Bicycle Commuting - Tips & Advice (Page 2)

Clearly you need to evaluate your own situation, but I can say that I've got a rack mounted at the top to my seat post and have been riding it for a couple of years with zero problems.  I've hung two panniers from it with quite a bit of weight (large stacks of papers, books, a laptop, lunch, spare clothes, etc.) with no problems.  Frankly (and the one thing that I understand here is stress and strain) the chance that the mount will fail while I remain alive is effectively nil.

Bottom line:  Evaluate the reliability of the set-up.  You have enough common sense (and understanding of the physics involved) to figure it out.

Lights good.

Reflective vest with lights, better.

Well, I made it in alive and in one piece!

Good things:
I'm alive
New headlight is super bright
Didn't get lost and route was good
It's only 730 and I've ridden for 1:45, had breakfast, showered and am already working

Lessons Learned:
At early dawn, cars don't feel the need to turn their lights on. Bigger problem on a bike than in a car
I was late today due to not having everything ready the night before
I forgot my clear lens glasses this morning and took a bug in the eye
I'm not going to average 20+ mph for a commute
If you leave late as I did, you'll get stuck behind school buses!

Overall it was a good time!  Just need to leave a bit earlier.  I can tell that the extra mileage is still going to be great for my fitness. 

Congratulations!!  You'll fall into a routine soon enough.

...and yes, averaging 20mph on a commute is hard work.  Especially with lights and traffic.  I normally just enjoy the ride but I do some surges every now and then to keep things fresh.