make it work...?

OP posts:

Original poster

Silverclocks · 05/04/2022 15:18

Doh! I currently live about 1m from home office...

OP posts:

loveisanopensore · 05/04/2022 15:23

Depending on distance you can cycle in normal clothes.

For carrying stuff use a pannier bag, backpacks make me sweaty. Ortlieb do good ones.

Perhaps if you're doing longer distances it might be worth investing in an elite.

moirarosebabay · 05/04/2022 15:28

Could you find the day that you have meetings and bring in your clean work outfits for the day by car that day and cycle the rest. I had a locker and used to keep my clothes, towels, shampoo etc in advance. It also meant I had to do it if I was feeling lazy. Good on you! I'd love to do this but constrained by childcare.

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Cycling

NottheSAHP · 05/04/2022 15:34

I used to cycle to work lots. For a while I had a commute of c.3 miles, then c.10miles, finally c.5 miles from home to the office. For the 10 mile commute I wore cycling clothes then showered and changed into something smart. That was a total pain if I then needed to commute to a different work site during the day, so I tended to use the bus or walk that part instead. I also had a goal of cycling three times a week and not feeling guilty about the other two days if they didn't happen!

I think if you're about 6 miles away, unless it's very hilly, you can probably cycle without changing. Laterly I had an old fashioned ladies' bike with a chain guard so that I could cycle in a dress or skirt and just kept a change of shoes at the office.

For what you need to carry, good panier bags are less sweaty than backpacks I agree! Can you leave some toiletries and some clothes/accessories/shoes at the office? Maybe carry them in on a Monday and home on a Friday?

Any chance of a lighter laptop next time yours needs replacing? Also can you buy several cables and leave on in your office, one at home etc so you are only carrying the laptop itself? Can you cut down on paperwork if you always have your laptop with you? Send things to print in advance to a friendly colleague/receptionist when you have to travel between offices?

I bet you can make it work!

Original poster

Silverclocks · 05/04/2022 15:40

My main issue is that I never really know how I'll spend the day. Often I'm at home office all day, but if something happens I'll have to go elsewhere, which could be either 6m or 12m in opposite directions.

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ComtesseDeSpair · 05/04/2022 15:46

I’m a big encourager of cycling wherever possible but I honestly don’t think cycling is feasible if you’re regularly required to travel up to 12m between offices during the day and also be professionally dressed when you get there.

I cycle about 8m each way and wear professional dress and that bit is easy: clean folded clothes in a pannier with me, smart shoes / boots, jacket and shower stuff kept in my locker at the office, laptop and files in a proper ergonomic backpack. But once I’ve commuted in I’m either in my office all day or can walk / get the tube to clients when I need to. How often would you be needing to get to other offices and can you plan ahead for particular days?

Untrained · 05/04/2022 15:57

When I cycled to work ( a distance of about 3 miles), I just wore normal office clothes (just nothing flowy or flappy that could get caught), with a waterproof coat or waterproof over trousers if it was really chucking it down. As long as I wasn’t running late (!) I could cycle without getting sweaty and a spritz of deodorant was more than enough to freshen up. I also wore a baseball cap to keep rain out of my face/ stop my hair getting too windswept.

Gladioli23 · 05/04/2022 16:01

Is having a car essential for your role? If not, what would they do if you couldn't drive?

We have pool cars (and indeed pool bicycles) for this purpose.

emmathedilemma · 05/04/2022 16:13

In my limited experience, it's not easy!
I go in the car the day before and leave breakfast, lunch and snacks for cycle day in the fridge. Also leave clean office clothes, shoes and shower stuff in the ladies, and leave my laptop locked away overnight. The leave all that stuff there the evening I cycle home to collect in the car the next day. So I cycle with just my phone, keys and door pass in a little backpack. But it does require 3 days in a row in the office and not to forget anything!! We're hotdesking now so it's not that easy to leave things in a desk like I used to. I also don't go out during the day unless it's planned in advance.
Some of the blokes used to bring a shipment of clean clothes into the office when they cycled regularly and there's a wardrobe in the gent's for them. Those who do it regularly tend to have a pannier bag, i'm resisting the urge to add yet more attachments to my bike but might have to if in order to cycle more regularly.

Gastropod · 05/04/2022 17:05

I cycle to work rain or shine, and always just wear my work clothes, including heels! If wearing a dress or skirt, I just add leggings or cycling shorts during summer. Tights in winter.

Really good thick waterproof rain poncho (Decathlon do brilliant ones) with sleeves and elastic to keep it from flying off legs. Big basket on bike with work bag and laptop tucked inside, with a rain cover. (Well I use a plastic bag but it keeps everything dry).

I'm lucky that it's a fairly easy route, and so I don't over exert myself on the cycle ride, which means I don't break a sweat, and have never needed extra deodorant or showers on arrival.

mudgetastic · 05/04/2022 17:09

If you didn't have a car what would happen?

QueenBarbOfTheHardRockTrolls · 05/04/2022 17:12

Can you drive in on Monday, with the bike on the back of the car, keep the car parked at work, bike home and into work for the rest of the week and reverse the journey on Friday?

Original poster

Silverclocks · 05/04/2022 17:33

@mudgetastic

If you didn't have a car what would happen?

I wouldn't be able to do my job.

OP posts:

Original poster

Silverclocks · 05/04/2022 17:35

@QueenBarbOfTheHardRockTrolls

Can you drive in on Monday, with the bike on the back of the car, keep the car parked at work, bike home and into work for the rest of the week and reverse the journey on Friday?

And have no access to car in the evenings all week?

OP posts:

Original poster

Silverclocks · 05/04/2022 17:37

@Gladioli23

Is having a car essential for your role? If not, what would they do if you couldn't drive?

We have pool cars (and indeed pool bicycles) for this purpose.

I work for a school, with several different sites, in an operations role. No one's going to give me a car

OP posts:

Gladioli23 · 05/04/2022 18:31

Well no one gives me a car either - that's literally the point of a pool car - it stays at head office and its use is shared between the hundred or so employees per car.

But if you might have to travel 24 miles during the school day and you must provide your own transportation and can't use public transport or a bike for it and you can't know in advance then it's pretty clear you can't cycle isn't it? I couldn't cycle even a mile to work with those conditions so all the practicalities are irrelevant.

mudgetastic · 05/04/2022 18:32

Is providing your own car a condition of employment!?

AlabamaSong · 05/04/2022 19:40

It sounds fairly tricky. I cycle to work 2 or 3 days a week. It's only a 10-15 min cycle, and even though no hills, but I do sweat in the summer. In the office we have showers and storage. I have a good laptop bag that is waterproof and will take a certain bumps.

The BIG problem for a even a short cycle, is getting splashed or wet from the road. In theory I could go in work clothes most days, but I know from experience that if it's wet then it gets messy and I need to change.

UnaOfStormhold · 05/04/2022 19:50

Would an electric bike help? It would make it easier to carry stuff, get you less sweaty and make 12 mile journeys more manageable. Another alternative would be to budget for a few return taxi rides on days you need to change site unexpectedly - would probably still work out cheaper than driving everywhere.

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