rando

I was using a trunk rack for everything, but found out it can't handle really heavy loads and I needed more storage, so I put a front basket on. works well. I don't like having stuff on my back.

MMACH 5

I use this for commuting. I modified my old dog's saddle bags and built the rack to size, (narrower than most racks).


I use this for groceries. The lids for the baskets are made from wire shelving. I make most trips to the store without the home-built trailer, but the cat litter and dog food ride a lot better back there than they do strapped on top of the baskets.
I also use the trailer with an airline kennel to haul our labrador retriever around.

Marrock

heh, thanks, I actually got it for free from someone that just wanted it out of his garage.

I need a new crank for it though, I keep snapping off the spur that keeps it lined up to the front sprocket.

It needs to get back on the road since I'm hoping to use it to replace the girlfriend's kid's bike that got stolen a little while ago, another free beater that got gone from right next to my front door just because it wasn't locked up.

Katzenjammer

I started with my backpack, got Sweaty Back and couldn't carry much despite the pack being a big one; bought a Topeak rear-rack basket which when loaded with groceries made the bike annoyingly tippy; and finally bought 2 Nashbar grocery panniers, which seem to do a good enough job that I'm going to get 2 more for the front rack. I'm also going to see whether I can kludge a lower mounting point for the rear ones so that, if need be, I can get the basket to fit on again which it doesn't right now because the tops of the panniers are higher than the surface of the rack.

As far as I'm concerned, panniers are It. I can leave them on the bike with no worries when I go into the suppy because I have them wired to the rack using one of those thin keep-your-saddle-from-being-nicked cables.

Marrock

Since I got the BoB trailer I haven't used the crate, except for that one failed experiment trying to use both at the same time.

Katzenjammer

Nice mixte! What is it?

Also, could you give us some details on your homebrew rack? Ever since seeing Paul Woloshansky's, I've been thinking that might be a better solution than a trailer (which I don't have space for, living in a apt)

mikepoole

I always put the pannier on the "uphill" i.e. right side for this reason- the kickstand works fine.

MMACH 5

It's a 1983 Austro-Diamler. They jumped into the bicycle business at the end of the '70s boom. They're only claim to fame was that an American woman won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics on one of their bikes.

I picked it up at a flea market for $35 a few years ago. It was set up as a "comfort" bike. I changed out the seat, bars and cranks. I repainted it last year. Next year I plan on having some brake bosses added to it, so I can change over to 700c wheels.

The rack is built with supports and brackets from a cheap rack that I pulled from an LBS dumpster. I used aluminum angles for everything else.

jwbnyc

The bike gets weird with a load on a rear rack as you noted. I personally don't like this set up.

Backpacks and mess bags are preferable to just a rear rack for me.

When the weight gets serious backpacks and mess bags can be downright dangerous however. The CG is just too high.

Full racks and panniers do the best job of balancing out handling. A big load on the front can be tiring though as well as creating handling issues all it's own. How much weight do you want to carry? Racks and panniers add dead weight in and of themselves. That's something to consider. do you really need the capacity?

Front racks with panniers are preferable to a rear rack and panniers, if you really want to use a rack but don't want to have full racks on the bike, IMO. But wait, it gets better. If you have full racks on the bike you can have more weight on the rear rack before the weight distribution gets way off just by virtue of having the front rack on there. If you run a light load just on the rear and leave the front rack empty that seems to work out okay too.

I use Two different bikes, One with full racks and one stripped. Some days it's just nice to grab the mess bag and go with the lighter bike. The full on load carrier comes in handy when shopping day rolls around or there is a lot of other stuff to carry. It depends a lot on what time of the Year it is. Having as low a CG as possible with a balanced load is nice when it gets slick.

If you are okay with the backpack on the rear rack, great. Sounds like you have your solution.

Sammyboy

I use a single pannier fairly regularly, and can report that I don't notice the difference. It's close enough to the centre line of the bike not to matter much.

Juha

In my experience, ice has no effect, provided you have decent studded tyres. (Which of course you should have if you're riding on ice.)

--J

tarwheel 

You're missing a fourth option -- a large seatbag such as the various Carradice models. They will hold a lot of gear and the weight is placed near the center of the bike. I found that the balance and weight distribution are better using a Carradice bag than a rear rack with bag. You also can use on a frame that doesn't have eyelets for racks.

I use the Carradice Barley on my bike, which is a De Bernardi with a racing style frame. Tried a rack and it just didn't fit my frame right and the load sat too high. I can carry a fair amount of gear including spare clothes, lunch, cell phone, eye glasses, tools and tire repair stuff, etc. -- and the Barley is one of Carradice's smallest bags. If you get one, though, make sure you buy the optional Bagman rack, which stabilizes the load and keeps the bag from hitting the backs of your legs.

rollinghills

So far I have used my backpack for light loads and short trips. Also, I strap my backpack to the back rack when I commute to work. This has worked out ok. I just scored a milk crate and plan on using that on the back rack for heavier loads.

