I advise starting slowly. You can spend a ton of money in a short period and end up with stuff you don't exactly need.

I started out with a bike and a messenger bag. Bought and added bits as I went and figured out what I needed.

Hit all the Goodwill stores in your area. Buy wool and a hardshell jacket. You need warm running/skiing/outdoor gear, not necessarily biking specific clothing. Check out the Electronics,... Lighting forum. The Magicshine has dropped in price. You can get them a lot cheaper than that now. Don't forget Craigslist. You might be able to convince someone in another city to ship you shoes for an extra $5-10. Panniers? Will a back pack do for now? Prioritize your list of purchases and remember to ask Santa for $$ for biking gear!

Target has some cheap, synthetic base layers as well. I've been using them for a bit now and find them pretty satisfactory for $15.

Any old ruscksack or other bag will do for your gear. Just bungy strap it to the rack. If it rains stick it in a trash sack...
Don't get hung up on bike specific clothing. Use what you have at home, cotton (yeah yeah shoot me!) fleece, shell, cheapo nylon rain gear. Layer on layer...

Buying the seatpost rack first does send you down 1 road,
getting a frame mounted rack, instead, offers a pannier option ,
but the rack you bought is not that.

Did you purchase this rack already?

- Slim

Wait until you start wondering which side the one pannier should go on if you go that route......

slim: not yet.

I run one bag on the right side of my rear rack, works fine. I like one bar light and one helmet light for several reasons. It is great to see the look on the drivers face when you look at them and they think they are going to pull out in front of you. Backup is good when you pedal 1.5 hours in the dark. 2 lights give better depth perception at night. Everyone looks where they are going to turn before the handle bars actually turn. Helmet lights work great in that regard. My commute is suburbs, bike path and some dirt paths, not always well lit. YRMV, this how I ride mt bikes at night too. I run 2 planet bike superflashes on the rear, one on the helmet. one on the rack. Good rear visibility is important.

If you haven't committed to the seatpost rack, don't. They are great as a last resort, IMHO, but if your bike can accomodate a standard rear rack you're better off using one.

Even if you don't have rack bosses or eyelets, all hope is not lost.

https://www.thetouringstore.com/TUBUS...ONS%20PAGE.htm

I used a seatpost rack on a race-oriented road bike I had, and no matter what I did it tended to drift when I leaned. Of course, it was a Topeak rack with a quick release, so that may have made a difference. Still, running panniers is much easier with a conventional rack.

What about that then! I've always thought in a wobbly kind of accident that it would be better to have the extra weight on the ditch side, rather than the road side. But hey, waddo I know?

I use my "landing gear" side. That way the bike leans naturally towards me at a stop rather than away from me. It also means my first pedal stroke is on the unweighted side. My landing gear is my left, so a single pannier, or the heavier one if using two, also goes on the left.

Anecdotallly, in bad weather last winter I found that hanging an empty pannier on the left side seemed to make motorists give me more room when passing. It creates the illusion that I'm bigger, and adds that "bulk" on the side they need to miss.

I thought everybody knew the lone pannier goes on the right side. That way my PBSF doesn't get moved out of position when the pannier goes on or off, and makes the bike easier to balance when it's leaning against your leg, easier to maneuver through doorways.....

UPDATE: Sold some more fly fishing stuff so I have a little more to spend on bike stuff! Shoes: bought and will be here soonPanniers: bought and be here soonShoes Covers: bought and be here soonRack for bike: soonGloves: soonHelmet light: soonRain coat: soon (I have one for now. really too big for me).

I have a Romisen flashlight from ShiningBeam as a bike light, but I think it would also work well as a helmet light. Light, charger, batteries it cost about $60.