Fear of Sweat

It’s been hot and humid in Boston. So there have been a few uncomfortable bike rides into work recently.

Fear of Sweat

Okay, so riding a bike in summer is a bit sweaty. But it seems a lot of people really worry way too much about sweating.

Fear of Sweat

I admit I have a job where a few beads of sweat or wrinkles in my clothes don’t matter so perhaps I have it easy. But still seems some people have no sense of scale. As if a single bead of sweat warrants immediate separation from decent society for a vigorous scrub and wardrobe change.

Fear of Sweat

So I’ll stick to my routine of one shower in the morning and a casual bike ride to work. But I do keep emergency moist towelettes in my bag. Because July.

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35 comments

  • Timothy53 July 16, 2015  

    If I am afraid I’ll offend from the minimal amount of sweat a couple to a fe wmiles of driving my bike may cause, I carry a clean shirt and an undershirt too. I have smelled far worse people who just sit on their butts all the time: beer and Doritios sweat, garlic sweat, I’m-so-obese-that-it’s-an-effort-to-remain-vertical sweat, cigarette smoke (no sweat required), all kind of reason. A little honest sweat is nothing.

  • PatrickGSR94 July 17, 2015  

    I bike 15 miles to work so a shower is an absolute must, even on most winter days (base layer is usually pretty soaked even at 30 degrees). I’m lucky to have a shower at work. The one time I didn’t shower was when it was about 20 and I was freezing cold and just didn’t want to get wet.

    But yeah I rode 1.8 miles to grab lunch today, in jeans, and was sweating pretty good. But I didn’t shower after that. I just flipped on the fan underneath my desk.

    • Flipper07 July 17, 2015  

      PatrickGSR94, I bike 17 miles each way and no shower…. Secret is: no backpack and not trying to break the speed record. Just normal commuting at normal pace and there is no need for a shower…

      • Richard July 21, 2015  

        Exactly! I bike in jeans summer as winter with my stuff in the bicycle basket. In summer I have a T-shirt and in winter something warmer. Bike slowly, enjoy and you will not sweat. Most of us bike to work in the morning and it´s not that hot even in the summer. After work it can be pretty hot but the you have no hurry and are on your way home. I shower twice a day. In the morning and when I come home. Never use wet paper but it is a good tip!

  • Stinky July 17, 2015  

    This is your best comic ever (with stiff competition). That chart in particular is xkcd quality. Thanks!

  • jon July 17, 2015  

    My trip to work is five miles. It’s Florida so it’s still a heat index of 95 degrees even at 5a.m. and yeah, sweat. I work in a semi-industrial enviroment in an open-air warehouse, so i know im gonna sweat anyway, but thats what makes it bad; if i start out the day soggy, ill NEVER get dry! Not to mention it makes it tough to stay hydrated for that afternoon ride when the heat index is 110 degrees. Then there’s the daily afternoon thunderstorms which can be quite violent, which make anyone think twice about being outside. The rest of the year, i bring a clean shirt to change into at work, and a pair of shorts to change into for the trip home. Florida is a great place to live and ride but seasonally, our summer is the equivalent of everyone else’s winter. You CAN go outside but you question if it’s worth it.

  • minnie July 17, 2015  

    Florida really isn’t that bad weather wise. It rains a lot though and warm showers feel amazing after being caught in a downpour,

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