Unstable feeling with just rear panniers

[roundisland]

I have a 1992 Dawes Galaxy I have noticed if i just use rear panniers and put any sort of weight in them the bike really feels unstable. If i move the handle bars back and forth quicky the bike feels really flexy is this normal? It is suppose to me a touring bike - If i use front panniers will the stiffin it up a bit and make it feel more stable.

 

[Dayvo]

Have a look at this for others' views on the pannier debate!

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=39218

 

[roundisland]

Have a look at this for others' views on the pannier debate!

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=39218

Thats helpful. Seems like most people think that spreding the weight makes for a more stable ride. I would agree as i feel my bike is almost unrideable with just rear panniers on half full. I guess diffrent bikes handle in diffrent ways so no real rule can be applied.

 

[Bigtwin]

If i move the handle bars back and forth quicky the bike feels really flexy is this normal?

My '97 Galaxy doesn't do that, and it sounds a bit odd to me. What's flexing - is it just tyre rubber, or something more structural, can you tell?

 

[roundisland]

My '97 Galaxy doesn't do that, and it sounds a bit odd to me. What's flexing - is it just tyre rubber, or something more structural, can you tell?

Maybe flexing is the wrong word it just feels wobbly and jelly like on the handle bars when the rear painners are on. The frame looks fine and i love riding it when not loaded. I brought a bar bag for it the other day and the overall ride was better with that added along side the rear panniers.

 

[Bigtwin]

Sounds like it's just the unweighting of the front end then. Would be worse if you have a shortish stem and backwards adjusted saddle?

Also, how far back are your panniers - ideal of course is just to miss heal strike?

 

[roundisland]

Sounds like it's just the unweighting of the front end then. Would be worse if you have a shortish stem and backwards adjusted saddle?

Also, how far back are your panniers - ideal of course is just to miss heal strike?

I don't understand the saddle thing, but i did move the panniers as far forward as poss without healing them and it make a big improvment

 

[Bigtwin]

I don't understand the saddle thing, but i did move the panniers as far forward as poss without healing them and it make a big improvment

Just that some folk like to get on the back of a saddle and push from behind the pedals more than get forward to the nose and push down on them. Makes a surprising (to me when I played around with the position on the second hand Galaxy I have) difference to how it feels with just a cm this way and that. Moves your c of g quite a bit fore or aft.

 

[roundisland]

I will give that a try too all these tips are worth a lot....thanks

 

[rich p]

It usually takes me a few hours riding to get used to the feel of riding a fully loaded bike again. My guess is that after a short while it'll all feel normal to you.

 

[snorri]

Front panniers are good
You will find they also make the bicycle easier to handle on these occasions when you have to lift it, or push it around railway stations etc.

 

[jags]

what weight are we talking about here,also tyre's what tyres are you on. i would have thought your barbag would balance things up .

 

[dellzeqq]

how does the rack attach to the seat stays? If it's a single point fixing then you are doomed. These wobble around like jelly. If it's two fixings, one to each stay, then it might be that these have a bit of movement in them.

Some racks have a rear member that bulges out to match the outline of the pannier (if I can get in to the attic I'll take a snap of mine and post it). This stops the pannier wobbling around the vertical axis.

 

[661-Pete]

I think the Galaxy has two fixing points on the seat stays.

I'm surprised to read of this problem. I've been using rear panniers alone for years and never had any problems. This is on various frames, most recently an elderly Holdsworth 531 tourer (dating from the 1980s) which is very much like the Galaxy I believe.

Probably riding position counts for a lot here. Certainly a 'forward' position will help, with the saddle set a bit higher than the top of the handlebar. And the saddle should be at the correct height (try the '109' formula). And certainly not too far back: on mine, I have a seat post with very little offset between the post and the saddle clamp, and have the saddle slid as far forward in its rails as it will comfortably go. If that makes the handlebar too far back you need a longer stem.

Lastly, is your frame the right size for you? There are various formulas for calculating the ideal frame size for your height. If you've got it wrong, time to start taking the hormones...!

 

[pinkkaz]

It usually takes me a few hours riding to get used to the feel of riding a fully loaded bike again. My guess is that after a short while it'll all feel normal to you.

That's just what I was thinking. I have a 1994 Galaxy (at least I think it is, got it off ebay!) and when I loaded it up for my last tour I was really worried when I set off, thinking I'd made a big mistake and I was never going to be able to control it. By the end of the first day riding it felt totally stable and secure.

And then when I got back on it for the first time unloaded I promptly fell off again as the bike felt so frisky unloaded!