Tips for Summer Bicycle Commuting

As things are cooling off for Fall, let’s have a summer commuting recap here.

Headed to work in July

When it’s over 100 degrees in the summers in Dallas, commuting to work by bike can be a bit of an art. Especially when commuting in your work attire, as opposed to getting as sweaty as you need then showering and dressing at the office.

I am a woman working in a professional office downtown. Heels, skirt and laptop included. This summer I biked 2-3 days a week, May through September, averaging a half to a third of all trips to work.

After two years now of biking to work in the summers, I’ve learned a few things that might help you manage your hot-weather commute, and maybe even your upcoming winter commute. It’s definitely a woman’s guide but there’s a few things applicable to men too.

– Get a basket, front or back. A back rack alone is a good start, but unless you’re carrying a large purse or a bag of goodies that you want to strap on a back rack, or are investing in paniers, you’ll want your purse in a contained place. There’s NO point to wearing a backpack. Too much work, too much sweat.

City commuting

– Wear something short, wear layers. Shirts and professional work-shorts are perfect. Layer a tank top with a chic blazer, wear your hair up. Keeping your legs cool is key – a lot of blood runs through there.

– Wear perfume. There’s a reason it was used before deodorant was invented – it helps distract from a temporary glow.

– Keep travel-size deoderant at your desk, just in case you’re running afternoon errands and you start to fret.

– Take it easy while biking, try to avoid long stoplights – you don’t want to stop moving for too long. You’ll feel cool as long as you’re moving because it creates a nice breeze.

– Lock up in a shady spot. That’s when I get the sweatiest – when I’ve stopped moving (no breeze) and the sun’s beating down on me.

– Ideally you can park somewhere you have some shady walking distance before you reach your destination, so you can air-dry and cool off before you have to put your blazer on.