Originally Posted by grolby
EDIT: Chipcom, the point that I'm making is that weight on the front wheel has little relevance to balance in terms of weight distribution. Balanced weight between front and rear has relevance only terms of handling, and even then, on balance (HA!), more weight on the front is less likely to have a negative influence than more on the back. The critical factor for balancing mass in the front panniers is the right/left distribution of weight, which is indeed very important. For this, among other reasons, I just load up the rear rack, where distribution from side to side isn't critical, but in simple terms of fore/aft weight distribution, you're better off with 15 extra pounds in front than in back.
No worries, I wasn't disputing your point, merely stating that when considering front or rear, both is a better choice than one or the other.
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