Originally Posted by
HendersonD
Two questions for you
- Will I experience this sway if I keep my total load between about 30 pounds on a touring bike like a Trek 520? I did my 420 mile tour on a cyclecross bike since I had not purchased my 520 until a few weeks back. In only carried about 20 pounds then and will have a heavier load for the cross country trip
First, it’s helpful to quote the post you are referring to. It helps.
30 lbs is enough to cause sway. That’s a significant percentage of modern touring loads. I used to carry much more…closer to 60 or more pounds…but equipment in general weighs less now. My first tent (nearly 50 years ago
) was “light” at 7 lbs with a 2 lb vestibule. I carried pots and pans that were, well, pots and pans from which the handles had been removed. Now my tent is a much more svelte at a bit less than 2 lb. Generally, I’ve lost 20+ lb and any would say that around 40 lbs is too heavy.
That said, an extra load on the rear can be felt. I don’t tour with only a rear load but I have done so with grocery loads with a similar 25 to 30 lb load. The bike feels squirrelly when compared to touring loads with heavy front panniers and light rear panniers. And this is on a bike that is actually longer than my touring bike, which is also a long bike compared to other road bikes.
Sway can also be caused by the type of rack you use. I use Tubus which are steel racks that are very stiff compared to aluminum racks. I did a tour with my daughter many years ago where she rode a bike with an OEM aluminum rack. I could see it sway back and forth as she pedaled. She didn’t see the same sway on my Tubus racks.
- I was thinking about a bag on the top of the back rack for space. I am still unsure if I can fit everything in two back panniers and a handlebar bag. Did you have any problems with space?
My front bags tend to be full. My rear bags aren’t. The fronts are about 25L per pair and the rear are 40L per pair. I could probably get by with two sets of front but there are times when having a bit of extra volume is nice. My wife has toured with only front bags (I have 4) and I carry the excess and heavy stuff.