So now that I am in my second week of commuting, I am finding out the things that I need. 

Bike Rack.  Though that seems pretty simple, it never ends up that way.  I borrowed a nice bike rack from my friend, Leif, but it doesn’t really work out for me.  It is a receiver hitch style back rack and I have a 2" receiver, so you would think it would work out nicely.  I have a Jeep with oversized tires and the bike rack doesn’t extend out enough to clear the spare tire.  I have been making it work by removing my spare tire when I need to use the bike rack, but that is hardly a long term solution.  So I have been in search of bike rack that will work with a Jeep with oversized tires.  After exhausting all the hits on Google including Thule and other mainstream bike rack manufacturers, I decided to go to my favorite Jeep site:  Quadratec. I found one there that will definitely work for me.  It is made by Allen and claims to have clearance for oversized spare tires.  Still not completely satisfied, I continued my search.  What I really would like is a bike rack that will attach to my spare tire directly instead of a receiver mounted rack.  After asking around at different bike shops and combing the Internet, I found a bike shop that claims that they can get what I need.  The Atlanta Cycling Vinings store claims that they just sold a bike rack exactly like I am looking for to someone with a Jeep with oversized tires.  Apparently Saris makes exactly what I  am looking for.  They are a bit pricey and require an additional mounting plate an additional $50 dollars, but with this solution, I can just keep the bike rack on the Jeep full time.  Because of the increased price point, I will be waiting until Christmas to own this beauty.

Cycling Clothes.  I already own a pair of padded bike shorts and a bike jersey, but cold mornings are not far off and I will need some winter upgrades. I found  this WindStopper soft shell jacket for cold days.  It has removable sleeves for the days when it is cold in the morning, but warm in the afternoons. I found these winter friendly Chamois that are on sale.  They have something called Twist Gel Chamois that stay warm, but dry.  I guess I need some wind resistance for my feet as well.  Adidas makes some bike shoe covers that can cover this.  Can’t leave out the fingers.  Gore has a nice WindStopper gloves that I am considering.  I guess I need to stop being naughty for a bit and start being nice to get these things in my stocking this year.

Panniers.  A more immediate need is panniers.  I currently have a trunk for my bike.  It is just big enough for me to carry my rolled up clothes, my shoes, and  my biking essentials (spare tubes, ULock, etc.).  I do not have any room to expand my packing list.  I have found the perfect set of panniers to solve this problem.  Delta makes a waterproof pannier that not only maximizes the cargo space, but has an optional Back Pad Harness to convert to a back pack.  Unlike the other panniers I have looked at, these are sold separately, so don’t let the low price fool you.  Even buying them separately, they still are relatively low priced.  This may be my first purchase on the list.  I need to start taking my laptop to work again.

Multi-Toolkit.  There are many varieties of multi-toolkits on the market ranging  from five tools to the upper twenties.  Topeak makes one called the Alien DX 27 that seems to have everything that one could want.

Cycling 101 Class.  With all these items on the list, I guess it would be prudent to take a class to figure out how to use it all.  I found that R.E.I. offers several classes around cycling and bike maintenance.  They are all free and, from what I hear, quality instruction.  I have signed up for my first one that I will be attending in early November.  Look forward to a review on it.

And there you have it.

Joe.