Originally Posted by
Sonoma76
I used to carry about 10-25 lbs of groceries in a basket that sat on top of the rear rack on my Swobo.
Talk about unstable!
Since I switched to the Banjo Brothers pannier bags, the weight is much less noticeable. As others have said, it's all about the center of gravity.
I do all my food shopping on my bike. I used Forte grocery panniers and a rear rack and it really felt top heavy and unstable. I recently added low-rider racks and panniers up front, and that really helped the stability. And I can carry twice as much (using both front and rear racks).
In general, I leave the rear panniers off because it feels so much better having the load low and centered over the front wheel.