In the CBD without a shower…
CAA believes that not every ride needs to be “hard out“. But we know many of you love it – and on some Auckland days (yes, I am looking at you, February and March 2013!) the heat is just too much, and even the most casual cyclist may want a shower afterwards.
So what to do if your office isn’t as enlightened (or in fancy enough digs) to offer showers? Or doesn’t even provide bike parking??? This is the question of Martin, one of our readers.
Are there any “public” ways to shower and/or store your bike around the CBD? Any bike stores – or maybe gyms – up to taking on the challenge? Bike Central may have just been a tad too early.
How do other people deal with this – suggest your solutions to Martin. He’s particularly interested in the mid-town area, but the problem is much wider of course.
Fullers (CAA Sponsor)
Themocracy
My office doesnt have a shower, and I can get a bit steamy after ride from massey to town, so I just get a bit romantic with the sink in the bathroom, give myself a bit of a wash off, and leave water all over the floor.
Or for anyone feeling cheeky, head in the back entrance to the vero building (off fort street) take the service lift to level 32, and right outside the service lift is a well stocked shower
My work provides showers, fortunately.. awesome ones. Which is handy since I ride in to the CBD from manurewa and I sweat like a pig even in winter.
Not every ride needs to be hard out, no, but if you cycle for fitness you only get out what you put in (and this applies to all exercise). If you do not put effort in, and push yourself, you will get.. well.. a bit of extra blood flow and that’s about it.
Actually, even very moderate (but regular) exercise has been shown to have enormous benefits when you otherwise live a sedentary lifestyle (like many of us do).
Yes, it has some benefit, but for fitness, its a different story. I’ve heard people tell me that they are cycling to get fit.. and you watch them riding at 6-10kmh, drinking tea and eating jam and scones on the way.. it has *some* benefit – but it wont get you fit
I use this http://muc-off.com/en/bicycle/29-dry-shower.html quite often and it works a treat…
The Tepid Baths always used to let people pay a small fee for a shower. Not sure if they still do, but could always have a bit of a swim (and shower too).
I hadn’t thought to ask them about a shower only, but did consider a swim membership at $756 p.a. ~30% cheaper than joining a gym but further away from my office.
Distance becomes important because without long term storage close to the shower I have to either schlep my jeans and toiletries in and out of town daily or to stop by the office on the way in.
My most common choice is to cool down first then wipe down with some baby wipes.
I have always felt that there should be a package offered between the Britomart carpark and Les Mills underneath them. A similar deal could be done between the Wilson parking on Durham Lane/Albert St and the Just Workout gym.
As it is, Britomart carpark has only a handful of hooks to hang bikes on that were all rented out last I enquired. There is camera surveillance, but the bikes are very exposed so you wouldn’t want to leave your panniers on. My flatmate, who works in a ‘green’ office block in Britomart that prohibits bikes, parks at the Giant store. Staff are friendly but access is only available during shop hours.
(Ironically, Britomart has a nice fenced off section that could make a big bike cage (would people trust to a shared cage?) but is being used for storage by the Giant bike shop.)
The gyms I spoke to refused a shower-only membership in case I came in and used all the facilities on the sly. It oughtn’t to be hard if you planned it in from the start of building design, and there is always the chance to upsell full membership, but we are not yet a recognised market. Just Workout did offer that I bring my bike up the lift, which was friendly.
You need Bike Central on Britomart Place. Pay a small fee to park your bike and have a shower. Oh, and brilliant coffee… but sadly, I think it closed down. Before its time, maybe???
Hi Alison – yeah, its gone, since at least a year ago. Sadly there didn’t seem to be enough cyclists yet to hold them up on their own (and the Britmart area wasn’t as humming even 1-2 years ago), and plus, they may have looked too much like a bike shop for people to realise they could also get a coffee there…
Real shame, because the future Beach Road cycleway will end right in front of their (former) door…