Stuff that made my commuting more enjoyable and reliable:

• Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus panniers
• Tubus Cosmo rear rack
• Tubus Nova front low-riders
• Vittoria Randonneur Hyper tires
• Brooks B17 Champion Special saddle

I've got almost 1100 miles on the aforementioned tires, and just got my first flat. It wasn't even a puncture--I pinch-flatted on a pot hole. And while saddle choice is a highly personal matter, the B17 was good from the first ride (compared to several hundred dollars' worth of "plastic" saddles that ranged from merely tolerable to absolute torture).

There's more stuff that I've been impressed with, but I want to get another 500 miles of "soak time" before I tally up their praises.

The Also-Rans:

• Spanninga Eclipse Xb tail light
• PDW Fenderbot tail light
• ProLink chain lube

The Spanninga light was weaker than even a $10 blinky. Its integrated reflector is decent, but the light itself is pretty anemic. And while I love the PDW Radbot lights, the Fenderbot doesn't use the same optics, so it's barely noticeable--especially when mounted low on a fender. I've decided to give ProLink "on more chance," but when I was treated to a chirping chain after only 25 miles, I threw in the towel (yes, I followed their directions).