Cycle commuter Holy Grail

A smart-looking shirt that requires no washing or ironing in order to remain wrinkle and odour free for 100 days could be a sartorial Holy Grail for cycle commuters the world over.

The challenge of how a bicycle commuter wears a smart-looking shirt to the office after it’s been stuffed into a rucksack without the rigmarole of keeping an ironing board under the desk, has remained unanswered.

Wool&Prince is a start-up company that has developed a particularly soft, but hard-wearing, woolen shirt that they claim can be worn for 100 days on the trot without the need for washing or ironing. It can also be crumpled into a ball, carried in a bag and re-emerge wrinkle free.

Woolen garments have been used as outdoor wear for centuries because they wick moisture away from the body and continue to keep you warm even when wet through, but they can be itchy to wear next to the skin.

The Wool&Prince shirts require far less washing and consequently last six times longer than cotton.

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DIY shower for commuter cyclists

In the absence of shirts that don't need to be ironed or even washed, commuter cyclists with no washing facilities at their place of work can be forced to come up with imaginative ways of getting clean after their morning ride, although none perhaps as extreme as the DIY shower pictured below.

Developed by the ETA to highlight the need for workplace facilities, the shower uses items that are readily available on the high street, costs around £50, and once assembled transforms a standard loo into a fully-functioning hot water shower.

Once finished with, the shower can be packed away in less than a minute.

No shower at work – how do cyclists manage?

Baby wipes
Many cyclists shower before they set off for work and then when they arrive, wipe themselves down with disposable baby wipes.

Ride slower
Cyclists in continental Europe tend to ride their bikes slower when they commute to work – it doesn’t add much to the journey time and you don’t sweat.

Use a local gym
The easiest way to get access to a shower if there are no washing facilities at your place of work is to join local gym

Keep a supply of shirts at work
This doesn’t solve the problem of getting clean, but bringing five clean and ironed shirts to work on a Monday (or perhaps just one from Wool & Prince) ensures the commuter cyclist looks smart

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