Originally Posted by
GovernorSilver
I just learned to ride a bike, so I don't know what it's like to ride without a rack.
I did have to adjust though once I put panniers on the rack. I kicked them a couple of times with my heels, but after adjusting my foot placement on the pedals, I wasn't kicking them constantly or anything like that. I'll probably go grocery shopping on my bike for the first time this weekend, so I'll experience for the first time what it feels like to ride with some stuff loaded in the panniers.
Went on the grocery run today with my bike and panniers. I didn't notice a difference. I have just under one month's experience riding a bike, so I suck at riding regardless of whether I have a loaded rack anyway.
I bought a family size pack of chicken drumsticks, couple of bags of frozen veggies, a 3L box of wine, and a bag of onions. Not a super heavy load of groceries, but not feather-light either. I have to climb a hill to get home and the climb is hard enough for me without a load that it didn't matter whether or not the groceries were on my bike. I also managed to not kick my panniers even once.