RACK - front or back?
 

Thinking of putting a rack on my bike, maybe two. But, one to begin with and to see how it feels. If you had your choice, would you get one for the front or the rear?

http://www.jitensha.com/eng/varelia_toei.html

depends on the load, but I'm guessing if you're going with multi-racks you're going to be carrying some weight, so I'd go with rear. I imagine a heavy front load shifting while taking a corner could be disasterous, plus the extra weight could help you wheelie like Juvi.

yeah, front racks can seriously mess up your steering. rear all the way.

Either way, keeping the weight low with panniers really, really helps. I had a trunk rack for a while, but I just got sick of the feeling when I was standing up and really cranking.

I have two racks. Both are cheap avenir racks, $20/each. They are made for the back of the bike. I made a bracket to adapt a second one to the front. Works great. Given a choice, rear only. I rarely use the front.

Exactly what I was thinking.

And, it wouldn't be a lot of weight. Just about a backpack or mess bags worth, so I don't have to carry it on me back.

I haven't replaced my trunk pack yet just because I haven't got around to it yet. Once I put my u-lock, pump, repair kit, first aid kit, t-shirt, socks and (sometimes) novel in the trunk pack and strap it to my bike it totally changes the handling. I cannot go above about 15km/h no handed with my trunk pack without the handlebars and front end of the bike violently shimmying. As soon as I take off the trunk pack I can ramp it up as fast I can go no handed with no problems. I'm wondering if throwing on only a single pannier will throw the bike handling off less? Then I feel like I'd be going in circles!

From what I've heard, a single pannier doesn't affect you that much unless it is ridiculously over-loaded. You just tend to compensate for it automatically.

I ride with one pannier almost exclusively. On the left side. Sometimes with 15lbs of stuff in it. I never notice it. I ride no handed all the time, 14-15mph usually. Its not a problem.

I've heard that extra weight on the rear is actually worse than the front. I can't remember exactly why. This is a question that would probably be better fielded by either the touring or commuter forum.

The only reason I'm not riding paniers on my fixie is because I don't like how the racks look.. and mess bags are easier to carry around than those puny panier bags with metal hooks on them. I don't carry much, so it's moot, but paniers are a lot nicer for a bigger load. Only problem for me is that my road bike tends to get squirrely with a big load on it.. not sure if it's balance or vertical positioning or what, but it's not fun.

Just my $0.02

The reason I stopped riding into work with my messenger bag was that I would get a really sweaty back when I got to work... Maybe I'll switch back once it gets even colder.

In China, the land of the bike commuter, everyone with a small load (a briefcase or so) used a front basket. Everyone hauling serious weight had a rear rack.

Anyone who's ever used a front rack will tell you that this is false.

My girlfriend has her rack on the front and i like it that way.

;)

That was just gratuitous.. and yeah, the sweat issue shows up with mess bags. My solution: take off the shirt, put it in the bag and you're all set. That's how I met my first wife.

Rear panniers on a fixie make for some difficult skidding, and a good part of why I took mine off.