# Transporting work clothes on commute?



## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

So, I'm looking into dialing in my commute set up with a seatpost rack. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=126328

Now, I have another question:

I'm curious how everyone carry work clothes to work. I currently leave most of them at the office, but I'm not sure if that will be an option in the future and may need to carry clothes most days. How do you all do it?


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

Pablo said:


> So, I'm looking into dialing in my commute set up with a seatpost rack. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=126328
> 
> Now, I have another question:
> 
> I'm curious how everyone carry work clothes to work. I currently leave most of them at the office, but I'm not sure if that will be an option in the future and may need to carry clothes most days. How do you all do it?


I also generally leave my stuff at work. I use a dry cleaners near the office. However, I sometimes use this:

http://www.twowheelgear.com/

Which does seem to work pretty well, but not great. It probably would work better for someone a bit smaller than me (I always have problems getting my suits to fit into garment bags properly).


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

oarsman said:


> Which does seem to work pretty well, but not great...


Dug out a couple of photos of the garment bag I have


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## threesportsinone (Mar 27, 2007)

Xtracycle?

I keep a light rain jacket in a tube that that I made to fit in a water bottle cage, but I feel like thats not what you want.


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## RedRex (Oct 24, 2004)

I use a Performance Transit clip on rack with the little frames down the side....

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19330&subcategory_ID=2325

...and an REI Novarra trunk rack.... 

http://www.rei.com/product/764699

and an REI traverse commute backpack...

http://www.rei.com/product/747525

I absolutely LOVE my Traverse backpack. 

For clothing, I've perfected my search for wrinkle-free clothes and transport them each day, while leaving shoes, jackets, toiletries at the office permanently.


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## CommuterDawg (May 15, 2007)

I use the topeak integrated rack/pack system:

http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/68

http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/23

Great system. It works fine for my business casual dress (pants on one side, shirt etc on the other. Top has my bike gear and other stuff. Shoes I just leave at work. The design feature that I like the most is that it is an integrated system and the pack just slips in and out of the track on the rack. Good for when I get to the gym across from work for my morning shower and I just unclip and go.

Fairly cheap and very well designed for commuting.

CD


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

oarsman said:


> I also generally leave my stuff at work. I use a dry cleaners near the office. However, I sometimes use this:
> 
> http://www.twowheelgear.com/
> 
> Which does seem to work pretty well, but not great. It probably would work better for someone a bit smaller than me (I always have problems getting my suits to fit into garment bags properly).


That looks pretty cool. I'm not too big (5'10"), so I doubt I'd have those problems. Any other complaints? 

It might be a bit much for most days . . . but that would definately be cool for once or twice a week to take a few things back and forth. 

Thanks.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

threesportsinone said:


> Xtracycle?
> 
> I keep a light rain jacket in a tube that that I made to fit in a water bottle cage, but I feel like thats not what you want.


Well, it'll be a 15-mile or so commute, so no xtracycle. 

And I'll need to bring a nice shirt and pants. I'm sure I can leave shoes and a few things.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

RedRex said:


> I use a Performance Transit clip on rack with the little frames down the side....
> 
> http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19330&subcategory_ID=2325
> 
> ...


That trunk rack is pretty sweet. Much nicer than the others I've seen. 

Do you have any issues with the strap-on rack. Do you think there's any real difference between yours and a more expensice one? I was looking at this one:
http://www.rei.com/product/678957?cm_sp=prod*desc_rel_item*element


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

I leave my shoes at the office. The rest of the clothes go back and forth in my Ortlieb backpack.


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## HOOKEM (Apr 4, 2004)

I leave shoes, belt, toiletries at the office. No shower so I have to birdbath. I bring a fresh towel with me in which I wrap up my socks, t-shirt, undies, etc. Business Casual is the dress code, so shirt and pants go in one pannier, laptop and packed towel on the other side. I have a set of Delta Panniers, they are fairly small but for what I carry they hold everything snugly. My rack is bolted with P clamps to my frame, which is a Trek 560 with no eyelets.
I used to ride with a backpack, and the first few times I left with the new arrangement it felt like I was leaving something behind.


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

With shirts, well ironed cuffs and collars with a light jacket over hide wrinkles really well. 
Pants, can be ironed and then rolled so as not to crease. Rolled up they will fit down the side of a pannier bag or even back pack.


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## RedRex (Oct 24, 2004)

"Do you have any issues with the strap-on rack. Do you think there's any real difference between yours and a more expensice one? "

I do not like the quick-release clamp seat post racks because the quick release clamp is kind of big and my thighs rub against it. (No, I'm not fat, I've been riding forever and have muscular thighs). The four-bolt Performance seat post rack is just a tad bit slimmer around the clamp-on mechanism, and this is why I use it. The fact that it's cheaper is a bonus.

This is for my fixed-gear rig, which doesn't have holes for racks. My touring frame obviously is rigged with full panniers, but for my fixie commuter (my primary commuter) I've been able to make this Performance bolt-on rack, combined with an REI Traverse backpack, work fairly well.

