Why small panniers in the front
 

So i noticed that most people only run the smaller sized panniers in the front is there a reason? I bought a pair of Ortlieb Bike-packer classic bags but they really messed up my order by not only sending me the wrong color but they also sent me double. So I paid for one pair and got two pair. Would i run into any problems running the big bags front and rear?

There's no law against it. It's just extra weight and big bags might run quite low on some racks so watch for curbs.

Glad for your luck, I got a free sleeping bag a while ago. My thought with those very large bags up front is the tendancy to carry too much stuff up front. Which could cause handling & braking problems. Not to mention extra wind resistance. My vote is to sell the extra pair and buy the smaller front bags. If you do keep them put the light bulky stuff in front like tent and sleeping bag.

Having big bags up front could be a drag... literally if you use a lowrider rack. If you use a high rack, the load may be unstable with the weight of big loaded bags. Since you already have the bags, you can try it and see if it will work for you.

I have the Surly front rack so i have the option to run it high or low. I planned on trying them out on my first short tour since i have them already. Being that i have never toured before i was just wanting to make sure there wasn't a hazard for me running them front and rear. my plan was to keep all my light stuff up front and the heavier gear on the back.

Did you ever think about returning one pair?

I did try and return the pair for the original color I ordered but after a month of waiting i made a deal with my LBS and told them i would keep the hideous blue bags if i got to keep both pairs. So i'll deal with the blue bags now since i pretty much didn't pay much for two pairs.

I have read that panniers in front win over panniers in back for wind resistance. Makes sense to me. They are a relatively clean shape and break the way for the not so clean stuff behind them. Pedals, shoes, legs, drive train, etc. As far as weight goes, my experience is that large amounts of weight on Lowriders do not make the bike less stable but more so. Braking has never been an issue. Granted I have not put full size panniers in front, But I have carried 20+ pounds in each of my small ones and felt the bike could have handled more easily. My reason for not using large panniers in front is simply for ground clearance and because brushing them against say a curb could have very negative results.

Ben

I apologize for thinking otherwise!!

You can even have the curb problems with the small panniers.

A high speed encounter with a tall curb. The bag is still waterproof.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...569d247c5c.jpg

I use big bags up front and carry heavier items in front to take some of the weight off the rear wheel. For road riding I find the bike handles well with a load on front.

Two syllables, shiny and silver, rhymes with... well, it doesn't rhyme with anything.

I had been running my Ortleib rear bags in the front. I would usually have some gear on the back as well, but most of my main supplies were on the front. Worked fine for me. On my Long Haul Trucker, I thought it rode better with more weight on the front, so putting the big bags up there made sense. The rack, though, was an Old Man Mountain platform rack which held the bags up a little higher than most low-rider racks, so I never had any clearance issues.

I was experimenting with a lightweight set-up (front bags on a low-rider rack, only) and found that, initially, the front bags were a very tight fit with all my gear. I tried putting my larger rear bags on the front and found there to be little difference in how my bike handled. I measured the difference in length and found the rear bags an inch lower than the front bags. For the most part, I stay away from curbs, but I did scrape one with the rear bags.

In the end, the front bags were enough as I modified my gear and crammed everything in them. While I wouldn't hesitate to use my rear bags on a front low-rider rack if I needed to, I'll likely use a frame bag to gain storage space before I do.

Classic French Cyclocamping style is using 4 panniers , of equal size and having everything packed inside them.
the classic rear rack on the back is also a Lowrider , placed behind the axle .. (Japan loves French bike styles they make racks in that style too)

There is the interaction of the Bike steering Trail dimension and how it will handle a heavier load up Front ,
so keeping the weight on the front a bit lower, makes a longer trail stable handling bike OK
when you need a change of direction, like low speed turns.

The bottom to hook distance is only an inch more with the rear Ortlieb bags than the small front, .. 12/vs/13

2 fer 1 deal you can sell one to someone else then get what You want with their money.




<sorry I cannot predict what future problems you may have in Life, or touring >

And your point?

I run the same size panniers front and rear. This lets me interchange them if necessary swapping panniers in different places.

using my Back Rollers on Grocery Runs, I occasionally think another rear pair up front,

would let me haul back more food and drink with every trip.

Seems like he was just suggesting you tape it up.

The 'Blackburn study' is where all of this started.

"US carrier manufacturer 'Blackburn' made an extensive study of the best locations for luggage on a bicycle and concluded, not surprisingly, that the best place to carry extra weight is as low down and near the center of the bike as possible. This study spawned the low-rider carrier which attaches to the front forks. Some riders, particularly on tandems, actually report better bike-handling response with low-rider panniers than when riding unloaded!"

From "The Long Distance Cyclists' Handbook"