I’ve just started pedalling into work, looking for any tips and tricks that make commuting that bit easier for you? Particularly after innovative methods of storing shirts at work and transporting clothes in and out.

I need to buy some panniers too, any recommendations for kit that is decent, but doesn’t cost the earth?

mudguards
puncture proof tyres

i loosely fold em in half lengthways and roll them lightly and stack them in my carradice camper long flap on a monday with clean trousers underwear , socks and towel(plus an keep an extra set of underwear , socks and trousers at work to ensure no embarrasing lycra mondays.)

transfer to hangers in my locker.

hang them on the back of shower door so steam takes out any small creases that have formed.

how much are you taking ? i only take panniers now when im going shopping on way home. my carradice camper long flap takes ALOT of kit. i leave it attached to the bike and take one of them drawstring ruck sacks inside it to make carrying stuff into office easier.

shoes live at work

on friday i take all home for a wash over weekend.

What ton said. As for clothes storage, I now have a large office, and so keep a couple of suits and shoes in work to change into when I get there. Prior to the office trade-up, I used to wear my suit trousers with a t-shirt, and fold my jacket and shirt nicely in my large-ish Ortlieb pannier bag (bought from druidh), and prior to that, cram everything I could into a courier bag I slung across my shoulders.

Essentially, I have become increasing better – and better-equipped – at my commute.

It gets easier with time.

Incidentally, I still carry my shirts back and forth, and keep them crease-free by rolling them instead of folding.

i work on a trade counter with my son, so i just sit smelling a bit sweaty. 😀

ton – Member

mudguards
puncture proof tyres

ton is a wise man.

schwalbe marathons are good, not all schwalbe marathons are the same – get the ‘plus’ ones with the smart guard layer.

don’t forget your dorky hi-viz reflective ankle straps – you’ll feel silly, but you’ll be seen.

I have a Shirt Shuttle but it’s quite bulky and doesn’t keep clothes completely crease-free. Non-iron shirts and a jumper are a cheaper, easier alternative and nearly as good.

As far as panniers go, look at Ortliebs or cheaper ripoffs thereof. I think Decathlon do some decent copies.

I’ve bike commuted (10 miles) to my office job for the past 6 years. Always bring my shirt and trousers to work each day (and back home at night) in a pannier. Fold trousers in three, and roll shirts. Never felt I’ve been wearing creased clothes at work.

I keep a towel (changed every week) and a little bag with deodorant/hair gel/shower gel under my desk, as I have a shower at work. Bike clothes are hung under my desk during the day.

In terms of bike, mudguards, puncture proof tyres, panniers and dynamo lights make it a lot more reliable/hassle free.

if you have a commuting bike then rule #1; don;t f— with the transport. ie, don’t pinch a stem, pedals etc for the nice bike at the weekend. & always fix the commuter first.

I have a set of kit for commuting; it only does commuting that way it’s never needed to ride at weekend, or covered in crap on friday from thursdays night ride.

find a good route, this may not be the shortest or quickest; but it should be the safest, easiest or what ever your after. my route is 30% longer in miles, 10 mins longer in time, but i haven’t shouted at a car in 6 months+

I keep shoes at work, I bring in a towel and trousers each week (changed/washed at weekends). Bike is just my SS road bike, no frills. LOTS of lights. ALL the time, no matter how bright it is. Got a charger on my desk.

Each day I just bring in a top, underwear and socks. I always carry a cheap waterproof with me as well, it lives in my commuter rucksack along with tools and a pump.

build a stock of shirts at work…a few extra days on the hanger will fix all the creases…..

carry a cheap waterproof

I have been pleased of mine (surprise rain) twice this week.

Wise words have been said

Mudguards
Marathon Plus tyres
Hub Dynamo lights if you can stretch to that

A few guys here split the week in 2, cycle Monday and Tuesday, drive Wednesday and cycle Thursday and Friday. They use the Wednesday trip to restock clothes and take home dirties. Works well for them.

Lots of good advice baove but i’d add the following as well.

If you have no showers in work then a merino base layer is very useful
2 sets of lights front and rear ( I have a small Cateye one on the back of my helmet)
I use a Carradice saddlebag + SQR mount instead of panniers as it means there’s no rack on my bike when I’m not using the saddlebag ( only a small plastic bracket on the seatpost )

Leave most stuff at work but take in trousers and shirts daily. Carefully folded and they are ok.

