No fronk rack, just rear rack 20kg(44lbs) to much?
10-17-16, 10:15 PM
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I have a Raven Nomad, you can load a lot of gear on it, but I find its not too stable on the front end. I'm usually about 2/3 rear 1/3 front, and I don't use a handlebar bag. I was wondering about trying just a rear load and see how it handles that way, but I haven't tried it yet.
10-18-16, 04:30 AM
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I'm going out for a week and have been doing the math about rack & front panniers or hbar bag & fork bags. Only a few oz differences. About the same space. And with panniers I have room on top of the front rack to tie down stuff like tent poles etc.
If you are looking at how much wt fore and aft, it's a good time to look at reducing wt, mainly by reducing unnecessary gear, and the wt of each item. Lighter shoes for example. No cotton clothes.
If you are looking at how much wt fore and aft, it's a good time to look at reducing wt, mainly by reducing unnecessary gear, and the wt of each item. Lighter shoes for example. No cotton clothes.
10-18-16, 09:14 AM
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I have a Raven Nomad, you can load a lot of gear on it, but I find its not too stable on the front end. I'm usually about 2/3 rear 1/3 front, and I don't use a handlebar bag. I was wondering about trying just a rear load and see how it handles that way, but I haven't tried it yet.
The paper bag on the rear rack in the photo was a 10 pound (4.4 kg) brick for extra weight for my test ride, as I expected to have a dry bag on top in the back with food so I wanted to simulate the weight for my test ride. Note that I do use a large handlebar bag, that has some weight to it so not all weight is completely on the rear. I also put a frame bag on the bike for a bit more volume, but that did not impact weight distribution much as it is quite small in volume.
A key here if you try it is to put your panniers as far forward as you can manage while avoiding heel strike. If the panniers are too far back, that makes the bike handle poorly.
My knees are in bad shape, thus I never stand on the pedals to accelerate or power up a hill. But I suspect that if I did stand on the pedals, that a rear load would handle terribly.
10-18-16, 09:57 AM
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I tried it. Worked fine. I bought the rear Carradry panniers just for a specific trip because they have larger volume than my Ortliebs. For the trip I also was going to use a suspension front fork which was why no front panniers on that trip. But the trip did not happen, so the test ride I did was all I actually did.
The paper bag on the rear rack in the photo was a 10 pound (4.4 kg) brick for extra weight for my test ride, as I expected to have a dry bag on top in the back with food so I wanted to simulate the weight for my test ride. Note that I do use a large handlebar bag, that has some weight to it so not all weight is completely on the rear. I also put a frame bag on the bike for a bit more volume, but that did not impact weight distribution much as it is quite small in volume.
A key here if you try it is to put your panniers as far forward as you can manage while avoiding heel strike. If the panniers are too far back, that makes the bike handle poorly.
My knees are in bad shape, thus I never stand on the pedals to accelerate or power up a hill. But I suspect that if I did stand on the pedals, that a rear load would handle terribly.
The paper bag on the rear rack in the photo was a 10 pound (4.4 kg) brick for extra weight for my test ride, as I expected to have a dry bag on top in the back with food so I wanted to simulate the weight for my test ride. Note that I do use a large handlebar bag, that has some weight to it so not all weight is completely on the rear. I also put a frame bag on the bike for a bit more volume, but that did not impact weight distribution much as it is quite small in volume.
A key here if you try it is to put your panniers as far forward as you can manage while avoiding heel strike. If the panniers are too far back, that makes the bike handle poorly.
My knees are in bad shape, thus I never stand on the pedals to accelerate or power up a hill. But I suspect that if I did stand on the pedals, that a rear load would handle terribly.
I find the Thorn has quite a bit of wheel flop with front panniers, made worse by a handlebar bag. I have been wondering if maybe I switch to the suspension fork and have no weight on the front it should be better.
10-18-16, 12:28 PM
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Hey thanks for that info. I have a suspension fork for my Thorn but I've never used it for touring.
I find the Thorn has quite a bit of wheel flop with front panniers, made worse by a handlebar bag. I have been wondering if maybe I switch to the suspension fork and have no weight on the front it should be better.
I find the Thorn has quite a bit of wheel flop with front panniers, made worse by a handlebar bag. I have been wondering if maybe I switch to the suspension fork and have no weight on the front it should be better.
I have not used a suspension fork for touring and have no plans too. For normal touring I want to use the front panniers. If I recall correctly, Andy (the bike designer at Thorn) has toured with suspension fork and no front rack, you could look at their web site to see what he said about those trips and performance.
I have done two mountain biking trips on my Nomad with the suspension fork, but did not carry the camping gear on the bike for either trip.
