The cheapest stuff I could find

Well, of course I thought that the cheapest bike commuting gear at Nashbar would work ...somewhat. And I guess it does. I got a straight rack (the kind that attaches to the seatpost) and some panniers (they were even cheaper since they were returns). Anyway, so it seemed simple. Hang pannier on rack.

Uh, no.

On the rack, they forgot to drill out one of the two holes for the bolts. So last night I had fun with the drill and filled my lungs with tiny metal shavings. Good times. Then this morning when I headed out with the panniers, they kept on bumping the wheels. I stopped four times (last time I finally got a decent solution) to sort them out. They have racks that attach to the seat post and the rear wheel hub, but that's not what I got. The advantage of those is that they have metal wires perpendicular to the wheel, so the panniers can rest on them and not bump around. I didn't get one of those because I wasn't sure how it would fit (or not) to the bike.

Anyway.

The panniers are brilliant, though. I love riding without a backpack, and the extra weight on the bike isn't really noticeable (I mean, I was carrying it anyway). The bike's still good in turns and my legs clear them really well.

I also worked out a slightly shorter (by one mile) path to the Monon Trail. The advantage of this is that I spend less time on traffic-laden roads, particularly one with a construction zone and no shoulder. It's not so much that I don't like playing in traffic, but really, if you don't have to, why bother.

My speed this morning was still pretty good, around 16 mph. I also focused today more on riding than on checking my speed, which made things a lot more enjoyable. I mean, hell, I'm already getting there silly early, so what's the big hurry?