How much weight can I load on my "audax" bike?

[jay clock]

I'd strongly advise against putting 5kg in a barbag, this would affect your handling.

agreed 100%.

 

[willem]

At your weight and with decent wheels the bike will not break down with 20 kg of luggage (5 at the front, and 15 kg at the rear). Yet handling will almost certainly be compromised. I think there are a few things you can do. First, fit the widest tyres that will fit your frame. Second, make sure the bar bag is as light as possible, sits as close to the headtube as possible, and as low as possible. Third relocate some heavy stuff to locations on the frame (e.g. a bottle of fuel in a cage/bikebuddy underneath the down tube, tent poles strapped to the top tube, tools in a small frame bag). Fourth, reduce the weight of the other luggage. It is quite easy to reduce total luggage weight for a holiday in a mild climate to 15 kg, or a bit less, without any deprivation or excessive expense. Spend more for a bit less comfort and 10-11 kg is possible.
Willem

 

[oldfatfool]

I weigh in at 93kg and will be carrying around 23kg, 10ish (Tent, cooking, washing, wet weather, batteries, spares/ repairs etc) over the rear, 6 ish on the front (clothing, bag, mat) 1 on the bars cash, passport, camera, 4ish on my back (water bladder) 2 in water cages (fuel, water).

So a 70kg rider, so long as you don't exceed the weight rating on your racks I can't see a problem.

 

[Crackle]

I weigh in at 93kg and will be carrying around 23kg, 10ish (Tent, cooking, washing, wet weather, batteries, spares/ repairs etc) over the rear, 6 ish on the front (clothing, bag, mat) 1 on the bars cash, passport, camera, 4ish on my back (water bladder) 2 in water cages (fuel, water).

So a 70kg rider, so long as you don't exceed the weight rating on your racks I can't see a problem.

It's where the weight is, rather than just how much. Thinner, shorter stays a more upright geometry, lighter wheels and tyres all play their part. You'll get more flex in the rear triangle and a floatier front end with shorter stays. Rider weight will have different effect.

 

[TheDoctor]

Crackle speaketh the sense. However large the rider is, the weight is between the wheels, roughly central. Loading up a rack puts the weight towards the back of the bike, which can affect the handling.
TBH if the tent is really heavy, I'd get a lighter one. The dome tent I got from Tesco weighs well under 2kg and cost less than a tenner. Sure, it won't stand up to a gale or a monsoon, but it'll stand tougher weather than I will before I go to a hotel instead!!

 

[mrfacetious]

Hi again, sorry to drag up this old thread - I'm buying a new rear tyre - my current is a 26 and a tight fit, the new one I'm looking at (a marathon) is 25. Will this have much effect on the ability to withstand load? Cheers

 

[PpPete]

There is so much variation between actual and nominal sizes you could easily find a 25 from one manufacturer is bigger than a 26 from another.

 

[willem]

I would hate to ride a bike with narrow Marathons. They are stiff and uncomfortable tyres, and more so in narrow sizes. Unless you will be riding in a glass littered urban jungle, a Panaracer Pasela TG will be sturdy enough and much nicer. Unlike most tyres, Pasela's are more or less true to size, so a 25 mm is probably the maximum you could fit (measure the real size of the current tyre). And to come back to your original question, the answer really is: take as little as possible. Every kg less will make the bike handle better. With a real touring bike there will also be a difference, but with your bike every kg will make a much bigger difference.
Willem