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I'm starting as a first-year in a few weeks in Chicago, and I'd like to commute to the office by bike. I hate riding the Blue Line, and the time will be roughly the same. For those who bike to work, what do you wear? Do you have to change clothes or shoes at the office? What bike do you use/recommend for under $1,000? Any advice here would be appreciated.

Rehnkist wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 30, 2022 12:33 pm

I'm starting as a first-year in a few weeks in Chicago, and I'd like to commute to the office by bike. I hate riding the Blue Line, and the time will be roughly the same. For those who bike to work, what do you wear? Do you have to change clothes or shoes at the office? What bike do you use/recommend for under $1,000? Any advice here would be appreciated.

I got a small running/cycling backpack and packed in socks, underwear, slacks and a dress shirt. On the way in I just wore a gym shirt and shorts in the summer, or tights and an outer layer when it was colder. I kept leather shoes and a jacket at my desk. It was actually also a surprisingly good way to generate banter with all the other workout commuters when we were showering and changing. I went remote in-house a year ago and legitimately miss the commute in, which was a good way to start the day.

Rehnkist wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 30, 2022 12:33 pm

I'm starting as a first-year in a few weeks in Chicago, and I'd like to commute to the office by bike. I hate riding the Blue Line, and the time will be roughly the same. For those who bike to work, what do you wear? Do you have to change clothes or shoes at the office? What bike do you use/recommend for under $1,000? Any advice here would be appreciated.

Not Chicago, but I used to bike commute in NYC. I just wore my business casual with cycling shoes (MTB tennis shoe style) and then swapped out for business appropriate shoes on arrival. If you don't have shower access, I don't think trying to change is worth it. May depend on how much you sweat naturally and the weather. I'm lucky enough that my in-house job has a secure bike storage room and shower/locker facilities, so I just haul my work clothes on my bike change at work.

I'd strongly consider getting a divvy membership and taking electric bikes. Then you don't have to worry about parking it or maintenance. And you don't sweat nearly as much, if at all. Less exercise is the main drawback. Whether to change clothes/shoes would depend on how formal your office is.

Rehnkist wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 30, 2022 12:33 pm

I'm starting as a first-year in a few weeks in Chicago, and I'd like to commute to the office by bike. I hate riding the Blue Line, and the time will be roughly the same. For those who bike to work, what do you wear? Do you have to change clothes or shoes at the office? What bike do you use/recommend for under $1,000? Any advice here would be appreciated.

Pre-pandemic I did some sort of active commute almost every day (biking, running, etc.). My commute was far enough that there was no scenario in which I wouldn't need to shower when I got to the office. My office had an onsite gym with a shower, so I kept shower supplies in my office along with multiple changes of clothes. I usually drove or took public transportation one day a week and could swap out my clothes so that I didn't have to pack them in and out every day, especially if I was doing more running than biking. I would commute in, grab my shower supplies/change of clothes from my office, get ready, and then get to work.

Many offices also have a dry cleaning service, so depending on space you could just keep a few simple outfits in the office and get them cleaned and delivered back to the office as you need. Key in this plan was obviously having an onsite gym with a shower, but I guess if you are only biking a couple of miles and it's not that hot out, you may just need to change when you get there (or not). I kept several professional pairs of shoes in the office and never took them home, as well as some blazers, a couple of coats in the winter, etc.

I never figured out a great drying solution for my clothes during the day - usually I just set them on a small rack or trash can under my desk to let them air dry, but in the summer that sometimes meant they were still damp when I put them back on to go home at night, so sometimes I would keep a second or third set of exercise clothes around just in case. Having a "bad weather" plan is also important - it sounds like you can take public transportation if a storm rolls in when you need to head home, so you likely have that covered.

When I was doing this I left my work laptop in the office and would remote in using my personal laptop at home, so I wasn't bringing my laptop back and forth (which would have been difficult when I was running), but since you're only biking and not doing any running, that shouldn't be a problem.

I’m a senior associate and I use bikeshare bikes (Citi bike in nyc) for my 2 mile commute nearly every time I go to office

I bike to work in DC. Commute is around 20-25 minutes either direction - significantly faster than public transport would be. I sweat easily; when the weather is cold, I can just about get away with wearing business casual and not needing to shower, but I recommend wearing gym clothes and showering at the office anyway:
1. What if you're wrong and you are actually grossing out co-workers.
2. Biking over time will cause your dress pants to develop faded spots where your butt meets the seat, due to the rubbing.
3. Biking can also cause grease stains on your clothes, never mind the issue of your pant legs potentially getting caught in the chain.

Fine to just wear your dress shoes to bike, though I usually wear sneakers and hit the gym when I arrive. Lifting for a bit helps me cool down, otherwise during the summer I just keep sweating from the cardio right through my shower and into my change of clothes.

Use whatever bike you're most comfortable with for city commuting. I like my hybrid (Fuji? Trek? Can't remember) I got for ~$500 a few years ago. Whatever you get, expect a lot of flats in city riding - like one every couple of months or so - so get a repair kit or some spare tubes. That'll run you like $50 to really stock up and have something at home and something at the office, and will save time and money. It's not hard to fix or change your own tire once you watch a Youtube video and buy a kit. You don't NEED to do this, if your office has a pump in the bike room or you bring a cheap portable pump on your ride - most punctures are small enough that you can commute home after pumping the tire when you notice the flat, and bring it to a shop later - but I highly recommend it.

Also, get lights and wear them any time the weather is bad or you're commuting in the dark. DC is a bike commuter-friendly city but drivers in any city are still going to be distracted, drift into the bike lane without a signal, park in the bike lane forcing you to go into lanes of traffic, etc. and cops mostly don't care. Be safe and enjoy!

Thanks all for the suggestions. Even if the job is (likely) a drag, I'm looking forward to the morning ride

I biked to and from work when I was in DC and it was the best part of the job. I think the capital crescent trail is the thing I miss most about the city.

I wore bike gear. Sometimes with shorts over it because I was a little embarrassed to be seen by coworkers in full lycra.

Shower was a must and I rented a locker at the office gym to keep shower stuff and work clothes.

I had a fairly nice race bike that I kept in my office during the day.

Even if you don’t bike, it’s a good idea to keep a change of clothes in the office if practical, because you never know when some ketchup or something will spill on you . I know a few people who have gone to buy emergency shirts in the middle of the day because something spilled on them before a meeting.

This is getting complicated.
There is a thing you can buy for your bike tires, I believe it's called Mr Tuffy. It is a thin strip of plastic that goes between the bike tire and the tire tube. It prevents flat tires. It works. I had it 20 years ago.
There are also cans of a liquid that you can inject into your bike tire that automatically seal small punctures.
It can be put in the tire as a preventative measure.

You may want to consider how safe it is to be on a bike, alone.
There's a lot of predatory behavior going on in Chicago now.
Maybe have a group of 3 that you can ride with.

There are other things you can do to increase the odds of not becoming a victim. I need not state those things.

I don't know if Chicago has crime maps which detail various neighborhoods and when various crimes are likely to occur. In the past I have walked through crappy areas of NYC, but at 7AM before the troublemakers are awake.
So by looking at crime maps available on the police website, you may pick a circuitous route to your destination, yes, it may be a little longer, but it's safer.