Originally Posted by
achoo
When I was at a job site where I could commute by bike, I could do the 16-19 miles (depended on the route I decided to take) during rush hour in about the same amount of time it took for me to drive. That was nice.
And FWIW, get a set of panniers for your clothes. There are dedicated garment panniers available, too. Your dress clothes won't wrinkle as much (if at all), you won't be anywhere near as sweaty, and IMO your bike will handle better as it won't be as top-heavy.
Never noticed the bike handling being different with a light backpack. Put on a heavy pack and its like doping pressups on the drops, but the actual bike doesn't mind too much.