Originally Posted by
Road Fan
The bike has 65 mm offset and about 35 mm trail.
How is the handling of a low trail bike affected by low panniers? Is pannier placement a significant factor? Would a few cm difference in front to back positioning be significant?
Low-trail is exactly what you want for carrying loads on the front.
When we are asked to build frames for either loaded touring or Randonneur riding, we need to use lower trail numbers to keep handling consistent even when extra weight is loaded onto the bike in front of the steering axis. The degree to which we change the trail numbers depends on both the additional weight being carried and the handling requirements of the rider.--
from "Trail and Its Effects" at Spectrum Cycles