Originally Posted by
agarose2000
Y'all keeping forgetting the OP.
I GUARANTEE that recommending her to keep it simple and to just "wing it" with minimal accessories for a 13 mile ride on hairy roads in evening hours will cause her to never try bike commuting ever again. Plus, she's on a mountain bike and avowedly is a beginner to this whole cycling/commuting thing.
She'll get stuck on a busy road, feel that her life is in danger by all the traffic that can't see her, and it'll be over.
If she could drive 10 miles and bike the final 3, ok, just wing it, but that's terrible advice for the OP.
She will get stuck on a busy road, traffic won't always see her. Should she, or we, pack it in? Most of those gadgets and clothes are just panacea, if you haven't realized that yet take some time to think about it now. What you seem to be encouraging is the attitude that commuting on a bicycle is complicated - it is not - after a point it is as complicated as you choose to make it.