Originally Posted by
Rob_E
I did the exact opposite. I found the uphills with the LHT back-loaded were a pain. Front wheel always wanted to lift up. Moving the weight to the front fixed that. It does change the handling, though, for sure. I remember taking a break during a trip and riding for a few miles without my gear on my bike. Suddenly the steering felt squirrely as anything. Took a few miles before I got used to it, and it started to feel normal again.
I suspect if I tried to climb steep hills I would experience the lifting but I'm getting to old to climb any hills. I too love taking the load off the bike after a long days ride and enjoying the bike unladen. Makes me want to take a credit card tour on an 18 lb road bike, and do some 100 mile days