+1 on the tyres and guards. You want a commuting bike to be reliable so it doesn’t let you down when you need it.

I leave spare socks and underwear at work as well incase I get unexpectedly wet on the way in. Showers/big puddles etc.

I manage without a shower but I only ride in about 6-7miles so don’t get that hot.

Having a couple of sets of commuting clothes helps if the weather is bad all week.

Trousers, jumper, jacket, towel, shower gel and pit spray all kept at work changed when needed.

Bring shirt and under wear each day.

I’ve just put some Schwalbe city jet tyres on and they’re great, had conti traffic on before and the schwalbe’s are soooo much faster.

I bring in trousers and shirt every day – fold shirt similar to how they are when bought, fold trousers in half put shirt on trousers and fold again and then in a carrier bag and into a courier bag – Once yo add jackets etc everything holds itself flat – worked for the last 15 years at least..

Oh always have a spare inner tube in your bag and spare pair of socks in your drawer/locker

marathon plus tyres ftw

i have mtb style clip on/off mudguards which i leave off most of the time unless its gonna rain heavy

i wear baggies with a fresh pair of chamois liners every day

baby wipes essential if you dont have a shower in work

i just hang my sweaty clothes up on the coat hooks to dry at work, theres nowt worse than putting damp sweaty kit back on for teh ride home!

Keep a dry set of cycling cloathing at work (save you cycling back in damp kit if you got wet on the way in) plus a waterproof if you did not ride in with one.

As its not been mentioned, consider a simple SS bike setup that will work regardless of the conditions you ride in.

Dont spend a fortune on your commuter bike/clobber.

If you can ride through a winter, the summer commute will be so much more sweater to ride 😉

Last one – chill out, dont let the other road users get to you, keep calm if someone pisses you off, not easy to do sometimes, but in the long run its safer to keep calm.

+1 on the keeping plenty of stuff at work.

I keep jeans and shoes here so I just need a fresh t-shirt, socks and trollies each day.

I also keep:
– a towel (for rainy days)
– babywipes (no showers here)
– deodorant
– emergency socks and trollies (you will forget them one day)
– backup mutitool & spare tube
– lock (left on bike rack)
– coathangers for hanging up kit to dry

I use a Carradice SQR Slim instead of panniers. Big enough to take a 15″ laptop, change of clothes, jacket and emergency tools (pump, tube, multitool, sticky patches, PowerLinks, tenner).

At this time of year it’s time to start thinking about keeping warm too. A 7am start in winter can be chilly!!

Oh and thoroughly investigate your route options.

Try CycleStreets for suggestions.

IMO it is well worth taking a route that may be a few minutes longer but is traffic-free.

I’ve been commuting on a 24mile round trip for 8+ years, all weathers, all year round. Up here in sunny dry Glasgow it’s always lovely weather 😀

To be fair I have access to hot showers and loads of room at work so I leave a couple fo suits / shirts etc there. I work for a sports club so there’s no shortage of facilities!

A few thoughts….I ALWAYS wear overshoes…nothing worse than wet cold feet even if you are jumping into a shower. If it’s forcast to rain I wear waterproof leggings (Altura Attack)…I rarely wear a water proof jacket unless it’s pishing down. Once you’re wet…you’re wet.

I have 2 front lights (bars and helmet) and 3 rear (post, bag and helmet)…all flash and annoy the motorist. Having been side swiped twice I’m not wanting to hear the words…”I just didnt see you pal…” every again.

I use my HT 29er with ‘normal’ 2.1 Racing Ralph tyres. I just run them with a higher pressure when on the road.
Mudguards are a must.
I run tubeless so no issues with flats
I’d consider buying a ALPKIT Gourdon 20 waterproof rucksack..for £22.50 they seem too good to be true…mine’s on back order.
I always use squirt drylube on the chain…it may get washed off in really wet conditions but it doesn’t attract crap which builds up very quickly in city traffic.
Find a route that keeps you away from traffic as much as practical.
‘Try’ to remember the Highway code…especially in terms of road position (Primary and Secondary positions)
Ride ‘defensively’ i.e. think of yourself as a car and force people to take notice of you.
‘Try’ to stay calm and polite if you do have an altercation…unless you’ve been run over! (There’s a guy up here in Glasgow who shouts at everyone / everything and literally gives verbal at every infrigement he sees…along with videoing everything. We’re all just trying to get to work / home.
Download STRAVA if you can…you’d be surprised at the number of segments others have created along your route. It makes the time fly by!

