hyhuu

So it'd been rain and more rain here on the East Coast. I don't mind wet clothes but having them wet and smelly all day around the office or even in the locker is starting to get to me. Any else has this issue and how do you deal with it?

alan s 

My bike doubles as a clothes and towels drying rack during the day. It's locked outside, but under a roof, so on high humidity or rainy days things may not completely dry out. Usually everything is completely dry, though. It's better than drying stuff at my desk. Never had anyone mess with it, but if that was an issue, I'd have to come up with another solution. Shoes stay inside with me regardless, as they are a bit more expensive.

nudave2005

Do you have a shower at your destination? If so, you can do what I do and wash the clothes in the shower. I forgot an extra pair of socks for my ride home and just used the soap in the shower, scrubbed and rinse. I dried them out on my fan underneath my desk during the day. This could solve the smelly problem, and just hang dry the other clothes.

dramiscram

I hang everything to dry in the break room. no one ever complained.

neg

I use high-vis, lightweight rain jacket, pants and booties on those days.

pdlamb

Shoes are the worst, they go next to the computer to dry out.

I usually decorate my cube wall with bike jersey on a hanger, and bibs draped over the jersey. They'll usually dry out during the work day, and since they started the day clean, they don't stink too bad when dry.

baron von trail 

You need different clothes. My cycling clothes dry within an hour, no smell. Ultra-lightweight T-shirt made of water absorbent material, cycling shorts and water-wicking socks made of multiple materials. All are designed to pass water not retain it.

hyhuu

That wouldn't work for me.

hyhuu

My clothes have all of those properties but you are kidding yourself that you think they don't smell.

baron von trail 

Well, I do wash them after each day's use. And, I wring them out and dry them best I can when arriving to work in rain. I've not noticed any nasty smell.

Wilbur Bud

I have one of those valet stand thingies to use everyday, and then on heavy rain days when everything is soaked thorugh and dripping I resort to a combination of the boot and glove dryer for some pieces and a regular mini-space heater under my desk for other pieces (draping a jersey, for example, over an empty 3 ring binder to allow the warm air to flow under and through it until dry). Doesn't eliminate oder while drying but does speed up the process from an all day thing with damp clothes to put back on to an hour or so and dry clothes for the return commute.

no1mad 

Wool doesn't retain odor...

ngateguy

Let me check in from rain central. He is right use light weight breathable clothing and you won't stink. Been doing it for 20 years now. The other thing is get a good set of rain gear, that way your clothes are dry when you get to work. All you have to do is dry your outer wear.

lawnerd

+1. I just got a bunch of merino wool bike shirts. No stink for at least 5 or 6 sweaty rides.

RGNY

have gotten rained on for all but two days out of the last 14.

wicking sleeveless shirt, 4way stretch golf shorts over lightly padded tri shorts. i have a coat rack in my office and those items usually dry by the end of an eight hour day. and, if still damp, i know i'm probably just going to get wet again, so.....

feet were a problem until i bought a pair of waterproof mtb boots (Sidi Diablo. used, could never pay that much for new). thin Smartwool socks with them and only the tops of the socks get wet (and also dry out by the end of the day).

i tried rain gear, but preferred being soaked to sweating.

hyhuu

Rain central? Are you referring to Washington? That's not rain. Rain gear is useless for my commute.

hyhuu

It takes longer but wool is a good solution. Unfortunately I can't spend money of new clothing yet but perhaps sometimes in the future.

sci_femme

Greetings from Central Florida. Rain or shine, one still arrives to the destination soaking wet - with sweat. Tight weave of technical fabrics retains stink. Wash riding clothes after each use with regular undies and periodically with either oxy-clean or Borax. These two disinfect the fabric and your clothes will be fresh for another 5-6 uses. Since these two chemicals have rather high pH, make sure you rinse your laundry very well. Line dry.

I have three changes of summer jerseys and shorts and three changes of winter tights and long sleeve base layers. Do not worry about ruining your technical clothes in the washer, if they can not stand to regular cycle, they do not belong on your back.

Ride safe

ItsJustMe

My clothes are pretty smelly normally, actually less so when it rains, I guess the sweat gets partially washed out during the ride. I would like to find some nice wool jerseys but they're too darned expensive.

wphamilton

I do have that issue and they don't dry out in the locker. I won't bring wet riding clothes up to the office though just in case they do start to stink. Normally they don't, not if you start with clean riding clothes every morning.

Yesterday I was so reluctant to put on a wet jersey - even though I knew I was going right back out into the rain - that I took a hair dryer to it.

irwin7638

Rain cape, splats, gators, rain suit, jacket, fenders. "An ounce of prevention..."

ItsJustMe

For me that about quadruples the stink. The rain washes out the sweat. If I wear rain gear when it's warm, I get twice the sweat. Though people who have seen me after a normal ride would probably say that it's not possible to sweat twice as much as I do.

deeth82

@hyhuu, I'm not sure what your office situation is, but I'm lucky to have a "workshop" (or as I call it, the PC Graveyard) behind my office where I park my bike. On [Summer] days when I arrive smelling of sweat, I use a wire hanger and improvise a sturdy spot to hang up my jersey while I fan it out with this little puppy. If you're crammed into cubicles with lots of other folks close by, this obviously might not work for you. I also second alan s's suggestion about using your bike as a drying rack, depending on where it's stored.

Perhaps you can elaborate a little more on your logistical situation at work?

◘ Where do you park your bike?
◘ How close to others do you work/is your bike parked/clothing stored?
◘ Does your place of business allow you to keep a fan close by?
◘ Are there showers where you work?

pdlamb

Rain gear really depends on the situation. Low around 60F, no problem. If you ride in the morning when the low temps are in the upper 70s, rain gear makes you sweat a lot, and it does stink.

ItsJustMe

I stink even when I'm riding with a pair of baggy shorts and a poly alert shirt. I guess I just have sweat that microbes really dig.