Originally Posted by no1mad

Shoes take up a bunch of real estate- any way you can leave them at work?

Also, which bike did you get again? I ask because the chain stay length will play a huge role in figuring out how to carry your stuff. My bike has 26" wheels and a CS of 16.3", and I have heel strike with panniers that are centered on the rack. You shouldn't encounter heel strike with the drop down panniers of a rack trunk (I don't with mine), but you also give up volume as opposed to larger pannier(s) or even backpacks and mess bags.