Thanks, that’s all useful. Have showers at work, so that’s all good. I’ve got most of my clothes at work and am using the dry-cleaners roudn the corner to keep clothes clean. I’m just struggling to find somewhere to dry my cycling clothes and to hang my shirts and suits in general as they get a bit creased in the locker when it’s got all my biking kit in.

Most amused at the comments regarding spare clothes or a waterproof just in case it rains, I’ve done the journey 14 times so far and stayed completely dry once. Twice I’ve encountered light showers, the rest of the time it’s poured down. And it’s raining now….

always carry a pump and spare tube (even with puncture resistant tyres). You can guarantee the day you don’t it will pish rain and you’ll get a puncture – it’s the law

Winter mtb boots, or overshoes
SKS mudguards with flap extension (stops water jetting at your feet)
Paclite jacket and waterproof trousers
Panaracer pasela tyres (much lighter than marathons and excellent puncture resistance)
Easily removable lights. My basic cateyes seem to have god water resistance.
Bell
Ortlieb pannier
Wet lube on chain. Wipe down weekly with a clean rag and reapply.

always carry a pump and spare tube (even with puncture resistant tyres).

True – I keep a Zefal HPx in my pannier – much better than a mini pump.

My top tip: Keep a spare set of underwear at work for the day you leave yours behind.

Commuting is about reliable transportation. I run a fixed road bike with mudguards and a rack (which I remove for club rides). I have two lights on the back (one bolted to the rack) and a nice Exposure Strada on the front. And a bell. I ran Schwalbe Durano Plus puncture proof tyres for 18 months to good effect, and have run Marathon Plus on other bikes. This winter I have switched to Durano S for additional speed. We shall see about punctures (one in two weeks). My tool kit sits in a bottle holder from Decathlon and consists a tube, CO2, Park multi-hex, tyre levers, Topeak flypaper patches and latex gloves (plus a 15mm spanner for the fixed wheel removal). Pump is fixed to the bike.

in general, it doesn’t rain as much as you think it does (about 15 days per year at commuting time), and it’s not that far (my occasional 40 mile each way commute aside). Normally I carry a very light windshell rather than wear a full waterproof. The exception is when it is hammering down when I am leaving for work. In winter I wear the windshell for all rides.

I wear a base layer, as this stops your outer layers smelling. You can then ride all week with the same jersey if needs be. Shorts/longs get changed twice a week. It’s 3/4 bibs at the moment. I never cover my legs with waterproofs. Expensive clothing is worth it when you travel daily.

Above about 6 miles, it’s cycle clothing (and normally looking for a longer route). I am lucky in that I keep a suit and shoes at work.

I don’t subscribe to fluoro colours as a rule. I think changes in contrast are better, so I wear either black and white, red or my Ipayroadtax jersey. For winter I have very nice goretex Sidi boots and wear SealSkin socks. Warm feet make any ride better!

Luggage is always carried on a rack. I have an Ortlieb Downtown as my briefcase, and when needed, a very cheap Lidl pannier to take all my clothes on the long distance commutes (I don’t keep clothes at all the sites!). I’d buy another Ortlieb pannier if I needed to take all my clothes and shoes every day.

I weighed my bike the other day: 10 kilos in road form (no rack) and 18 kilos with luggage. That’s not a bad training lump. So get a Garmin 200 and watch the miles build up 😆

Keep a spare set of underwear at work for the day you leave yours behind

Oh, and trousers as well. Nothing worse than wearing lycra all day 🙁

i find most of the time you get wet from spray rather than the rain its self

full length mud guards are invaluable.

overshoes will be out tomorrow – big toes were numb by the time i got in today !

