seeker333
Thanks for the long and informative reply. My panniers are Axiom Monsoon panniers and were a good deal at $62 for a pair of completely waterproof roll top style bags. They are however rectangular in shape, meaning they don't have that slope to the forward edge. However, I went ahead and bought the Nashbar frame and fork. I figure the longer chainstays will allow me to get the panniers farther forward on the rack and thus closer to over the rear axle versus behind it. My current frame has no way to mount a front rack, so I'd have to settle for a handlebar bag. The new frame however will have plenty of mounting points so I could put a front rack on if desired. Or, I could just go with a bar bag and take a little weight out of the panniers. I carry my U-lock in my panniers because there's nowhere to mount it on my frame. That beastly thing probably adds at least three pounds of extra weight right there. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the new frame, it'll be nice to have a real touring frame.