I don't think panniers are a good solution, for my needs anyway. The only exception may be a pannier/backpack. In general the lower the weight is on the bike, the more stable the ride. But if you are not hauling too much weight then you may be ok with a trunk pack/crate.

thdave

I agree. I've never had an issue riding with a pannier--and I've put a good 50 pounds in mine. Same with a trunk bag for the rack. No problem riding whatsoever. Obviously, kickstands don't work as well with all that weight, so you need to hold the bike.

cyccommute 

Front lowriding panniers are far better than just about any other option. I use a trunk bag most of the time but when I need to carry lots of stuff, I take my touring bike with front bags. The front bags dampen the steering somewhat but it's not that bad. My wife has even toured for 3 weeks with nothing but front bags.

If you want to know how to carry stuff, talk to a tourist. We know

PhattTyre

I really like front racks and baskets around town. You can pile stuff pretty high, and since it's right in front of you it's easy to see if it bounces out. I use a big Wald basket on my townie. It's sized for 2 paper grocery bags, but shallow enough that it can hold bigger stuff too if you just tie it on top.

A front load takes a little getting used to, but if you go ask the touring thread most of them will tell you it makes for a more stable ride. The lower the load the better.

Handle bar options can be limited with a front basket as well. I used a Nitto Dove bar, but flat bars or wide drops would work just as well. The back sweep is nice because I can rest big stuff on the basket and bars without hitting my hands.

I tried messenger bags/backpacks and rear racks. The bags get my back sweaty and the rear rack was unstable, I couldn't keep an eye on things, and (especially with a big crate on the back) made throwing a leg over a little harder.

cccorlew

I used a backpack in the past, but moved to these baskets when i started carrying more junk.
In this photo I have a
laptop
clothes
lunch
heavy camera bag with several lenses and a camera
Poster in that tube on the rack

I have no stability issues at all. (at least on the bike)

They do add aerodynamic resistance, a lot more than the backpack. But I'm pleased with the flexibility and ability to haul a lot of junk.

Jeffbeerman2

Wow. This is the perfect reply.

Backpack for shorter distance and cool weather

rack top only for the lightest loads.

Evenly distributed carefully packed panniers for medium loads over greater distances

trailer for large loads over long distances.

I don't have a touring bike, mine is cyclocross geometry. From opinions read around here on other threads, some of the more stretched out touring bikes handle heavy pannier loads better than my more agile Cross Check

Marrock

We have quite a lot of south americans in my area (at least 85% of which are illegals*) that use bikes instead of cars to get about and I must admit to find quite a bit of amusement in watching them wobble all over the place with upwards of half a dozen plastic shopping bags tied to their handlebars.

*town's figures, not mine.

nekohime

Hey! I do that when I go shopping...

Well, ok, half of the bags are strapped to the rear rack with bungee cord, but the others are tied to my handlebars. Because I'm riding a folder, panniers are not an option, so yeah, bags tied to handlebars it is. I find that if you try to distribute the weight properly it's not so wobbly.

San Rensho 

Backpacks tend to put the weight too high on your back and if your body position is not perfectly straight up and down, the weight tends to flop around and causing handling problems and yes, they get hot.

I use a shoulder bag with a long strap, so that the load is very low, below waist level, around the same level as the seat, making for a very stable ride, and it doesn't get your back sweaty like a backpack does.

savethekudzu

Well, I did a commute leg yesterday using option #2 for the first time. For much of the trip I was aware of the bike feeling considerably heavier. I felt as if I was moving more slowly than normal, but I wasn't feeling well, so that might have been all.

I don't have to be especially nimble on my commute (paved MUP rather than weaving through city traffic) so the top-heavy bike didn't really pose a problem. I think I need a bigger cargo net, though; even with a more lightly packed pack on the rack, it was tough to securely tie it down.

My current cargo net:



Are motorcycle cargo nets much bigger? Do they work well on bicycle rear racks?

sailor2

I commute with about 55lbs cargo.
When I was carrying 15lbs I used rear rack with a basket attached (similar to milk crate setup).
Than I got additional 30lbs to carry on my commuted and I mounted Bobike Maxi in the rear, but about 15 lbs did not fit and went to the backpack.
A recent addition is a front rack with a basket attached. Makes big difference with not hitting the rear cargo with the backpack and not arriving to work with sweaty back.

I don't have a picture of my newest setup, but here is a picture before I added a front rack:



And before you ask - yes - the center of gravity is quite high, especially when cargo jumps up and yells - "Daddy - look out - squirrel!!!"

PS: Thank you BikeForum members for suggesting Nashbar Front Rack - a great little thing.

MMACH 5

Jumping cargo.
I love it!

thdave

Don't mean to argue, but I've never carefully packed or evenly distributed things in my pannier. That said, I've never gone more than 10 miles with it at one time. I just throw stuff in it and it rides along. What's up?