Originally Posted by
79pmooney
D (HendersonD), the drawback to testing out a rear pannier only scenario with a new bike is that you may be convinced that the handling is good, esp if the bike is real step up from what you've used in the past. I assume the new bike has LowRider fork fittings. At the very least, borrow somebody's LowRider rack, put some small panniers on, load them with bricks or whatever and ride them. Go climb a hill so steep you have to stand. Do some fast traffic starts, out of the saddle.
Notice virtually every poster here who's tried the LowRider approach has adopted it. (4200 miles is a long ways to go with a 2nd best system.) Yea, it will cost you another $200 and add several pounds but, 4200 miles is plenty of time to appreciate a better ride. (And the weight? Being able to get out of the saddle when that weight matters is a real blessing!)
The new Trek 520 I purchased comes with a front and rear rack installed. The front does appear to have several different heights that panniers can be installed. I will give a front set of panniers a try. It does sound like having a front set would be the best way to balance out weight and give me some extra space for things like groceries. I think the key is to still try and limit my load to 30lbs. In other words, do not completely fill either the front or rear panniers just because I have the extra space. With this setup it sounds like the only thing that might go on the top of my rear rack is a tent and poles