Hypno Toad

I work in a home office now, but for over 5 years I worked in a building without showers. Every day I'd shower before biking 9 miles to work, including mornings when it raining. This morning I had an errand to run in the morning, and it's forecast to rain all day. I take my morning shower like every other day, knowing I'm gonna get soaked biking 13 miles. Always seemed like a waste back then and still does today.

Anybody else shower in the morning, even though you know you're gonna be a mess when you get to work?

Jaywalk3r

I shower before I leave. After a ~5 minute drying period in the AC upon arrival, I'm dry and comfortable.

I'm not a big fan riding in warm rain, though, since my rain gear doesn't breathe well, despite the marketing claims.

ThermionicScott 

Nope. I never shower in the morning before riding to work, or if I'll be spending time out in the sun. Skin oil and leftover grime are a very mild but useful UV protectant, and the former is the basis for vitamin D synthesis. I'm fortunate that I can take a shower when I get to work, though.

Hypno Toad

Exactly, today was around 75F, too warm for the rain gear. So I rode with clothes that would dry quickly. It worked OK. Back in my commuting days, I kept a towel at the office for a quick dry before putting on office clothes. Which reminds me of the day when I didn't get my bag properly rolled up and my office pants were wet. Started the day looked like a walking Rorschach test.

mcours2006

Warm rain=warm weather. I'd ditch the rain gear and just go minimalist. You're gonna get wet regardless.

Hypno Toad

Shower at the office? Or in the PM?

I know many people like to shower before bed, but that's never worked for me.

mcours2006

I suppose showering before sweating makes you smell less after you've dried, but I'm fortunate enough to have a shower at work, which I love. If I didn't, not sure if I'd be cycling to work, TBH.

ThermionicScott 

I have a bad habit of posting a glib answer and then finding things to add to it later.

I'll usually rinse off (no soap/shampoo) when I get back home.

Jaywalk3r

I still prefer wearing rain gear, but it's a personal preference. My reasoning is that it tends to be relatively cooler when it rains, so if I ride without rain gear, I'm often still going to be chilly, which I dislike. I'd rather be hot and wet than cold and wet. Again, my personal preference.

ETA: Plus, the level of wetness is different between sweating inside rain gear, and being in the rain without protection. I [hate wet shoes and socks!

BobbyG

I usually don't shower in the morning before riding to work unless I (or more usually my wife) can detect some extra smell. This includes days where I ride in the rain (which isn't too many out here).

1242Vintage

I sit in the spa for a few minutes at home before getting geared up for my morning commute. I do this rain or shine. Not quite the same as showering but gets me nice and warmed up and woken up. I have a full locker room at work and hit the shower once I arrive.

On occasion I shower before the evening commute home too. Makes it a bit easier to survive a cool commute home if I start off warmed up.

Rollfast

I'll see you and raise you the electrical storm and gravel sized hail I got without warning just 5 blocks out from home to the bike shop, and I had to get there before closing.

Hypno Toad

Agreed. I ride hot, and I remember when I bought rain gear to get into all-weather commuting. I’d end up wetter with my sweat than I’d be with the rain. It has to be below 60F for me to put on any rain gear.

mrchaotica

SPD sandals.

bmthom.gis

I am fortunate to have a shower at work. On days where I ride from the Better Halfs office, I'll shower at home bc my sweating is limited on a measly 3.5 mile ride. I pretty much have to shower at some point in the morning or I never really feel like I have woken up. I shower a lot. I like to be clean.

Hypno Toad

This ^^^^

To add to my person story, I started bike commuting to an office that had great showers & locker room. This made it easy to start bike commuting. By the time I change jobs to a building without showers, I was hooked on bike commuting and just adapted to showering prior to my ride.

Additionally, that first office without showers was tiny, and my boss was very kind letting me use our conference room/lunch room as a changing room. The boss was seriously OCD and didn't like the idea of changing in the men's room, he encouraged me to use the conference room.

robert schlatte

I shower every morning before I ride into work. It makes no difference whether it is raining or not. If it is raining, I wear rain gear. Sweat by itself does not have odor. It is the bacteria on the skin which makes the odor. So, if you are freshly showered, you should have little, if any, odor due to your bike ride to work despite perspiring.

KD5NRH

Is that sort of like crayon colored paint?

RidingMatthew

I don't shower before I ride to work... raining or not. I though you were going to say you prewet your clothes before riding to work in the shower.
I shower after riding to work... rain or not.

Jaywalk3r

I have no need or desire to use clipless pedals. I ride in whatever clothes I'm wearing. And it's doubtful I'd ever wear sandals in any context, particularly on a bike.

pdlamb

Before they got the gym (with showers) up and running in the new building, I showered every day before leaving for work. It just feels good to get those areas where the rain don't rinse clean every day, even if it's only for a few minutes. Diaper wipes work best when they don't deal with a thick layer of, er, dirt.

RubeRad

I am too. I consider that one of the perks of bike commuting, lower water consumption at home. Although unfortunately in my townhouse complex, water is bundled into HOA, so no actual savings for me having my work pay for my shower water!

If I didn't have a shower at work, I think I would shower at home, ride as gently as possible, and use paper towels or baby wipes to 'top&tail' as necessary. Even the summer in SoCal is usually not that warm in the morning.

bmthom.gis

I'm more than capable and guilty of taking some long hot showers in the morning, especially if I had a late night. But I'm also 100% capable of taking no more than a minute or two and taking a "sea shower" if I want to save water or am in a hurry. One of the many skills learned in boot camp.

AlmostTrick

No morning showers here. I shower every night right before bed, as it helps me sleep better. Plus I prefer to keep my bed clean.

I have a shower available at work and have not used it once in ten years. I start work early, so it's usually not hot or even warm out. Heck, most of the year it's still dark! In the warmer weather I will freshen up with a bird bath at the sink if I'm sweaty... much quicker than a full shower.

canklecat

There's more to body odor than bacteria. Some folks who are otherwise very clean will exude a strongly metallic odor when perspiring. Diet, medications and various health factors can all contribute to body odor. When I worked in hospitals, especially in hemodialysis, I could smell which patients had hepatitis, which were taking certain heart medications, etc. It wasn't a bad odor or particularly strong, just distinctive.

One of my former co-workers who developed renal insufficiency became so self-conscious about her body odor she began applying deodorant a few times a day. I suppose it sort of helped -- she smelled strongly of deodorant, but her normal odor even without the deodorant wasn't really unpleasant and I doubt most folks would even notice if they didn't know what it was.

Supposedly deodorant and antiperspirants are more effective applied the night before. So a shower and application of deodorant/antiperspirant before bed may minimize some body odors with the next morning's commute. Even if you shower again in the morning, supposedly it won't undo the effect of deodorant/antiperspirant applied the night before.

Due to the usual scares about mosquito borne diseases, including zika this year, I probably smell more strongly of sunscreen and DEET than anything else.

If you apply a coating of a pleasant smelling sunscreen/DEET lotion, you'll probably smell like you just got back from the beach, at worst. Even sweaty, salty bodies smell kinda good after a long day at the beach, combined with the odor of sunscreen. It's a healthy kinda funk. With luck your co-workers will only be envious rather than repelled.