I have a Long Haul Trucker with nice racks front and rear with panniers front and rear. This year I have moved my larger panniers to the front along with my heaviest loadings to get some weight off the rear wheel and on to the front. My front panniers ride very low, about 4 or 5 inches off the ground, and I have a handle bar bag that's quite loaded and the only thing I have noticed is that it makes the bike more sluggish to turn. If I understand correctly where the load is in relation to the head tube can have a great effect on the bikes handling? On my front the center of gravity of the load is actually a little rearward of the front axle. I also try and keep all the heaviest items in the very bottom of my bags, both front and rear.