Originally Posted by Daily Commute
grolby, I see your point, but putting extra weight on the front wheel greatly increases the effectiveness of the front brake, which means that even slight front braking is more likely to lock up the front tire. That increases the chance for an endo but, more importantly, when your front wheel locks you can't steer. Not being able to steer makes it nearly impossible to sustain your balance.
I also see the point that front and back may be better than just back. But having panniers on the back only is better than panniers on the front only.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but nonsense! Adding weight to the front of your bike has two effects: 1, it increases the total mass of bike and rider, meaning that, at a given speed, there is more kinetic energy that must be converted into heat, which translates to: you gotta brake harder to stop in the same distance. And 2, it increases the weight on the front wheel, thereby improving the traction of your front wheel. The upside of this is that you can brake harder before locking your front wheel. Of course, on most surfaces and under most conditions, the limit to braking power comes at the point at which the rear wheel lifts off the ground, not when the front wheel locks. In any case, at no point does the effectiveness improve. In fact, the added weight will decrease the effectiveness of your brakes, whether it is on the front or back. I'm sorry, but between the science and the practical experience (which cycocommute is dishing out in shovelfuls), there is no apparent basis for the argument that carrying the weight on the front is somehow less safe. In fact, it may have a considerably smaller negative influence on bicycle handling. I am thinking that, when I load up the front of my bicycle to go on tour, I am putting the weight in the front to balance the weight in back, not the other way around. When I put that front rack back on my bicycle, I may just start using it a bit more often.