Liberty:

I commute two miles one way on my road bike. I have a rear rack on which I place my panniers which contain my work clothes, my lunch, any papers I have graded, etc. Most of this two miles is on a very busy road (the main road leading to five of the schools on this end of town) which has no shoulder. The road surface near the outer edges of the roadway is very rough most of the way in so I often have to take the lane (I'm sure this upsets some of the many parents who are dropping their kids off at one of the schools). I have learned that if I leave my house by 7:30 the traffic is somewhat lighter and easier to handle than if I depart my house at 7:40 - what a difference 10 minutes makes. Either way I contiue to ride to work as the weather permits (no commuting most of this week due to the freezing temps we are blanketed in at the moment).