Biking to a stress-free life

[sv-wolf]

I so hate it when I have to wear a suit.... I would ride like that guy, but I wear full gear - so the suit would be protected from the elements, but it would be wrinkled all to hell. I could go nude under my gear (and have done so with dress clothes in top pack), but there isn't a way to have my suit jacket make the trip without it being a wrinkled mess from the pack. Gotta wear the suit tomorrow, too. Interviewing people for two jobs and some of the candidates have been really bad. Bad for the jobs, not so much bad for some other job.

Hate suits? You and me both, RY. If you really have to wear one at work, can't you just leave it there and change into it when you arrive? I keep a conventional jacket at work which I wear over my t-shirt when I have to give presentations or run training courses.

The last time I wore a suit was in 1969 when I left school for the very last time. I'm rather proud of that in a silly sort of way. I've only worn a tie once since then as well. (My wife "persuaded" me to wear one to her niece's wedding.) I am seriously allergic to anything formal. It gives me the heebie jeebies. I didn't go to my first graduation ceremony and refused to dress up in a gown for the second one.

I once looked up the history of the suit. It appears that modern business suits are modelled on 18th and 19th century European military tunics. These in turn were cut to mirror the line of suits of armour. That figures! They are designed to look agressive/defensive. I think think they look damned ridiculous.

I ride to work in my leathers and change into jeans and t-shirt when I get there. When I used to inspect residential and sheltered homes I was a bit concerned at first about turning up in my leathers. I wasn't sure what the elderly residents would make of it, but I soon discovered they loved it. They'd start to tell me all about the old Triumps and AJS's they rode when they were young.

I get some funny looks at first when I start a new job, and occasionally get taken aside by a manager. My technique is to keep "forgetting" that I am supposed to dress formally. The trick, I discovered, is to act totally eccentric and behave as though it is the most normal thing in the world. After a while all the other people who wear suits to the office leave you alone. Some of them start dressing casual as well. (It doesn't always work though. I've walked out on two jobs when they insisted.)

After a while nobody notices what you are wearing any more. Riding into and out of the office every day makes work bearable. Gotta get your priorities right!

Suits me fine. (OK. Sorry.)

[RhadamYgg]

I do wonder sometimes how it feels to ride without a helmet. Never in NJ though. Maybe someplace where there are few cars and fewer intersections.

...... and softer asphalt!!

Hey, Rhadam, do you have hard luggage on your fazer? I'm thinking a dress shirt and dress pants would do OK underneath riding jacket & pants..... most of my stuff is wool-polyester blend now, hard to avoid it. The suitjacket would only be folded over once, loosely, in a hard topcase. My Givi E46 case is pretty roomy.

Haven't gotten a hard case yet. Too much moolah and unfortunately, I'm still debating if this bike is going to stay for more than a year or not.

Wrinkle free dress shirts and pants do ok under riding gear - but not in the heat. They do ok in my soft case though. The suit jacket is the real deal breaker. It is too big to fold without creasing in my soft tail bag.

Oh yeah... definitely softer asphalt!

[RhadamYgg]

Hey, Rhadam, do you have hard luggage on your fazer? I'm thinking a dress shirt and dress pants would do OK underneath riding jacket & pants..... most of my stuff is wool-polyester blend now, hard to avoid it. The suitjacket would only be folded over once, loosely, in a hard topcase. My Givi E46 case is pretty roomy.

A 100% cotton dress shirt will get totally wrinkled under a riding jacket. Unlike in the past, textile technology has advanced that there are some very high quality cotton/synthetic blend dress shirts that look quite acceptable. Those tend to do very well under the riding jacket.
True 100% wool dress slacks/suit slacks will not do to well under a riding pants. Once again, textile technology has advanced to the point that the wool/synthetic & the cotton/synthetic blends look quite acceptable and are virtually wrinkle proof.
As for the suit jacket or sport jackets, I keep an assortment of them at work so I don't have to wear/carry them on the bike.

Yeah... I should probably take them to work when I'm in the cage and leave them there. I don't wear them anywhere except at work. Of course, if I ever try to sneak them out after establishing them at work - people might wonder if I'm looking for a new job.

[RhadamYgg]

Hate suits? You and me both, RY. If you really have to wear one at work, can't you just leave it there and change into it when you arrive? I keep a conventional jacket at work which I wear over my t-shirt when I have to give presentations or run training courses.

The last time I wore a suit was in 1969 when I left school for the very last time. I'm rather proud of that in a silly sort of way. I've only worn a tie once since then as well. (My wife "persuaded" me to wear one to her niece's wedding.) I am seriously allergic to anything formal. It gives me the heebie jeebies. I didn't go to my first graduation ceremony and refused to dress up in a gown for the second one.

I once looked up the history of the suit. It appears that modern business suits are modelled on 18th and 19th century European military tunics. These in turn were cut to mirror the line of suits of armour. That figures! They are designed to look agressive/defensive. I think think they look damned ridiculous.

I ride to work in my leathers and change into jeans and t-shirt when I get there. When I used to inspect residential and sheltered homes I was a bit concerned at first about turning up in my leathers. I wasn't sure what the elderly residents would make of it, but I soon discovered they loved it. They'd start to tell me all about the old Triumps and AJS's they rode when they were young.

I get some funny looks at first when I start a new job, and occasionally get taken aside by a manager. My technique is to keep "forgetting" that I am supposed to dress formally. The trick, I discovered, is to act totally eccentric and behave as though it is the most normal thing in the world. After a while all the other people who wear suits to the office leave you alone. Some of them start dressing casual as well. (It doesn't always work though. I've walked out on two jobs when they insisted.)

After a while nobody notices what you are wearing any more. Riding into and out of the office every day makes work bearable. Gotta get your priorities right!

Suits me fine. (OK. Sorry.)

Gotta love bad humor! I try to get as much in now while my kids are still young and they don't groan like everyone else.

I did research on the tie and it, as well has a military history. I'm invested (not monetarily) with my current employer. So, I have to dress up as a clown. But typically, I don't wear a suit - enough so that when I did wear one it was a shock to everyone!

Riding to work definitely makes it bearable.

[jstark47]

Haven't gotten a hard case yet. Too much moolah and unfortunately, I'm still debating if this bike is going to stay for more than a year or not.

Just do it. Hard topcases are an incredible combination of dorkiness (gotta maintain those geek credentials ) and utility. Once you get one you'll never take it off the bike and wonder how you lived without it. Givi cases give you the option of keeping the case and just buying a different mounting plate if you change bikes.

[society909]

A few years ago my wife bought me a white button up shirt with blue flames around it. It was kind of thin I don't know what kind of material it was maid of but it was a very pretty shirt. The first time I wore it we decided to take a bike ride to the local flea market. Once we got out the weather was so nice (early fall) we decided to ride to a nearby town to visit a friend about 50 miles away. Early fall in the south and the love bugs was out (some people call them sex bugs If you live in the south you know what I am talking about.) When we got to town we stopped at a waffle house to eat and I had some bugs stuck to my shirt. I still got a few compliments on what a nice shirt it was. By the time I got home that evening it was covered with black bug spots and the wind had about ripped the sleeves off of it. First and last time I got to wear it and I've never seen another one like it.

[sapaul]

Why is it us Africans have to explain things to you. We go to work in our suits on our bikes everyday. The only reason we wear helmets is so that the Lions don't eat our heads