I just bought novara transit panniers (REI $75 pair) and I like their construction and size. I put all my stuff (20lbs) into one last night and put it on the bike, and then tried riding around on it... maybe I'm just not used to it, but it felt very wierd. I put the computer into its seperate pannier with some extra clothes and it was at least ballanced.

I just switched from backpack, and it just feels very weird having all that weight over the rear wheels. I ride fixed and I now can't skid my rear wheel, but resisting slows me down faster. Also having the weight so much lower seems to want to push the bike straight ahead and keep it upright, which is a really weird feeling going into turns.

Anyone else have similar experiences swithcing to panniers? Do you get used to it pretty quickly?