ericoseveins

I don't use a towel. Right after my shower I apply lotion as nine out of ten dermatologists recommend. After that's finished I'm still soggy but no longer dripping, so I just put on my work clothes and am usually fully dry after a few minutes.

DC also gets pretty hot and humid in the summers but I can't say I've had too many issues with the sweaty clothing. On really severe days I will take off the t-shirt on my ride in. Maybe consider borrowing a page from basketball/volleyball and going with some type of mesh tank top on really hot days? Or alternatively could you leave a portable washing machine in the work locker room? They typically don't take much space and have high velocity spin cycles that wring out most of the water in just a minute or so. You could soak the gear in the sink quickly, then spin and hang in the locker.

HeyItsSara

what about a laundry service at work?

rumrunn6

maybe if one worked at a hotel?

caloso

Yes, exactly. It's amazing how BF never misses the opportunity to overcomplicate things.

HeyItsSara

my coworker rides to work and has a laundry service.

I-Like-To-Bike

... or a laundry.

Daniel4

Before I had retired, I used to discretely lay out my bathtowel on my desk behind the computer. It's warm back there. We had the good luck of several shower rooms. As for my cycling clothes, I would arrive to work in the morning so they wouldn't have been that sweaty. So I just hung them in the personal cabinet at my desk which all my coworkers also had.

rivers

Can you speak to your employer about setting up a drying room or if not a drying room, investing in a clothes dryer? I live/work in the UK and it rains pretty much all winter and sometimes all summer. In winter, I set-up a little drying station in the dressing rooms (I work in a theatre in a university) with a small portable heater and a costume rail. Might be something you could do in the locker room if neither a drying room or a dryer are viable options.

Germany_chris

On my bike in the office

RidingMatthew

My plan was to hang them on hangers in my cubicle. I had stand up desk section put some more desk around me. I would hang them under the non stand up section part. I would run second fan that would blow on the clothes throughout the day. No one ever said they could smell the clothes. it just looked kinda funny. I also would recommend carrying a microfiber towel. They pack small and dry quickly.

"Who’s gonna steal bike shorts?" they may not steal shorts but I had my towel stolen once. I had it hanging out of my locker at that job. I then put it in the bike commuter lockers which had holes for air flow.

amitzinman

Where do you lock your bike? It might be better to hang your clothes to dry on the bike itself.
Personally, I would just wear less on the way to work, it's legal in Portland Just some short shorts and then when I'm close to work I would put on some clothes before people see me

noglider 

I strongly recommend you find a way to hang your clothes properly. You might find a "data closet" where people rarely go. It might even have good circulation.

My recent summer commuting routine was to change in the office without showering. I was lucky enough to have a private office. I hung my clothes up in the office. People rarely visited, and I did my best to hide the clothes. While changing, I rubbed witch hazel on my sweaty bits. It's an astringent that does not dry the skin. It stops my sweating!

This summer I start student teaching at a high school. I do not know what I will do. One possibility is that I won't change or wash. Maybe I won't be too unsightly with my sweat?

Schlafen

I shave all my body hair (from the neck down) at least once a year between March-September. Just shaving your armpits will make a world of difference in the way your sweat smells, not only helps with sweat evaporation but keeps away alot of the bacteria from breeding in moist areas of the body. I used to ride in full kit on my road bike in the past years (20 miles round trip), however, this year I got a Brompton and don't ride in full kit anymore, now I ride in a looser gym tshirt (Under Armour or whatever, long/short sleeve depending on temperature) compression gym shorts and sandals. I don't use cotton while riding or exercising. I sweat the same amount on my road bikes as on my Brompton. While I love cycling in full kit on the weekends, I prefer this casual setup on my commute to work, much more enjoyable commuting experience.

Obligatory shower and deodorant in the morning right before I begin the ride to work. Last mile or so I take it ultra easy to get my heart rate down and, usually, body and kit is all dry before I arrive at the office. Don't have shower facilities at work so I rinse my face in the sink and change in clean office attire. If it's extremely hot ( very rare in Uk, still use a long sleeve shirt in the morning and it's June now) I use some extra deodorant spray, not liquid, gel or bar as they stay wet for longer and accentuate the sweat smell.

I take a batch of clean clothes in with me (usually on Monday, sometimes Friday) for the following week and keep them in a drawer, I bring home with me every day the shirt/tshirt/underwear/socks I use during the day, trousers stay at work and usually have 2 pairs in rotation for the week. I reuse the tshirt and shorts for my ride home as they are dry, sometimes they may stink a bit but don't care on my way home.

I work in the same office as the company director, had no complaints whatsoever in the past 6 years I've been working for this company.

Sardines

If your parking area is away from the office, how about hanging all the wet stuff out there, as someone else suggested? UT has an arid climate, so I'd imagine it would dry relatively quickly even indoors, unless you have air conditioning for the bike area? Also in lieu of the cotton towel, get one of those chammy towels, which can be wrung drier than cotton and dries quicker too. My kids use them for swim training. Otherwise, a wet bag with a fridge baking soda pack also helps with odors.

urbanescapee

Thanks, everyone, for the input! I’ve started leaving my towel on the bike to dry and that seems to work pretty well. I also learned that when clothes get that mildew-ey smell that doesn’t seem to go away even after washing, if you add a cup of vinegar to the wash it’ll kill the orgs that are responsible for the bad odor; that has also helped tremendously. I seeme your have sorted out a good system for summertime riding. Now we’ll have to see it it still works well for winter…

elroberto

i perpetually stink

genec

I dried my towel and damp clothes on my bike during the day. Just hung everything over the bars and top tube.

But I also brought in a clean towel daily. I commuted with panniers and just brought everything in and out.