Originally Posted by
Duragrouch
I saw a similar, perhaps exact same rear rack in Bicycle Quarterly article, streamlined carbon single strut each side, with just a bag on top. What's hilarious about that photo is that, what I've read of bikepacking, it's for both less low side cargo for going through brush, and less aero drag; Well, that setup with oversize bottle/cargo cages on the sides, holds a lot less than panniers, but just as much aero drag and brush obstruction. Non sequitur.
GCN did a wind tunnel test a couple of years back - bikepacking setup vs. panniers. I don't think the bikepacking setup had panniers or fork mounts and it was more aero.
This setup is probably more aero than a pair of panniers simply because the bags mostly sit within the hole that my body is punching through the air with. And I suspect that a sleeker saddlebag would help clean up the turbulent air in my wake.
