Originally Posted by tacomee
If you're not camping, you can get by with 12 lbs, maybe a little more. Two small panniers up front, on a low rider rack works fine.
My camping set-up-- tent, pad, ground cloth, sleeping, weighs around 12lbs as well (without the panniers it fits into)
so two more small panniers on the back rack (same size as pack).
A also have a handlebar bag and trunk, I can use if a need be.
The advice I'd give is use smaller panniers, mount them as low as you can, even weight front to back, take as little as possible.
Ah...you're cheating
That's how you can get away with 12 lbs. I always carry camping gear and cooking gear so my weight is higher then yours. I also carry at least 3 days of clothes (I hate doing laundry), a film SLR ('cause a digital SLR is way too expensive), a couple of books, a tool kit, a first aid kit, usually a few days of food and other stuff. 12 lbs for a motelling tour is probably okay. I just like having a bit more stuff along. Looks kinda like this when it all explodes out of the bags.
