Let's talk about seats. My husband swears by his ergo seat. In fact I think we should get a kickback from the manufacturer, because everytime we stop, at least one guy asks him where he got his seat.
Myself I swear by my Terry Liberator, which doubles as a handle. I don't ride pure road bike as I can't
handle the drops anymore. I ride upright. So I ride a hybrid and yes we both like big fat panniers,
for snacks, jackets, stashing wine bottles, etc. We're much more into comfort than speed.