Originally Posted by
Wil Davis
Please clarify, as I beg to disagree, actually! Weight low on the front end might be more stable, but more stable than what? A weight at the top of, and at the end of a steering-arm?? Surely not? Have you ever tried to ride rollers or "no-hands" on a bike with a loaded bar-bag? I'd be interested to watch (I'd even be tempted to sell tickets if you replied "yes!")
- Wil
Dude, as a randonneur I've spent long stretches of riding no-hands with a 12L front mounted Berthoud GB-28 bag. It's not way up on the bars; it sits on a platform rack just above the front fender, so the top is as level with the bars as you can get it. It attaches at the rack with a strap along the lower rear, and at the top with a mount that sticks out from the stem (called a decaleur). I'd keep food, sunscreen, a camera, my phone, my mp3 player, cue sheet, brevet card, endurolytes, NUUN, all sorts of crap in there; and I'd roll my way down the road with the bag open and holding a bottle of soda while I sat up and ate a sandwich.
If your bike is set up properly for it, a front bag helps the bike track stably.
OTOH, if the geometry is wrong, the front end is gonna flop like a fish on a dock if you put a pack of cheese 'n' crackers up front.