Touring - Panniers on a mountain bike

For those of you who tour using a mountain bike, did you have to modify your rack, position or pannier placement for heal clearance?

I'm converting an old TREK 930 MTB into a drop bar tourer. I'm concerned with the short (16.9") chainstays might restrict my pannier choices.

Your insights are appreciated. Thank you!

Four tours on three different bikes, all of the MTB's, I haven't needed to modify anything.

I have a Raleigh M60 MTB and I rode it down the length of the Ore Coast. Didn't have to do any modifications on my bike for the panniers.

Lotys of people tour on those kind of bikes. How is the TT length for a drop-bar conversion? Drops give a much longer reach than flats, but many racier MTBs are setup to give an aggressive posion with flats. Willl you be over-extended?

How is the TT length for a drop-bar conversion? Drops give a much longer reach than flats, but many racier MTBs are setup to give an aggressive posion with flats. Willl you be over-extended?

I've found a frame one size smaller than my usual MTB frame. The top tube is just a little shorter than my road bikes. With some experiementation on stem length I think I can find a position that will be comfortable.

I learned that lesson when I had a TREK 520. I purchased the frame based on seat tube length but the top tube was so long that it wasn't comfortable. I should have purchased the size smaller but it didn't occur to me when I purchased the frame.

My big concern is heel clearance since the chainstays are 3 or more cm shorter than a typical touring bike. It appears it's not a big issue based on the responses and some of the posts I've read. Thanks for your insights!

Mo

I use my ten year old Gary Fisher mountain bike for commuting and touring. I didn't do any special modifications and my size 13s don't have any problems with heel clearance on 16.5 inch chainstays.

For those of you who tour using a mountain bike, did you have to modify your rack, position or pannier placement for heal clearance?

I'm converting an old TREK 930 MTB into a drop bar tourer. I'm concerned with the short (16.9") chainstays might restrict my pannier choices.

Your insights are appreciated. Thank you!


And even if you needed more heal clearence, you can find rear racks with a third support leg. These type racks will typically have a top bar that is just a little longer so you can slide more panniers back further yet still have support for the bag.

Jay