30 mile round trip here .

bike looks like xmas tree front rear and sides ….

side

and ive got a use MAXX D on the front and 2 of those cheapo aldi twin and my joystick on my head (looking at drivers when your going round a round about fairly makes them see you)

on the back i have my red eye on constant and a smart lunar r2 doing a flash sequence and a lidl light flashing. + reflectors front and rear and reflective flashing red light up ankle straps

if i get smidsy’d ill biff em on the nose ….

GrahamS – whats the capacity of the SQR Slim? I use a Carradice Nelson at the moment with an SQR seatpost mount, the saddlebag and rack is one of the best bits of kit I’ve bought for my bike.

If your commuting throughout the year then a really good set of winter gloves is a must, the pain I experienced earlier this year one morning was truly awful, my fingers were still tingling a good 3-4 hours later.

GrahamS – whats the capacity of the SQR Slim?

Don’t know the figures, but it is wide enough to take A4 binders and/or a 15″ laptop (suitably protected by wrapping it up in my clothes).

Ah, here you go, Carradice website says 16 litres, dimensions 29cm wide x 36cm high x 15cm deep. That sounds about right.

I think the max I’ve had in it has been laptop, binder, jeans, t-shirt, light jacket, shoes, trollies, socks, pump, multitool and keys.

The SQR Tour is also a good bet if you don’t need the width.

Wiggle seems like a cheap place to buy them (cheaper than direct from Carradice 😕 )

I don’t have any facility to dry stuff here at work, I keep a spare set of cycling shorts and dry socks for when you get wet in the morning – nowt worse than pulling on moist shorts to go home.
Now that it’s dark some of the time I also carry a little Petzl headtorch for fixing flats or other mechanicals.

My stuff..

Kit: 2 pairs of 3/4 shorts, 4 tees, 1 long sleeve jersey, 3 pairs of gloves, summer and winter boots, 1 wind/waterproof

Bike changes: added mud guards, slick 26” tyres, low range cassette (970DH), many Knog lights

I usually commute on my BFe which i use as my usual MTB. I usually leave a pair of shoes, underwear, deoderant, towel and change of clothes in my office. I leave my kit hanging on my bike which i keep in my office. (Not many people can do that!). I do a lot of lab work, so i’m in jeans and teeshirt. I’m not sure what what i’d do if i had to be in shirt and trousers…

If you’re going to commute in winter, make sure you have shoes which you can walk in comfortably. If you have an issue, you can move about more safely on ice and snow. I got some Shimano mt91’s for that… they arrived today and look fantastic.

As above marathon plus tyres. Bloody brilliant! SKS guards.

this is a welcome thread – just about to start a 32K each way commute in the highlands and have been gathering up details on what to ride with (hiviz a must on the dark country roads!)

ive been looking for hiviz overshoes, but apart from GORE no one does any!

anyone got any winter glove recommendations too?

EDIT: current gear list
Izumi yellow waterproof
izumi goretex shoes
endura stealth lite w/proof tights
ayup headlights helmet + bars
yet to be purchased rear lights
yet to be purchased gloves
toying with co2 inflator
EDITEDIT! : ultra gatorskins 25mm

locker at work with suits and shoes etc.

i have used extrematies velo glove for the last 10yrs or so. ideal for most weather apart from torrential rain. then i use cheap snowboard mitts from tkmaxx.
i have commuted year round from the age of 16, and now am 47. got to say that i love commuting by bike, it makes me happy, and it makes me smile no matter what the weather is doing around me.

I agree with Ton it makes me smile every day …well most days
commute 13 miles each way and have done for the past 18 months
on a Charge Tap converted to singlespeed
its the highlight of my day,mostly B roads so not much in the way of
traffic (more tractors than trucks)
most essentials have been covered full length mudguards,puncture resistant tyres
lights I use a P7 on the front and a nightrider cherry bomb on the back also one of those small clip on
red lights on the back of my helmet 80% of my route is unlit and coming of the backshift at 11pm
in the pissing rain you need as much light as you can get
waterproofs and overshoes i use both on a regular basis (west coast of Scotland it rains occasionally)
but youll get a feel for what works for you after a few runs best of luck and enjoy

Hiviz overshoes: Endura Luminite?

http://www.endura.co.uk/Product.aspx?dept_id=107&prod_id=213

Rate Fox Antifreeze gloves here, they’re unrestrictive enough for MTB too.