Originally Posted by
thirdin77
My options as I see them prior to having tried them:
(1) single pannier
pros: simple, would probably hold everything, would be only one thing to take off the bike and carry around upon stopping
cons: would concentrate all the weight on one side of the bike and probably adversely affect sprinting and handling in general
Wouldn't affect your balance at all. I know tons of people who ride single-pannier.
(2) double panniers
prods: would carry everything
cons: would have to akwardly carry two panniers when I reach a destination
Banjo Brother's Saddlebags are two panniers held together with canvas. It's one item that drapes over your rack, and works well. This is what I use. If a single pannier will carry your stuff, though, don't bother. One con you didn't think of is that having more space leads to the tendency to carry more stuff because you can.
(3) Topeak trunk w/ fold-down panniers
pros: would hold everything
cons: would raise my bike's center of gravity, fold-down panniers don't look like they hold much
A raised center of gravity that's still basically below your butt won't adversely affect anything. Also, I've carried 60 pounds on my bike before. a 15 pound box of cat litter bungeed to the top of my rack, and a bunch of groceries in a backpack. I was JUST. FINE. If a 400 pound man can stay upright while walking (I've seen it!) then a top-heavy bicyclist can stay upright regardless of weight being a little off center.
(4) large trunk w/out fold-down panniers
pros: would hold everything
cons: would concentrate all weight fairly high on the bike, would almost certainly detrimentally affect handling
It still wouldn't hurt your handling all that much. Are you going to be racing in a crit with all this stuff on your bike?
Am I right in what I wrote above? I'm soliciting you guys for input because I wanted to make an informed desicion on what to try first, esp. given that panniers can be fairly expensive.
Honestly, your perception of how bad the handling would be affected is skewed. IF you're that worried about handling, go with double panniers and balance the weight you put in them. 10 pounds total even inf a (REALLY HIGH UP!) backpack won't really cause any problems, though. If you're even more concerned about the balance and efficiency, just drive one day per week and use that day to take all your fresh clothes to work and bring your dirty stuff home, and leave a lock at work for your bicycle. Then, you don't need anything on your bike at all.