No shower at work!!!

"Steve Vallee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Baby wipes? You'll smell like you just changed your diaper. I'd get some kind of wipes that smell
different, or rinse out the baby wipes, then soak them in alcohol in a zip loc bag.

Old Spice Cool Contact wipes are tailor made for the commuting cyclist. No baby wipe smell, plus
they smell pretty nice.....

I first cool down for a 1/2 hour reading email, then go into the bathroom and do a quick little
sponge bath while changing clothes, usually just washing under my arms. Then I use deodorant.

Interesting enough, Albuquerque almost passed a law requiring all new businesses with buildings over
20,000 square feet to have a shower installed for those who bike commute. The bill passed the city
council, but the mayor vetoed it.

Brian

"brian hughes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]
t...

Quoted message said:

I first cool down for a 1/2 hour reading email, then go

into the bathroom

Quoted message said:

and do a quick little sponge bath while changing clothes,

usually just

Quoted message said:

washing under my arms. Then I use deodorant.

Interesting enough, Albuquerque almost passed a law

requiring all new

Quoted message said:

businesses with buildings over 20,000 square feet to have

a shower installed

Quoted message said:

for those who bike commute. The bill passed the city

council, but the mayor

Quoted message said:

vetoed it.

What an [censored].

If you're going to install toilets and sinks anyway, adding a shower hardly costs anything. And in
the overall scheme of what a 20,000 square foot commercial building is worth, it's negligeable. What
paint color you choose, or a couple of medium sized Levelor blinds would make more difference.

You can forward this message to him if you like. That way I don't have to call him an [censored]
behind his back.

Matt O.

"Frank Krygowski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I once, briefly, had a problem with this. I spoke to my doctor. He pointed me toward some
anti-bacterial soap, I used it as directed (and, as directed, replaced all undershirts with new
ones to prevent re-colonization) and the problem went away.

Where do you get your new bacteria from though?

Perhaps need some intimate contact with someone who doesn't smell too bad.

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"brian hughes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]
t...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Interesting enough, Albuquerque almost passed a law

requiring all new

Quoted message said:

businesses with buildings over 20,000 square feet to have

a shower installed

Quoted message said:

for those who bike commute. The bill passed the city

council, but the mayor

Quoted message said:

vetoed it.

What an [censored].

If you're going to install toilets and sinks anyway, adding a shower hardly costs anything. And in
the overall scheme of what a 20,000 square foot commercial building is worth, it's negligeable.
What paint color you choose, or a couple of medium sized Levelor blinds would make more
difference.

Yep, here is the history of the bicycle shower/facility bill:

In summer of 2001 the new Bicycle/Pedestrian planner for the City of Albuquerque, Jim Arrowsmith,
took the lead on developing the End-of-Trip Facilities Amendment. He worked with a committe of
interested cyclists and others. There was an awareness that the proposal must address some of the
concerns of the Development Community which felt burdened by these new requirements.

May 16th, 2002 - Environmental Planning Commission voted 5 to 1 to approve the Bicycle End-of-Trip
Facilities Zoning Code amendment. Some developers find the new requirements burdensome. The
committee worked to address these concerns while still maintaining certain requirements.

Some builders, developers and realtors are opposed to these changes, because they require large
buildings to add new facilities. However, these groups do not seem concerned about analogous
requirements for car parking spaces, which generally cost more than bike racks and showers. For
example, the 600-space parking structure built Downtown last year or the year before cost about $6
million, which is $10,000 per parking space.

April 9, 2003 Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez vetoed an ordinance that would have required showers,
locker storage and secured bicycle parking in some new commercial buildings to encourage biking as a
form of commuting to work. (4/10).

[email hidden] (KRasmus572) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I want to start riding my bike to work.

12,5 miles each way.

There is no shower at work.

Any one in a simular situation?

How do you "freshen up", baby wipes, washcloth in sink...?

Thanks in advance for all replies.

Some have suggested you don't need to sweat, but I don't think that's very practical if you want to
make decent time on your long commute, and especially if its uphill to work. There's really two
good options:

1. Join a gym close to where you work. Go there to shower and change.
2. (what I do) Bring a backpack (or panniers) to work of work clothes and spare riding clothes.
Bring a bottle of deodorant. Change in the washroom and use damp paper towels to clean up a bit,
or bring a washcloth instead. Where I work there's a handicapped stall in the washroom which has
its own sink and mirror in the stall which is convenient to use. I bring the spare riding clothes
because its unpleasant to go home at the end of the day in the wet clothes that have been sitting
in the backpack from the morning ride 🙂

Tanya

"Tanya Quinn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (KRasmus572) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I want to start riding my bike to work.

12,5 miles each way.

There is no shower at work.

Any one in a simular situation?

How do you "freshen up", baby wipes, washcloth in sink...?

Thanks in advance for all replies.

