Boxer shorts or regular shorts
This is a bit silly question on my part but…
What type of shorts do you normally wear
Boxer shorts or regular shorts or just biker shorts ?
I always wear cycling shorts when going any kind of distance or playing hockey but when I’m just doing a few road miles I can get away with normal underwear which for me is boxer briefs which are a bit like unpadded cycling shorts I suppose. Pics available on request 
Bike shorts a must for me if I am going over 4 miles.
Biker shorts, I wouldn’t even consider commuting far without them.
haha the idea of leaving home with plumbing parts so you can shower is pretty absurd. I am glad the company I am with now has a small gym with a shower in the building I work in. I keep a towel and shower stuff in my cubicle.
I agree. However yesterday I forgot, and rode the 4.2 miles each way to school & back in a regular pair of non-bike shorts. No problems. This is a lot less hassle if it works for you, and I’m going to try it again tomorrow. I don’t recommend it for longer rides.
Friday was my first day communting to work
Friday was a day of firsts for me on a unicycle.
- It was the second day I rode my new 29"
- It was the first time I road with a backback full of stuff.
- Riding early morning in dusk on bike trail
- Riding in early morning down town traffic.
- Riding in early cold morning in shorts and light shirt.
Road 12 km round trip to and from work.
Reading the previous posts I think I’ll begin leaving my change of clothes at the office and only carry lunch and thermos in backpack. Not sure what to do about unexpected rain storms. Perhaps I’ll just wimp out and take a taxi.
I expect I’ll wear sweat pants and shirts to work then change clothing at the office. It’s my intention to commute as long I can till winter sets in.
PLEASE be careful with that, I am still feeling the effects of the last time I rode with a large backpack.
Riding in the rain isn’t that bad. Make sure your backpack is waterproof so you don’t get your walet, cellphone, spare clothes, lunch, etc wet. Other than that…unicycles do fine in the rain. It might help to have a light rain coat to bring with you on iffy days, but it isn’t a must have.
Winter riding isn’t all too bad either if you have the proper gear. I recently bought a cycling mask that covers my face except my eyes, and it does wonders for cold commutes.
That’s what I said just over 2 years ago.
I know the winters have been kind of mild here the last couple of years, but I never got to the point where it was too cold/wet/snowy/dark to ride.
Just keep on going as long as you can, and before you know it, the mornings will be getting light earlier again, and you can forget about packing waterproofs.
STM
I actually take the unicycle out of choice if it’s icy - it’s just so much safer than a bike in those conditions.
Rob
Rainy weather, what are you wearing ?
What type of clothing are people wearing for rain/snow ?
Lighten load of back pack
I think I’ll learn from Eric P about backpacks.
I’ve decide to bring change of clothing to work on weekend and only carry lunch and thermos in back pack. I really don’t fell comfortable with a backpack to begin with.
If it’s raining hard I just wear a thin waterproof jacket over my normal cycling shirt. In light rain or drizzle I usually just get wet - cycling kit dries out pretty quickly anyway and unless it’s really cold you’ll get just as wet from sweat if you wear a waterproof (even good quality breathable waterproofs don’t work too well unless it’s really cold or you ride slowly - I’ve got a GoreTex coat that I wear in really grim conditions, but most of the time a cheap thin coat is better, and screws up really small when you’re not using it).
If it snows (rarely here - usually only a few days a year even on top of the moor) or is icy I just wear normal cycling kit, possibly older/less good stuff because I’m more likely to fall off and rip it :o
It doesn’t really get that cold here compared with parts of the USA though, so if it’s colder where you are you might be able to get away with wearing waterproofs without getting to sweaty. It rarely gets below -5C here (23F), and the coldest it’s ever been since I’ve lived on Dartmoor was -10C. Anything above 2 or 3C I find is not really cold enough to wear my GoreTex coat for cycling. Having said that, if you have to stop for any reason like a puncture in cold/wet/windy conditions you’ll be glad of an extra layer - some of my commute is quite remote if I use the off-road route so I always carry an extra jacket or coat in the winter even if I don’t wear it. A buff or similar under the helmet is really good in cold winds as well - or even a balaclava if it’s really cold where you are.
Rob
EDIT: Just noticed you’re in Canada, so most of the cold stuff probably applies!
My way to work is 5.5 km long, generally done in 20mn, four days a week (average). I often ride back home for lunch (3-4 times a week).
I ride a 36er with 125 mm cranks and a T7 handle.
For the sweat part, we don’t have any shower at work and I sweat like a pig. So when the weather is hot, I ride “topless” and carry a towel in a small back pack. I asked my coworkers if I didn’t smell and they told me “no”… Maybe they are too polite… Maybe there are people in the openspace who stink more than I do (I know the names)! I ride and work in jeans but often carry a spare Tshirt, especially when I go to my unibasket practice at lunchtime.
I also carry a light “rain jacket” and a “rain pant” in this back pack, plus a set of hallen keys.
Clothing continued
I purchased two pairs of riders shorts, shirt and running jacket that reflect headlights. What a difference the rider shorts make. Wow, I highly recommend them over regular boxer shorts.
I leave at 6:30 - 6:45am, its dusk. Wearing a back pack with change of clothes and thermos.
My round trip is roughly 11km now. I added an extra km to factor in a safer route.
I need a flashlight or something because no street lights in some of the area’s I ride through.
Around 7:10am is bright enough not to need flashlight but as season continues it will be dark longer and earlier.
Any suggestions on lights?
Oh yeah, I could also use a mirror to see behind me.
I broke my collar bone yesterday, due to a rogue shoelace. This is just a reminder for everyone to make sure those shoelaces are short or otherwise tucked in! I think my shoe came untied, as I’ve ridden with those shoes a lot and never had a problem. The consequences of a wrapped shoelace are much worse on a Coker so you know I"ll be paying much closer attention to it when I start riding again in a few weeks… 
Ouch, when I read this I actually felt some phantom pain in my shoulder.
Hope you recover quickly and fully!
ERIC
I actually feel the pain. I separated my shoulder a few weeks ago in a bicycling accident and it will take months for it to heal. I hope you’re OK soon, John. You’re a young thing and should heal quickly if all of that negative karma doesn’t turn on you.
I always checked my shoes before riding to make sure the laces were tucked in, but earlier this year(on the SINZ tour) my left shoelace came untucked and caught on the crank and I took a nice tumble down the road while descending. I got lucky and only got scraped up/cut(still have a scar on my shoulder) and bruised. The key is definitely to have shoes without laces, I can’t ride comfortably fast anymore with laces b/c I am constantly checking my laces and paranoid that they might come untucked or wrap around the crank.
Hope you heal fast!