Again, the only reason I don't "like" the Topeak QR seat post racks is because the clamp is kind of big and rubs my thighs......


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## vanjr (Sep 15, 2005)

I wear scrubs. Course its only a mile to work.


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## khill (Mar 4, 2004)

I use a messenger bag for commuting. It's about five miles each way.

I leave shoes at the office and put the clothes into an Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder I picked up at EMS. Works very well to keep the wrinkles away - at least for business casual. That gets put into my messenger bag along with my laptop in its padded sleeve.










Linky


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

Pablo said:


> That looks pretty cool. I'm not too big (5'10"), so I doubt I'd have those problems. Any other complaints?
> 
> It might be a bit much for most days . . . but that would definately be cool for once or twice a week to take a few things back and forth.
> 
> Thanks.


I don't use it very often, only every couple of weeks when I need to move a suit or two for some reason. I don't love the attachment mechanism, but I think that has more to do with my rack then the pannier itself.


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## chatterbox (Nov 19, 2006)

khill said:


> I use a messenger bag for commuting. It's about five miles each way.
> 
> I leave shoes at the office and put the clothes into an Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder I picked up at EMS. Works very well to keep the wrinkles away - at least for business casual. That gets put into my messenger bag along with my laptop in its padded sleeve.
> 
> ...


Those are great because they come in varying sizes so that they match your clothes. And the little board inside comes printed with directions for proper folding. I don't use it to commute because I can get away with jeans most days, but I've used them for travel and they fend off most wrinkles.


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

I use a seatpost rack and pack my shirt, socks, underwear and lunch. In a leteral file cabinet in my office, I keep shower supplies, belt, shoes, etc. I attached a 5 hook rack from Home depot to the wall in my office. I keep a few pairs of work pants on that, and swap them out when it's time fro cleaning. I can use the extra hooke to hang my bike clothes during the day. I put all the pants on one hook.

This keeps the load pretty light for the commute. Plus, if I have to bring my laptop home, I have a backpack for it. I hate riding with it because it weighs so much, but it's functional.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

*carradice?*

Have you considered a Carradice bag? I've tried the seatpost racks as well as a rack mounted with p-clips, and my Carradice Barley is a much better option, IMHO. The Barley is their smallest model, and I can easily carry a shirt, t-shirt, underwear, socks, glasses, wallet, cellphone and lunch in the main compartment as wells as tools, tubes and other supplies in the side pockets. Their other larger models, such as Pendle, can carry much more. Here are some of the advantages to a Carradice compared a rack w/ panniers:
-- Weight is centered near the seatpost and has virtually no effect on balance and handling.
-- Waterproof or very close to it.
-- Mount for tail-light.
-- Separate side pockets for tools, etc.
-- Does not affect aerodynamics (or not much) because pack is located directly behind your legs and butt.
-- Main compartment can be expanded to much larger size, plus it has loops where you can tie on items on the outside.

PS, if you get a Carradice bag, also get the Bagman rack or something similar like the Nitto Mark's rack sold by Rivendell. The rack helps support the bag, so it doesn't sway or hit your legs.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

tarwheel2 said:


> Have you considered a Carradice bag? I've tried the seatpost racks as well as a rack mounted with p-clips, and my Carradice Barley is a much better option, IMHO. . . . .


That may be another option. 

So, it looks like the bag attaches to the seat? http://www.carradice.co.uk/racks-and-attachments/bagman-qr-standard.shtml 

Are you able to switch the bag from one bike to another very easily?


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

The Bagman rack attaches to the seat rails. It has quick-release levers on the back that make it very simple and quick to remove the bag. I've seen other bag racks where you have to put the straps through loops to attach. The bags are actually designed to fit on Brooks saddles with the loops in back, but the racks get around that issue.

Anyway, I can remove the bag from the rack in about 5 seconds. However, switching the rack to another bike would take more time, probably several minutes. Some cyclists use the Carradice bags without a rack, but it didn't work on my bike -- the bag hit my legs on every pedal stroke and swayed a lot.


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## MDGColorado (Nov 9, 2004)

I also use the Carradice Barley. I can fit pants, underwear, shirt, daytimer, and not much else. E.G if I'm bringing my lunch or need to carry my cold-weather cycling clothes home at night, I need a little more room. 

The Carradice type bags need something to hang from. Some, not all, Brooks saddles have saddlebag hooks. Personally I don't use a Bagman or anything; the bag barely brushes my legs and it doesn't bother me. I've also used a little standoff to move it back from the seatpost an inch or so. 










If I'm bringing clothes I can't afford to roll up tight, I use panniers (on anothe bike) for more room.


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## wayneanneli (Jul 8, 2004)

I used to leave my shoes at the office and bring a new shirt each workday. Take a hard cardboard tube from, e.g. a used roll of paper towels, and fold and roll the shirt into a neat package. It'll still look presentable when you arrive at the office. Toiletries stay at the office and get refilled as needed.


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