Hey all,

Well I'll be moving on the 1st. I'm currently lucky enough to be able to walk to work, since I live in the downtown area of Charleston. I've Google mapped a route for my new house to work and it's only 8 miles, so 16 mile round trip. There's really no hills to speak of other than a small drawbridge. Any tips for a newbie? I have lights and a helmet, was considering a rack of some sort and panniers so I don't have to wear a book bag. I forgot to mention, I work at a bike shop so I have some options as far as variety, looking for some outside opinions on gear though. Trying to be budget conscience as much as possible. How about clothing? It doesn't get too cold here, but the wind can be an absolute killer sometimes. I'm going to test ride the route this weekend and see how it is.

I'm currently riding a Quick 4, I figure with the relative short distance it will get the job done just fine.

Thanks in advance!