Originally Posted by BigFinner

Thanks. Ya the brakes are actually pretty good. Once the kool stop pads are on I think they will be up to the task.

There are double eyelets on the forks and on the rear triangle, as it is a touring bike. However for some strange reason it does not have braze-ons half way up the forks or on the upper rear triangle. Oh well at least fork brackets and rear triangle clamps are very easy to come by.

I only like drop bars on my race road bike. Just preference I guess but I would never want to tour with drops and I'm not a real fan of bar end shifters either. I've found those that typically have a problem with trekking bars have that issue due to perception and not experience. I've found them to be so much more versatile than any other bar on the market and make many different touring situations far safer.

I am thinking of running my larger panniers on the front rack and smaller ones on the back. Especially when the ride behind burley kid bike is attached to the rack. Have you or anyone else heard how running larger, heavier panniers in the front translates into feel and other things while touring?