Originally Posted by
saddlesores
do i understand this correctly? jim ran a bunch of tests with ONE rider,
a massive (atypical for touring) amount of weight, using various configurations
on maybe ONE bicycle?
so the biblical 60-40 prophecy of THE ONE best way is based on
just one dude's subjective feelings?
now my cynical side is telling me he designed this "experiment" simply
as a marketing gimmick for his soon-to-be-introduced lowriders.
The load was not "atypical" for the era. A "light weight" tent of the era was 7 lbs to 9 lbs. A lightweight sleeping bag was 5 to 7. Stoves were not that light nor was cookware. An 80 lb load might be on the high end but not by much.
No one, as far as I can tell, has ever said that you "must" use a 60/40 front/rear split. It's a
suggestion and there is nothing "biblical" nor prophetic about it. I'll see if I can find the article but I did read it in the late 80s in Bicycling magazine and the concept has been field tested by not just me but many people and we find it to be a useful method.
If you don't want to use it, that's fine. No skin off my nose. But at least try it for more than a parking lot ride before you go denigrating method and the people who use it. Most of us have tried the overloaded rear panniers and find this way to be much better.