Ande, $.02 to throw in the hopper, I've been commuting with a CC for a couple years with racks in the front or rear and pannier loads in the front OR rear. What I've found is that the CC handles a lot better with panniers in the front than back. When out of the saddle and sprinting when there's panniers on the rear the whole bike kind of whips about a bit, with the panniers in the front it feels like the whole bike is a lot more solid and ones line is a lot straighter and turns more predictable.