Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
Bike handled just fine that day with panniers not carefully packed for weight distribution.
Of course.
Frequently when food shopping I'll have a large lateral imbalance, due to volumetric-priority packing, not mass. The bike handles fine, and it's a 20" wheel folder. The key is that imbalance is not that much of a distance off bike center, so not a long moment arm, and a small mass in relation to my body mass, and, is in low panniers due to the small wheels (even without lowrider rack, I'm hanging the panniers off the rack top deck in front); That doesn't change the lateral moment arm, but does mean that my ultra-long handlepost and seatpost, have greater leverage against that mass. Same for the rear panniers, which are hung on a 700c rack, but on a lower tier, just high enough for plenty of curb clearance.