phughes

I had a large trunk that contained equipment I needed today and I hated the thought of taking the car. Total weight of the bike and load wasn't too bad, around 85 pounds. The bike was incredibly stable, I've carried over 80 pounds before, but this trunk was larger and sat up higher.

I am commuting in Southern Missouri in the Ozarks so downhill topped out at 37 mph and uphill was 4 mph. I was able to manage 15-17 mph on the flat areas. The LHT was stable even at 37 mph. I love this bike. A Big Dummy would be great for this type of load, but the Trucker takes it with aplomb as long as you can strap it down well. I used tie down straps, three of them, so pay no attention to the bungee net, that was used to strap the pannier to the top.

Heeathersh

Wow! Im new to commuting..

ItsJustMe

With a bike, the higher the center of gravity, the more stable it is. But stable also means not very maneuverable.

phughes

Is that supposed to be sarcastic? I've been doing this for years and multiple bikes. Sorry you're having a bad day.

phughes

Yeah, thankfully it maneuvered fine as well. I do like this bike. The 26 inch version of the LHT maneuvers a bit better than the 700 version for me. Anyway, just messing around posting this. The biggest difficulty was strapping the trunk on since I am living here temporarily and most of my straps are at my house 900 miles away.

TheNormanRider

I recommend a trailer, good sir. Mine has a weight rating of 180 lbs. It would fit that trunk easily, standing up.

phughes

I'm considering one. If I had one though, it would be 900 miles away in my garage too since I am here temporarily and brought only the essentials, the bike being an essential. I have been very creative over the years without a trailer though. A trailer would make things like this very easy though. Back home I have access to trailers if I need them though.

Heeathersh

actually I was serious- to me that looks like quite a load to carry and I dont think I could do it. Im not strong enough to do it b/c im so new to biking.

phughes

Thanks for replying. I wasn't sure if you were serious or sarcastic. Sorry about that. Evidently I'm the one having a bad day.

The load really isn't too bad, just a little unwieldy due to its dimensions. Moving it around before riding is the worst part. As TheNormanRider stated, a trailer would be better for this type of thing. I do have fun though trying to load up the bike. The weight isn't bad since the gearing does a lot of the work. I have a 24 tooth up front and a 34 tooth on the back. You just sit and spin up the hills. So given the right gearing, you can do it as well as I can I'm sure.

Welcome to commuting. I feel like a ten year old kid when I get on the bike each day. Unfortunately I can't always commute since most of my commuting involves flying to work, but the last two years I have had a six month contract each year that enables me to be in the same place for the duration. When I'm done here, I go back to flying and just get to use the bike for shopping and errands. Other than that it is touring for me. For now I am loving being able to ride to and from work every day. Enjoy your ride!

BobbyG

Cool! Last winter I did 60 pounds on snow and Ice with studded snow tires, but just 3/4 mile each way. (Two 25lb bags of salt and my 10 pound commute backpack. Not too unstable, but not fun. I like the way your 26 LHT looks with fenders and drop bars.

phughes

Thanks. Nice ride! I think the snow and ice makes it a bit more dicey than my ride. I have ridden a few Winters but haven't for a few years, and I never had studded tires. If I do it again I will be getting them. I used knobby mountain bike tires on my old Ross Mt. Rainier.

Darth Lefty 

The big problems I've had with tall heavy rear loads are

• head shake aka tank slapper aka death wobble, to be expected. Never yet had it on a MTB but on nearly every road bike.
• a tendency to wheelie starting out uphill
• a tendency to rotate and start to fall over when you're walking it.

FWIW, that looks about par with a preschooler in a rear seat. It should be NBD

dailycommute

You heading to a gig? Strap the bass on your back maybe...........

RubeRad

?? That's not intuitive to me. Can you explain more?

Darth Lefty 

Imagine balancing a broom upright on your palm, then just the broom head. For a really short explanation, it's higher up so it takes longer to fall over.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_pendulum


For a cycle example, a dirt bike is way more stable at low speed than a crotch rocket.

ItsJustMe

You balance a bike by moving the tire contact patch back and forth. It's an inverted pendulum with all the weight on top.

Take a 10 foot long stick, put a 5 pound weight at the top of it. Hold the bottom in your palm. balance it. Should be easy.

Now put the same weight on the end of a 1 foot stick. nearly impossible to balance.

LOW center of gravity makes cars more stable because they don't need to balance, they need to keep weight on all of their tires even when cornering, and not to roll over. High center of gravity on a car makes weight shift to the inside of corners, losing traction on the outside tires and risking rollover.

Cars and bikes have opposite needs for center of gravity, because one balances, the other just sits there and mainly needs traction.

mcours2006

Great explanation. Never would have thought that. You learn something new every day!

noglider 

I never thought of it that way, either. Why do we try to attach our panniers as low as possible? Is that misguided?

I do see how having the weight high makes the teetering slower and therefore could make the bike more stable in theory. The trouble is, if it teeters out of control, it's harder to correct if the weight is large and the center of gravity is high. I'm just thinking here.

phughes

I think we do that because it is easier to handle the bike at low speeds that way. The bike is easier to push around and hold up at a stop with the weight lower.

noglider 

Aha. Very clever. Another thought I hadn't had before. So we have to compromise low speed handling with moderate and high speed handling.

I recently had a load like that on my Bianchi Volpe, and yes, once I got going, I could barely feel the weight, but when I was stopping or starting, it was tricky. And yes, a Long Haul Trucker seems like a good choice for that kind of hauling. A 5'0" tall friend of mine has ridden hers everywhere with all kinds of loads, and it works great for her. She also has the 26" wheels, of course.

phughes

Yep, the weight of that trunk is a little over 40 pounds, maybe closer to 50, and then the pannier on top of it adds another 10, so 50 pounds or so on the rack. Not really a lot, but it is all up high and was simply awkward to strap down. I have 8 pounds in the handle bar bag. I get more funny looks when I carry my propane tank to get filled.

Darth Lefty 

You could probably think up enough advantages or disadvantages to convince yourself to do it either way.

FWIW, the bikepacking guys aren't doing it that way any more.

phughes

Yes, and not a bass, much heavier than a bass. The trunk weight between 40-50 pounds with what is in it, a little more than what I want on my back.

phughes

The gyroscopic action of the wheels helps at speed.

noglider 

Somewhere I have a picture of a gas station attendant filling up a portable can for gasoline strapped to my bike. It was the day after Hurricane Sandy.

Check the latest research. I think the gyroscopic action is in question, and it's actually a combination of the fork offset and the human's ability to balance that keeps the bike up.