Commuter clothing

I decided to ride my motorbike to the train station this morning. I usually cycle but got a puncture and I'm too lazy to fix it until the weekend.

So, I wore my armoured denim jeans, D30 armoured jacket, leather combat style motorbike boots. I put my work clothes in a rucksack, and then my work shoes and a light jacket in my top box along with my heavy duty chain and padlock.

It's a double topbox so plenty of space in there. But, once my helmet was in and my jacket folded up there was no room for my boots so I've had to put them in my rucksack - fortunately that's big too but it's absolutely crammed full and I didn't have my laptop in there or any breakfast/lunch which I usually do.

Part of the problem is my jeans and the padding in them which take up a ton of space. Maybe I should remove the pads and gamble on just the Kevlar being sufficient.

Maybe I should lock my helmet to the bike rather than in the topbox.

Maybe I should get some riding boots that can double up as work shoes. There's no dress code at work usually, so I could get some casual boots, and even find some sleeker fitting jeans.

I'm just looking for ideas.

Could you not have rode all the way to work and found a place to store the gear when you arrived?

Could you not have rode all the way to work and found a place to store the gear when you arrived?

no chance! I live in Peterborough and work in Central London.

I normally do the same and just ride to my train station (get very cheap train travel and work in central London) I normally wear kevlar jeans without the padding in and leave my jacket on, top box then stores my helmet and boots. Plus always keep waterproof over trousers in there and a roll up waterproof jacket during summer - got caught in a downpour in mesh jacket and jeans before and couldn't have been more wet by time I got home if I had jumped in the bath.

Jacket can be a problem especially in summer even with my mesh summer jacket (keep the armour in on these as well) but what is nice and comfortable on bike can become extremely hot in the slighest bit of sun. I can get away with keeping kevlar jeans on for work (only part lined so not much more of a hassle than normal jeans but you do notice them a bit more on the hotter days) but I do keep some normal jeans and smart trousers as work that I can change into if needed.

Also have the issue of leaving home at 4.30am so normally weather then is a lot colder than it will be by time I get home, unfortunately only solution I could come up with for this is a caribiner on ruck sack so if it is too hot I can clip jacket on that instead of having to carry it. During the other 11.5 months of the year this isn't so much an issue.

I normally do the same and just ride to my train station (get very cheap train travel and work in central London) I normally wear kevlar jeans without the padding in and leave my jacket on, top box then stores my helmet and boots. Plus always keep waterproof over trousers in there and a roll up waterproof jacket during summer - got caught in a downpour in mesh jacket and jeans before and couldn't have been more wet by time I got home if I had jumped in the bath.

Jacket can be a problem especially in summer even with my mesh summer jacket (keep the armour in on these as well) but what is nice and comfortable on bike can become extremely hot in the slighest bit of sun. I can get away with keeping kevlar jeans on for work (only part lined so not much more of a hassle than normal jeans but you do notice them a bit more on the hotter days) but I do keep some normal jeans and smart trousers as work that I can change into if needed.

Also have the issue of leaving home at 4.30am so normally weather then is a lot colder than it will be by time I get home, unfortunately only solution I could come up with for this is a caribiner on ruck sack so if it is too hot I can clip jacket on that instead of having to carry it. During the other 11.5 months of the year this isn't so much an issue.

Some great ideas coming from that - I like the idea of keeping change of clothes at work. I do contracts of 3-6 months so that isn't always easy to arrange, but it should be possible.

Glad it helped

Luckily I need them so rarely that I can keep a pair of trousers in work and wear them once a month to the odd meeting and not constantly talking them to and from work.

I will also say when I've had to take them home for a wash or whatever it is much easier to change at work into Kevlar jeans before heading off and throwing them in a rucksack than trying to fit the Kevlar jeans in (and then obviously the grief of changing trousers at the side of the road which some people moan about )