You don’t have to dress like a Tour de France racer for the commute to work. Normal clothes are fine – as long as you adapt your bike and your pace

Skin-tight Lycra jerseys and padded shorts are the standard attire for cycle sport because racers need to be aerodynamic and because they ride for hours. For commuting by bike, Lycra is optional in the same way that gym kit is optional for a stroll to the shops. Some cycle commuters may choose Lycra anyway because their ride to work is long or strenuous. Most cycle commuters are more like faster-moving pedestrians and they can comfortably wear the same clothing – normal clothing.

Wearing ordinary clothes for short cycling journeys is exactly what you see in countries where cycling is popular, such as the Netherlands and Denmark. You can do the same in the UK. You may, however, need to change your bike and the way that you ride.

Keeping clean

When you ride to work in the clothes you’ll wear at work, it’s vital to keep them clean. Full-length mudguards are essential. They prevent your tyres spraying dirty water up your back and over your legs whenever the roads are damp. Many mudguards aren’t long enough so you may also want mudflaps.

Most bikes in the UK have an exposed, oily chain. Cycle clips or ankle straps will keep trouser hems off the chain, although trousers tucked into socks also works if you forget them. Some bikes come with, or can be fitted with, a full or partial chainguard, which is a better solution as you can then ditch the cycle clips. Belt-drive bikes won’t make your clothes oily either.

If your work shoes aren’t suitable for cycling, leave them at work in a locker or bring them in a pannier. Then you can cycle in trainers. Consider having some contingency clothing in a locker or a pannier, just in case you get unexpectedly sweaty or are caught in a rainstorm. (Underwear and a shirt or blouse should do it, along with deodorant and wet wipes.)

Sweat-free cycling

Slow down. Pedestrians don’t sweat much; runners do. Cycle like you’re strolling instead of jogging or (worse) sprinting. Choose an easier gear and pedal at a steady pace. As long as you can resist the temptation to chase overtaking cyclists, this isn’t difficult on flat terrain. If it’s hilly, you’ll need lower gears. Alternatively, get an e-bike. You can then cruise along whenever you please, regardless of hills or headwinds. You can comfortably commute further on an e-bike as well, as you won’t be working as hard.

If you do find yourself becoming uncomfortably warm, don’t just press on. It only takes a moment to pull over onto the pavement and shed a layer – or at least improve airflow by partially undoing jacket zips or buttons.

Don’t carry your commuting luggage on your back. As well as the sweat patch on your shirt under the bag, you’ll feel hotter all over. Carry the load on your bike instead, using panniers, a large saddlebag or a front basket.

Getting rained on

You can’t carry an umbrella like pedestrian. The closest cycling equivalent is a cape or poncho that sits over you like a little tent, covering your upper body and the bike from the handlebar to the saddle. It keeps you dry from the knees up, yet because air can circulate underneath you don’t overheat easily.

If you don’t want a cape, you’ll need a waterproof jacket, waterproof over-trousers and either overshoes or boots. Good quality waterproofs are usually breathable – to an extent. While sweat vapour will pass through the material, it’s always possible to sweat faster and more profusely than the material can breathe. What’s more, the material won’t breathe as well when it’s mild and damp on the outside (spring, summer or autumn rain, for example) as it will when it’s cold and dry. So it remains important to moderate your speed and not overdress. That jumper? You won’t need it under a waterproof jacket.

To keep rain out of your eyes – and off your glasses if you wear them – a peaked cap is useful. Traditional cotton cycling caps work fine; waterproof ones are even better. You can wear either underneath a cycling helmet. As a bonus, you won’t get ‘helmet hair’.

Sitting comfortably

You can have bum-comforting padding without going for the Lycra look. Padded underwear or undershorts, or even just Lycra cycling shorts, can be worn underneath trousers, baggy shorts or a skirt.

Yet for a relatively short commute you may not need padding at all. The important thing, if you’ll be riding in a leaning-forward position, is to avoid trousers with thick seams. These can press and chafe on sensitive bits of your anatomy. So if you want to ride, say, a road bike or fixie while wearing jeans, choose cycling jeans. These have a seamless gusset so are more comfortable when sitting on a saddle.

Sitting more upright on a wider, more supportive saddle enables you to ride in whatever you want for shorter journeys – including everyday jeans if you wish. By sitting more upright, your weight is carried more by your sit bones (the ischial tuberosities) at the base of your pelvis and less by soft tissue. (The rule of thumb for saddles is: the shorter and slower your rides, the wider and softer you want the saddle – and vice versa.)

Traditional upright roadsters – Dutch bikes – give you this upright riding position by default. They also come with the accessories required to keep you clean, such as mudguards and a chainguard. You can get more than one bike through Cyclescheme so could invest in a roadster for your short urban journeys even if you already have another bike. While they don’t do hills or longer trips especially well, roadsters with electric assistance are available and they’ll cope fine.

If you don’t want another bike, you can alter the riding position of the bike you already own by changing the stem and handlebar. Change the saddle too if it’s less comfortable for your new posture.