loading front and back panniers

[MontyVeda]

i have a straight bar and when climbing hills i like to keep my arse on the saddle... the more upright i am the easier i find it climbing steep hills. but a low gear, a steep hill and weight on the back tends to lift the front of the bike off the ground rather than pushing it forward, so i have to get off the saddle to put more weight forwards and therefore keep the front wheel where it should be... on the tarmac. This is my experience and no amount of opinion will change that. These days I've got a lighter bike and lighter kit, which will be distributed between the front and back of the bike... and a bigger belly, which is where it is. In this thread I'm asking about distributing the weight between front and back, be it 70/30, 60/40, 50/50, 40/60... not 'do i need front panniers?'

 

[willem]

Well others brought weight into the discussion, and rightly so I think. Anyway, the right distribution largely depends on the bike's geometry: the lower the trail the more you should have at the front. See
: http://janheine.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/a-journey-of-discovery-part-4-front-end-geometry/
Willem

 

[just jim]

I use the smaller Ortlieb panniers on the back and older Karrimor front panniers on a low rider on the front. I have slowly tried to reduce weight over the years and have tried flashy kit, but I will be taking my trusty foam mat this year as my Exped mat punctured and I'm darned if I can find the leak after immersing it in the bathtub. I like front and rear panniers, so what if it's an extra 2 and whatever Kg's! I like the tent and bedroom/ clothing stuff in the back and kitcheny/ foody stuff up front. The ratio is about 60/40 as mentioned earlier. Food/ water weighs, whatever fancy down bag you have!

Come to think of it, I can't see my Blackburn low-rider and two Karrimor universal panniers weighing anything near 2 1/2 kg.

 

[MontyVeda]

Well others brought weight into the discussion, and rightly so I think. Anyway, the right distribution largely depends on the bike's geometry: the lower the trail the more you should have at the front. See
: http://janheine.word...t-end-geometry/
Willem

Thanks for the link re: geometry Willem... although I'm still largly in the dark regarding geometry... too many words and not enough explanatory pictures

however this image reminded me what got me thinking about the bulk of the weight up front...

... working bikes, for want of a better term always seem to have a large rack on the front and none on the back... the butchers bike, the postman's bike.... I've even seen bikes (or trikes) with a 6' x 12' flat bed up front... I assumed this was due to the fact/myth of pushing is easier than pulling... but it wont be the 1st time I'm wrong.

I've no idea about the geometry of my bike... bog standard MTB geometry, whatever that is... it looks like this if you or anyone can shed some light...

 

[willem]

Your bike will not be a low trail bike.
Willem

 

[MontyVeda]

Your bike will not be a low trail bike.
Willem

That is my bike

 

[willem]

So I would not put most weight at the front.
Willem