Cromcruaich
Well-Known Member
Plus where else are you going to put beer and wine?
Loading the bike
- Thread starter Cockney Scot
- Start date
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CycleTourer
Veteran
- Location
- Bury St. Edmunds
jags said:
Not sure of the term 'expert', what do they say 'x' is an unknown quantity and a 'spurt' is a drip under pressure
. Certainly not self appointed, just passing on advice from several years of experience.When we first started touring we used rear panniers only with the rear rack loaded up, it was a revelation when we moved to four panniers. You could relax and enjoy the hills knowing the bike handled well due to it being better balanced.
Yes we have used just one pannier many times, in fact I use just one on my commute to work and when the laptop is in it you do notice the unbalance particularly trying to negotiate those chicanes they put at the start of cycle paths.
As rich p mentions it is very much down to the weight of your gear, if you are going mega light weight then two panniers will probably be fine and the weight will have little effect on the bike's handling. With cycle camping particularly on extended tours and colder climes the weight can mount up and to create better handling this needs to be spread out to balance the bike, hence the need for front panniers.
Even the weight and size of a barbag can make a difference to the handling, last summer I bought a bigger barbag to accommodate a SLR camera as well as all the other things I normally carry PDA, phone, money etc. I found this extra weight up high had a detrimental effect on the handling, particularly the steering. I have now gone back to using the smaller barbag and going back to using the compact digital camera.
As mentioned earlier there is no right or wrong way to tour, we all have our own way of doing things, just listen to the opinions and make your own mind up through reasoned judgment.
It can also depend on the bike. I have two very different touring bikes, the 26" wheeled Thorn handles better with four panniers than it does unloaded. On the more traditional Hewitt, adding front panniers makes it feel sluggish, though it can certainly handle it, rear only panniers feel fine. Comparison made with the same amount of kit.
It's popular in France (or it used to be) to tour on bikes with steeper angles than normal tourers and use just front panniers.
It's popular in France (or it used to be) to tour on bikes with steeper angles than normal tourers and use just front panniers.
Randochap
Senior hunter
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
It is my opinion -- take it or leave it -- that a plane flies better if the load is distributed evenly, rather than all in the nose or tail.
However, in the interest of preserving diversity of internet expertise, you are welcome to interpret the laws of gravity as you wish.
However, in the interest of preserving diversity of internet expertise, you are welcome to interpret the laws of gravity as you wish.
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Randochap said:
Any air travel is bad irrespective of nose or tail heavy
, but got your meaning just don't like your analogy.
Randochap
Senior hunter
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
Crankarm said:Any air travel is bad irrespective of nose or tail heavy
What's wrong w/ my analogy? Are you saying you don't care if a plane you're going to fly on isn't loaded properly? We just had a case here where improper loading of a small plane cost several people their lives.
I like riding with rear panniers only, precisely for the nippy and precise ride quality. However, this only applies if one does not overload the rear. If you do, all the problems that are mentioned do indeed surface. As long as you ride in western or southern Europe, and outside the really cold season, I think you should not carry more than about 15 kg at most. That should fit easily in two rear panniers and a handle bar bag for the little bits who want easy access to. The only thing I have on top of the rack is the tent, and mostly because I don't want something as whet and messy as a tent in my dry panniers.
As soon as I have more luggage than this 15 kg, I do indeed use four panniers. The bad news is, of course, that those two extra panniers and the lowrider are another 2-2,5 kg, even without anything in them.
Willem
As soon as I have more luggage than this 15 kg, I do indeed use four panniers. The bad news is, of course, that those two extra panniers and the lowrider are another 2-2,5 kg, even without anything in them.
Willem
Randochap
Senior hunter
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
chris667 said:
Each to their own, but let's not make an extreme situation into a reason to abandon lowriders, which give the best handling when carrying a big load.
I rode the backroads of Alaska, Yukon and British Columbia without once bottoming out my lowrider-mounted panniers. You would have to be riding some seriously gnarly roads (trails?) to risk such a problem. On paved roads the risk is nil.
On my commute they ground out in the winter when it's been raining a few days as well as in the summer if the verges aren't cut back.
They're silly little bags, and while on paper they may be best for weight distribution I don't think they're that useful unless you're obsessively planning what you're going to pack.
I'd happily have a bike that could carry more varied/bulky items, even if I did lose some stability.
They're silly little bags, and while on paper they may be best for weight distribution I don't think they're that useful unless you're obsessively planning what you're going to pack.
I'd happily have a bike that could carry more varied/bulky items, even if I did lose some stability.
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Randochap said:
Don't take it to heart Randochap
. Twas not your reasoning of balance but the vehicle you chose - an aircraft. I've managed not to fly for 11 years now and I would have thought many cyclists including myself would see air travel as a bit of a polluting way to travel and would therefore choose a better example to illustrate their explanation. Obviously there will now be cyclists who post advocating the contrary, as is life 
. How about a boat or donkey?
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Randochap said:
Trailer? A Bob if you intend carrying that much?
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
chris667 said:
+1
.
Randochap
Senior hunter
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
Crankarm said:
No thanks very much. Hauling a trailer over the backroads of the subarctic is not my idea of fun.
A properly balanced expedition load -- including lowriders -- is my choice for navigating such territory ... or any roads for that matter.
I take pleasure in packing an expedition load -- as illustrated on the top of this page -- so that it becomes a part of the bike and actually enhances handling. I prefer this approach rather than having a trailer bumping along behind me.
