Originally Posted by
skookum
Back in the olde days..there was a theory that low rider front panniers were more aerodynamic because they created an area of less turbulence behind them for the pedals to rotate. Some people are still promoting the concept.
Nope. It wasn't due to aerodynamics. Frank Berto and Jim Blackburn did tests in the mid80s on the use of low riders and found that the front lowrider greatly stabilized the ride as you have correctly pointed out. Aerodynamic panniers came along after the introduction of the lowrider but, I suspect, that they offer only minimal improvement.
They also found that the worst configuration in terms of handling was low-riders front and rear.
Originally Posted by
TiHabanero
What is the thinking behind running only front panniers and a standard saddle bag? Why not mount the panniers on the rear and out of the wind?
It's about stability. Putting heavily loaded bags on the rear of the bike cantilevers a load over a vehicle that is already biased towards an overloaded rear wheel. The front wheel on a bicycle is lightly loaded with just the rider on the bike. Putting more load rearward can introduce sway into the system which "wags the dog" at most every speed. If you have lightweight, flexible racks like most aluminum racks, the problem is even worse. Putting the load on the front wheel reduces the wagging and makes the ride more stable. Additionally, the front wheel is much stronger than the rear wheel so the load doesn't stress the spokes as much.
I ride with 4 panniers for on-road tours but most of the load is in the front...about 60%. The rear bags are for light but bulky stuff. Food, stove, cooking gear, i.e, any thing that is small but dense, goes in the front bags.