all weight in the rear ?

[ezdoesit]

Hi everyone,
   I have search the forums for this subject and can't seem to find what I am looking for.
Please forgive me if it is listed and I didn't find it. I have a 2008 Fuji touring bike and have just bought the Ortileb  Back-Roller Classic pair and wanted to know if it's OK just to run all the weight in the back and not run front rack and Pannier's ? I will run no more then around 35 to 40 pounds total for touring and just wanted to go with the back rack and set of Pannier's and rack bag.
I run Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase front and back and love them 700x32 and also have had custom wheels made the Mavic A-719 so is this doable can I get away with this set up ?
Than you all for your help and suggestions it is very much appreciated.

[ezdoesit]

  Bump- 22 views and no answers or suggestions ?

[BHR]

I also have Ortleib Classic Rollers and with the two of them on the rear of my Long Haul Trucker with about 35 pounds they do great.  Orginally I had the Ortleib duffel on top of them with more weight and the bike handled a bit squirrly so I resolved to trim down to put everything in just the two panniers and now life is good.

[brad]

I have toured many miles with just back panniers on, I think you will more than be ok!

[bogiesan]

Bump- 22 views and no answers or suggestions ?

Sometimes people wait weeks to get an answer.

Weight distribution for loaded touring is critical to maintaining safe handling at all speeds, especially full blown descents. Look it up in the how-to section of the Adventure Cycling site, you need substantial mass low and in the front.

Packing Your Panniers
When touring with panniers, try to keep your total load between 15 and 45 pounds. Your bike will be most stable if you put more weight in your front panniers--roughly 60 percent of weight in front and 40 percent in back. Experiment with weight distribution to find the best handling results for your particular bike. Items like tools, spare bike parts, cooking equipment, fuel bottles, food, and on-the-bike clothing usually go in the front panniers and light, bulky items like clothes in the rear panniers. Your sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and tent are usually strapped to the rear rack and add to the weight on the rear wheel.
Before packing, line your panniers and sleeping bag stuff sack with heavy-duty plastic garbage bags. Despite sometimes being labeled "waterproof," some panniers can still leak, especially in hard rains. Roll your clothing and pack them vertically (ziplock bags work well for keeping things organized and dry). This way, you can see the end of each roll for easy identification and avoid wrinkling.


david boise ID

[Galloper]

I have never actually seen that section David quoted above but was fascinated by it because that is exactly how I pack my bike. 

[FredHiltz]

Brad's bike is stable with all the weight in the rear, but many are not. You do NOT want to find out about yours half way down a 35mph descent. The ACA web site's advice is distilled from many experienced cyclists. Unless you have a specific reason to disregard it, why not benefit from others' experience?

Panniers in front are good for other reasons, too. Bears and raccoons will go after any bag that contains food or smells like it has contained food. Separate bags let you restrict food items to just one, which goes in the bear box overnight.

Rear spoke breakage and rear tire wear will be less, although the rear wheel remains the most trouble-prone part of loaded touring. Smaller rear bags afford better heel clearance.

Although many of us don't care, consider appearance too. A forty-pound load in the back looks like a middle school kid out on her first Scout trip. Because it probably is.

Fred

[tonythomson]

I'm sure that you can get by with just rear panniers, but what a big difference if your load is distributed front & rear as set out by ACA.  It may be that you start out with fairly light load and no spare space, but what happens when you need to carry extra water and food if out in some of the more isolated places?  Pile it all on the rear and then feel how much more unstable you become.

I have also seen one guy stop at the lights and somehow the front wheel came up off the ground and with weight all on the back he kinda did a back flip.

Plus i can hook my water sprayer on one of the front panniers in case of errant dogs.

let us know what you decide and good luck.

[Tourista829]

You will probably be ok depending on how you pack the bags and if you have a handle bar bag, I would keep it light. I have Ortlieb Back Roller Classics. The bike will handle better, especially on descents, with front bags, if you have more than 30 pounds in the rear.                                                                                                                                                                                           

[tonythomson]

Hi just seen this from a guy presently touring, might help with your decision

"I'm in the middle of the NT going west, and I've got all kinds of weight on my rear rack (Ortleib back roller classic panniers, tubus rack) and I've been having consistent problems indicating an overloaded back axle (broken spokes, chuckles from bike shop mechanics, etc.)  Unfortunately, the bike I'm riding, a Trek 370, has no braze ons on the fork for a front rack.  I put as much heavy food as I can in my handlebar bag in order to balance the weight, but there's only so much I can put in it."

He has only just posted so might be worth checking his thread out.

[cyclocamping]

It is always better to spread the weight evenly around the center of gravity and as close as possible to it. In other words a bike will be more stable with the weight shared on the front and the rear rack. That being said, for the load (30lb) you are carrying you might be ok with just a rear rack. I would recommend to have a test ride and make sure you do some steep hills up and down to see how you're bike is behaving before setting off for your journey. I personally never had any issues with my Ortlieb panniers as being waterproof. After 10 years of use they never failed on me, so I don't bother with extra plastic bags inside of my panniers.

[Tourista829]

There is hardware for the front racks. I'll tell you even with front racks/bags and balanced loads, I sometimes still get a shimmy. However, unless you get the weight off the rear wheel, or the rims and spokes are hard core, spokes will be abreaking. (+50 lbs) If you have a Comotion Americano which has a tandem rear wheel, very stout, but you may need the correct spacing. This is a bike designed for a 250 lb person with 80 to 100 lbs of gear. (although I know some light weights who ride them too) The rear Tubus Cargo rack can handle almost 90 lbs of gear but usually most rear wheels are not up to the task. (of course most people don't like hauling more weight than necessary and carry less than 45 lbs in the rear)

[pptouring]

Personally, I say split the load (10 front and 30 rear) and your bike will handle better; however, while touring in Europe, I've seen some ridiculously loaded bikes with everything in the rear. We've been approached by several tourers and they would ask us how we liked the weight up front and/or was it hard to steer and of course our response was we liked the weight up front and no it did not make the bike handle strange. Anyway that is my $.02.

[johnsondasw]

Or, just get a trailer and your bike will handle better than with any configuration of panniers.  I've done it both ways, and will stick with the trailer method. 

Of course, this is an old debate, found often in forums and magazines, so to get back to the subject, I started touring with rear panniers only.  When I could afford it, I bought front ones and distributed the load.  I found it to me better riding and organization to have both front and rear ones. 

Cutting weight in general will make a huge difference in handling and ease of riding, so if you can afford it use the new ultralight sleeping bags, pads, and tents.  Also, most of us bring way to much in the way of clothes and other accessories.  I have learned this from the climbing community, where we can now go into the mountains for a days with 30 pounds or so.  Years ago, I would take 50-60 pound packs, and include items like hatchets, etc!