BIKE: Showers at Work

[Lane S. Wimberley]

Fairly presumptuous of you, Mike, to assume that I or anyone else is
deluded, or that my (or anyone else's) coworkers are somehow dishonest
in this regard.  I can absolutely guarantee that neither is true in my
case.  I *know* that I am fully presentable while at work (in my
office job, casual as it is), as I *know* that both my boss and my
coworkers would definitely let me know if this were not the case (as
they have on other rare occassions, not related to biking, etc.).
Over five years, there have been innumerable opportunities for me to
learn from trusted others that I stink or am otherwise unpresentable,
including from my wife and kids, and it just hasn't happened.

Do you think my boss would let me meet with clients and business
partners if he thought I were not presentable?  Do you suspect him (and
the rest of our executive management) of bad business sense?

And, for the record, I'm a pretty sweaty mo-fo on the bike myself.

(funny story: one of the very few times I had any sort of aroma issues
at work was one rainy day when, pleased with myself for my creativity,
I thought I'd dry my wet socks on my warm computer monitor.  WARNING:
do not do this!  I don't know the physics, but suffice to say that my
coworkers made me promise to never do this again.)

As I said, my suggestion may not work for everyone.  If your job
requires you to be prim and proper in a pressed, starched suit, gleam
in eye, sparkle in tooth, and reeking obnoxiously of cologne, then a
shower may be an absolute must.  Fair enough.  On the other hand (and,
this is the reason I mentioned it in the first place), there may be
some for whom my suggestion will work, and who may not have otherwise
considered it or believed that it might work for them.

Unrealistic advice?  Well, your mileage may vary, I suppose.

All this is not to say that the bus recommendation is not a good one.

Pondering whether Mike's issues might be diet-related,

-Lane

Mike Dahmus writes:
> I'll dissent,. Not only am I way too sweaty to make a full ride in 
> "undetectible" most of the year, I'll bet most of you are too, but your 
> coworkers would never tell you (how do you tell somebody when they 
> stink? even when they ask, most people would lie and say you're fine - I 
> know I wouldn't want to go on the record telling a coworker that they're 
> stinky even if they asked).
> 
> I second the bus recommendation. Take the bus in the morning, ride home.
> 
> I'll be riding in fully in the mornings some more this year, but I'm not 
> going to fool myself into thinking that
> 
> a) I don't stink
> and
> b) my coworkers would tell me if I did
> 
> Trick for me is that I'm willing to accept some stink as the price to 
> pay here, and I work in a very very casual field. I think people need to 
> give realistic advice on this subject and not sugarcoat things, though.
> 
> - MD
> 
> cjwyche wrote:
> 
> >I concur. I biked 7 miles from downtown out 290 at 
> >JohnnyMorris rd. I would ride in shorts & t-shirt, carrying 
> >work outfit in my pannier. In the restroom I would 
> >cool my face and hands, disrobe, paper towel off, don my 
> >work clothes, stick the discards in a plastic bag, comb 
> >hair, and emerge. 3 to 5 minutes in there.
> >
> >Over 2 years I never had a complaint or even a raised 
> >eyebrow.
> >
> > On Fri, 16 Jul 2004, Lane S. Wimberley wrote:
> >  
> >
> >>[SNIP]
> >>While many people find it hard to imagine bike commuting without
> >>access to showers at the destination, especially considering the
> >>summer heat, I've been commuting for about five years and have never
> >>bothered with post-commute showers.  You might be surprised how far a
> >>towel and some deodorant can go.  I never feel grimy or sticky
> >>during the day, and never get complaints about my appearance from
> >>coworkers or management.  Not for everyone, perhaps, but it works for
> >>me.
> >>-Lane
> >>
> >>jduthie writes:
> >>    
> >>
> >>>Hi,
> >>>
> >>>This email is on behalf of my roommate.  We live in Central Austin and she would
> >>>LOVE to bike to work (office building between Far West and Anderson Lane off of
> >>>Mopac) but there are no showers available.  She and a coworker have tried to
> >>>get a shower installed, but have been unsuccessful.  My questions are 1.) Are
> >>>there any places for a bike commuter to shower in that area?  and 2.) Anyone
> >>>have a helpful hint on how to get showers installed in an office building? 
> >>>Does the City offer any incentives to businesses that do this?
> >>>
> >>>Thanks!
> >>>Jen Duthie
> >>>      
> >>>
> 




-- 
_______________________________________________________________________
Lane Wimberley             8303 N. MoPac, Suite A-300  Austin, TX 78759
Wayport, Inc.                512.519.6195 (voice)    512.519.6200 (fax)