So I finally got the courage up to do a bike commute all the way from my house to downtown Oakland. Doesn't sound so scary I know, but for me, the thought of carrying a bag on my back up that horrible 9% grade hill to get up to Skyline, dressed in non-bike clothes was very unappealing. I *wanted* to do it but I also knew I'd rather not do it. So I didn't.
But in Tim Gunn fashion, I wanted to "make it work". So I decided to suck it up for the first 15 min of the ride and figured I'd be home free after that.
Deciding what to wear took about 3 hours. Seriousily. I obsessed about it last night and again this morning. At one point I thought I didn't have the appropriate pants for bike commuting and thought I couldn't do the ride until I purchased the right pair of jeans from The Gap.
But I ended up putting on my JCrew halloween pumpkin orange chinos (cause I have no jeans that aren't thick bell bottom jeans) and a 3/4 sleeve rayon Vneck. I rolled up the pants and put on my Swobo woolie (complete with bike pockets in the back!). Hey I actually looked decent, not like a dork like I look during the week wearing regular clothes and biking from my free parking space on the street to the office (a lame 10 minute ride).
Confient that at I least looked like a bike commuter, I headed out the door. Getting up the hill wasn't that bad but I didn't clean it - had to do a lap in the culdesac to take a break before heading up the 2nd half. I didn't want to sweat that much and I was getting warm in the woolie sweater. After I made it to the flat part of Skyline, I was rejoicing! Yeah! I did it! I can now just ride down the rest of the way and have a successful commute.
All was well until I was riding through Trestle Glen and I stood up after stopping at a stop sign. My ass was soaking wet! Oh no. I've sweated way too much. Now what? Then I realize I'm sweating everywhere, my face, my armpits - it wasn't pretty. WIth no options I decided to just finish the ride and try to let the breeze freshen me up.
Now I'm sitting at my desk and I look like I peed my pants and the sweat on my shirt has salt stains on it. Successful commute? Hmmmm, sort of. Now I really need to get those pants at the gap. Pumpkin orange doesn't hold sweat well.
anyone have ideas for what to wear? i'd really rather not carry my clothes in a bag and have to do a major change... but if that's what it takes....
1 comment:
i haven't quite figured it out yet either.
i wear jeans and a shirt down to BART in the morning. usually with a wool sweater on top. and i sweat a little too. sometimes i'll actually wear my jersey under instead of my shirt, if it's hot. that way i don't sweat in my shirt.
but i always wear my work pants.
don't stand up, just cruise it. took me a while to get that down.
i carry my bike clothes in my bag - and change into them for the up hill way home.
but the bag is HEAVY and filled with jeans, sweater, helmet light, etc. on the way home and we're going UP.
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