Originally Posted by
h_curtis
Great looking set up by the way. Really like that front rack. I have thought about a trailer and they make sense in some ways, but I don't want to store it and have it with me when I get to say... California or where ever I will end up. The B.O.B. is out.
Now lets look at your bike. I really like the set up you have. If you take the panniers off the front and put part of them on that rear rack and maybe distribute a little more to the front rack, that is how my brain is telling me to go. It is against what most are doing and that leads me to this thread. I must be wrong if so many set up their bikes like you do, but I am not one to just do something because it is what I see all the time. I also feel I will have less baggage than that. I do have experience in having to have everything I need with no contact with civilization for over a week, so I feel I know what all I will need with me. It would be a little less.
1. You can ship a B.O.B. for very little money. Shipped my entire bike UPS from the east coast to Missoula, MT for around $45 one way.
2. Not sure what you are talking about with putting part of the front panniers on the back. The front bags in my setup have more weight in them than the rear. With the tent and heaviest part of the human body on sitting on the back of the bike, this balances the load better. Throw too muich weight on the back and you needlessly stress your rear wheel. You might also find yourself popping wheelies on steep grade. And what you are looking at isn't a whole lot for a week-long trip where rain, snow and cold temperatures were distinct possibilities. While I carry a few kitchen items that most probably wound't because I like to cook more elaborate meals on tour when possible, they add very little to the volume. Clothes-wise, I carry pretty much the bare minimum except for maybe an extra set of riding clothes, which is something some people do without.