Originally Posted by Quickbeam
If a person can't afford to buy the gear that they want right away they could always use a backpack until they've save enough money for panniers or whatever. In the long run you're going to come out ahead by riding instead of driving.
This is true. My wife was leary of any money that I wanted to spend on bicycle commuting. But since I've now done it through the hottest part of the year, she's starting to come around. She's also seeing the $$ start to add up from what I would have spent on gas and/or bus fare.