Some have suggested you don't need to sweat, but I don't think that's very practical if you want
to make decent time on your long commute, and especially if its uphill to work. There's really two
good options:

1. Join a gym close to where you work. Go there to shower and change.
2. (what I do) Bring a backpack (or panniers) to work of work clothes and spare riding clothes.
Bring a bottle of deodorant. Change in the washroom and use damp paper towels to clean up a
bit, or bring a washcloth instead. Where I work there's a handicapped stall in the washroom
which has its own sink and mirror in the stall which is convenient to use. I bring the spare
riding clothes because its unpleasant to go home at the end of the day in the wet clothes that
have been sitting in the backpack from the morning ride 🙂

Tanya

About the only thing worse than putting on a sweaty helmet is a pair of sweaty shorts. Eeeuw, yuck!

Mike

"Frank Krygowski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

<snip>

Quoted message said:

I once, briefly, had a problem with this. I spoke to my doctor. He pointed me toward some
anti-bacterial soap, I used it as directed (and, as directed, replaced all undershirts with new
ones to prevent re-colonization) and the problem went away.

Listerine antiseptic also does the same trick.

This is something I had not considered. I suppose always washing my riding shirts (usually a
t-shirt) and my undershirts in hot water (and bleach in the case of the undershirts and white
t-shirts) helps eliminate the bacteria that cause smells.

-Buck

Buck said:

"KRasmus572" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

How do you "freshen up", baby wipes, washcloth in sink...?

I don't know what is wrong with these folks. I live in an area that is as hot and humid as it gets
in the summer and I never have to shower after my ride in, despite being dripping wet. Maybe it is
because all I drink on those rides is water. It's not like you will be losing a ton of
electrolytes in an hour-long ride. I'd just get to my destination, sit in front of a fan to cool
off for ten minutes, then change my clothes and get to work! Just so you know that it isn't my
lacking of a sense of smell - I work with a number of women who have commented that they can't
understand how I can come in all sweaty and not smell bad all day!

Watch what you drink in the morning, take the time to cool down and you should be fine. The smell
is caused by bacterial growth. If your clothes are clean, your body is clean, and there aren't a
lot of nutrients in your sweat for bacteria to feed on, you should be odor-free for the day.

-Buck

My point exactly! Been doing this thing for a few years now, no problem. Biggest sweaty thing issue
is bringing fresh socks often enough (for the work shift)!! Bernie

W K said:

"Frank Krygowski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I once, briefly, had a problem with this. I spoke to my doctor. He pointed me toward some
anti-bacterial soap, I used it as directed (and, as directed, replaced all undershirts with new
ones to prevent re-colonization) and the problem went away.

Where do you get your new bacteria from though?

Perhaps need some intimate contact with someone who doesn't smell too bad.

You Gypsy Savage!!

"bandjhughes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In summer of 2001 the new Bicycle/Pedestrian planner for the City of Albuquerque, Jim Arrowsmith,
took the lead on developing the End-of-Trip Facilities Amendment. He worked with a committe of
interested cyclists and others. ... May 16th, 2002 - Environmental Planning Commission voted 5 to
1 to approve the Bicycle End-of-Trip Facilities Zoning Code amendment.

...

Quoted message said:

[Opposing] groups do not seem concerned about analogous requirements for car parking spaces, which
generally cost more than bike racks and showers.

It probably would help not to think of showers [and lockers] as a bicycling issue. Showers are nice
for joggers. There are a lot of people who would like to jog on their lunch hour. Showers are nice
if there are aerobics classes at work, or nearby. Showers are nice for sales people who've worked
all day, but have to take clients out in the evening. Often they like to freshen up a bit. Or,
type-A executives who end up on the red eye from the coast and then have to come in to work. [Or,
the couple having an affair after work who need to freshen up before they go home to their spouses.]

The point is, you can probably get a fairly large group of people to acknowledge that they might
like to have a shower available for these kinds of things.

W K said:

Where do you get your new bacteria from though?

Bacteria-R-Us?

--
Frank Krygowski [email hidden]

While I and others have listed alternatives to showers that work, having a shower is not the answer
either. Our building has two showers and several hundred people some of whom wear uniforms. Being
able to the shower for x number seconds/minutes anytime of the day can be nearly impossible. I used
to come in early to use the shower but then that became onerous adding an over-all extra hour to
your day just to shower at work. And as was pointed by legislation, the key word is new or renovated
buildings brought up to code must provide showers!

brian hughes said:

I first cool down for a 1/2 hour reading email, then go into the bathroom and do a quick little
sponge bath while changing clothes, usually just washing under my arms. Then I use deodorant.

Interesting enough, Albuquerque almost passed a law requiring all new businesses with buildings
over 20,000 square feet to have a shower installed for those who bike commute. The bill passed the
city council, but the mayor vetoed it.

Brian

"drifter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

While I and others have listed alternatives to showers

that work, having

Quoted message said:

a shower is not the answer either. Our building has two

showers and

Quoted message said:

several hundred people some of whom wear uniforms. Being

able to the

Quoted message said:

shower for x number seconds/minutes anytime of the day can

be nearly

Quoted message said:

impossible. I used to come in early to use the shower but

then that

Quoted message said:

became onerous adding an over-all extra hour to your day

just to shower

Quoted message said:

at work. And as was pointed by legislation, the key word

is

Quoted message said:

new or renovated buildings brought up to code must provide

showers!

Is there a health club nearby where you can shower? Memberships usually aren't expensive -- probably
still less than what gas would cost for you to drive to work.

Matt O.