I think I forgot to mention: My commuter bike has toe clips. I can get away with wearing leather Skechers most days, so I ride with the shoes I wear during the work day.

I rode to work in work clothes at the old office (when the commute was 7 miles) occasionally in the beginning. But it was rare that the temp was just right and I just got into the habit of changing so I did that most of the time.

Yeah, Texas is a different climate alright... July/Aug are the only two months where I can't do it at all...

another thing I forgot to mention: having a dry cleaner close by work can really help. Fewer clothes to carry around.

I really cheat. I have a fairly large office with all the comforts of home (tv, dvd, stereo, 46 gallon aquarium etc, etc) I also have a two drawer lateral file cabinet that is stashed full of clothes. Top drawer clean, bottom drawer dirty. I swap the clothes out every week but I could survive two weeks easy. Only thing I don't have is a shower and I am going to come up with that sooner or later.

I change at work, but not because of the ride (3 miles, mostly downhill), but because of the hour-and-a-half train ride at the end. I wind up rumpled and dishevelled crammed into those little seats for that long. Also, when it rains, it's nice to have some dry pants.

Mostly I bring in my clothes on Sundays, when the trains don't run and I have to drive in. If I have a sunday off, I use a pair of 15" Eagle Creek Pack-It folders. I can bring in two pairs of pants and a shirt, or two shirts and a pair of pants, and they arrive mostly wrinkle-free, and I have clothes for the week (I have a (very) small closet in my cube).

Both folders can fit into my Detours Uptown pannier, along with a change of socks. The Jandd Commuter pannier can fit a few 18" Pack-It folders, and the Caradice Bike Bureau and North St. Woodward can each hold a pair of 15" folders - these turn easily into off-the-bike bags, which might be a concern if you have a bus ride, train ride, or long walk as part of your commute, where the Uptown is more of a bike-only kind of pannier.

I can't stand wearing a messenger bag or backpack on a bike. For those of you who claim it doesn't move around on you or toss you off balance, god bless you, because you're way more talented and/or lucky than I've ever been. The pannier's been a godsend, and the reason why I still commute year 'round.

My first time riding with a messenger bag was almost my last. I returned it and got one with a cross strap. That took care of 90% of the shifting. The rest is making sure it's worn high and that it's packed right. Putting something flat and stiff at the back of the bag can cause problems. The way the straps are designed matters too.

It's been awhile since I've done much riding with a backpack but as I recall once I got a pack with both a sternum and a waist strap, any shifting problems were taken care of.

the tom bihn super ego is a great messenger bag that has several strap options. the messenger strap with the cross-strap keeps it sturdy. pricey though, but i have one and the quality is tip top. very durable bag.