Well, I finally managed to commute to work today. 16 miles round trip. It wasn't bad, in the morning there was no traffic. In the afternoon there was but the bike lanes were wider than they looked from the car. When there wasn't a bike lane I went ahead and took the lane (there were 4 to choose from), and didn't get harrased or anything.

I also got to try out my new panniers. I bought them used for 8 dollars. They're made by Norco and have seen some wear but work just fine.

I think I need a shorter stem. I just got flats with bar ends and feel like I'm reaching for the handlebars now.

I'm getting Nimbus Armadillos tommorrow, then I begin saving for a road bike.