Balancing a ~30 lb load
 

Good evening.

I have calculated my touring load to be about 30 lbs. So far, I only have a rear rack, and two trashbin panniers.

Would it be advisable to get a front rack and balance the weight to the front? Or would I be okay with putting my whole load in the back.

I will probably be riding through the Ozarks in Arkansas soon, and I am concerned about the front rising as I climb.

Also, regarding racks; Could I install a rear rack on my front fork? Im not too keen on throwing down $70+ for a simple rack. This also brings up another problem. My front fork has no braze-on holes to secure the top arms of a rack with bolts.

Pardon of noobery,

Thanks.

I've toured with just rear racks plenty. The load you plan to take isn't bad. The front lifting is not something I've ever experienced before with the same setup. Make sure your rear wheel is up to the task and have fun!

Record breaking first response. Haha.

What should I do to prep my rear wheel for a concentrated load? Specific psi?

Good tires, high-quality spokes, and a nicely-trued rim. Maybe have extra spokes or a fiber fix on hand... I'm just sayin'.

Make sure it's decent quality... decent spoke count of at least 32 or better 36. Have it checked for tension by a pro or yourself if you have the know how. If anything is going to break.... 9/10 it's going to be the rear wheel or spokes. Good idea to have at least a fiberfix repair spoke like mentioned above.

When I tour.... the only real concern I have is the quality of my rear wheel. It's 9/10 going to be the one thing that fails if something does. Plan accordingly.

True, true, true. I broke my first spoke on a training ride with about 40lbs of gear, about 2/3 of that on the back. I had a 32 spoke wheel at the time, and I figured that now was this time to finally go and upgrade to a well-built, durable, 36 spoke wheel. Nothing wrong with paying for peace of mind.

30 lbs. is certainly manageable with just a rear rack, but I found the handling to be a little better with some weight up front. I suggest trying it out with just the rear panniers first and see how well your bike handles. As long as you keep most of the heavy things down low there shouldn't be a serious problem with the front wheel lifting.

You can certainly take your entire load in rear bags, but if you are going to tour much, especially if you are going to head for some real hills, I think you will be happier with front bags. Nearly three decades ago Bicycling magazine published an article put together by the folks at Blackburn where they had placed the load in various places and combinations along the front forks, handlebars and rear. Their conclusions led them to develop the low-rider front rack which has been standard-fare ever since. Basically, loads in rear bags or on rear racks tend to destabilize the bike and loads in front bags, especially when placed about the front axles, tend to stabilize the bike.

I usually place most of my load in my front bags (tools, H2O filter, stove, fuel, cookset, freeze-dried food, anything dense) and put the fluff in my rear bags. In fact, whenever I can fit everything into one set of bags, I just use front bags. As far as attaching the front rack, my 1982 Trek 720 doesn't have any mid-fork braze-ons for the rack either. Hardware stores sell plasticized u-bolts with plasticized plates that can be used instead. The original low-riders came with this hardware.

That said, the other commenters are absolutely right that 30 lbs in rear bags should not be a problem. If the cost of a front rack is a barrier, just use what you have with full confidence. An added bonus of a big (volume-wise) rear load is that you look bigger to the cars that are overtaking you so they may give you more room.

My first loaded touring was done in England where they have lots of short, steep hills. I only had rear racks and when I tried to pump really hard up my first steep hill, the front end lifted off the ground.

To fix this, I took as much heavy stuff (tools, etc) as out of my panniers that would fit into my handlebar bag, which created enough of a weight shift to keep the front end down.

So, I would recommend a bar bag of some sort for counterweight.

Ray

Note that weight in a handle bar bag tends to destabilize the bike. Putting the weight in panniers on a "low rider" rack is preferable.

Excellent. I appreciate everyone's feedback.

I will probably just truck on with my load on the rear panniers, until I can find a decent front rack for an affordable price.

I might a rack like this http://www.sunandski.com/Topeak_MTX_...3057580652.htm

I would just have to find a way to fit it on the trunk of the front fork. Granted, it woun't be used to carry a large load. Maybe 10 lbs.

30lbs is not to bad you can always practice.

I'd suggest just saving up for something solid and that will last. Tubus or similar.

MEC has some front racks that look decent. Here's the Lowrider one and there's also a link to their platform version:
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1272991008153

I wouldn't recommend the Topeak model you linked to for carrying panniers since it 1)lacks any provision to keep the panniers from swinging into the wheel, and 2) puts a big torsional stress on the seatpost and should therefore be limited to very light loads.

I have carried 30 pounds in two rear panniers while climbing extremely steep hills -- up to 18% grades. Sometimes it feels like the front wheel will come off the ground, but it never has. I compensate for the (perceived) imbalance by positioning myself low and forward while ascending monster hills.

I try to put heavy stuff at the bottom, and lighter stuff at the top of the panniers. Raising the centre of gravity makes a bicycle feel skittish to me.

It does not appear to be an issue on the surface. With adequately sized panniers and a top rack bag, you can tour quite comfortably for months, if need be, with just a rear rack. A handlebar bag is a useful addition to convenience.

However, it might have been useful to post more information about your bike so more valued judgments could be made about how it might handle under load.

That Topeak rack linked by prathmann is an excellent rack for the money. It will not accept panniers with positive locking systems though. No problem really as any pannier with simple hooks will fit fine, including Axiom Seymore.

http://www.amazon.com/Axiom-27-85-Li...N%3DB0028MRKMY

Most bikes will have better riding qualities if the load is balanced front and back.

Just note that the Topeak rack you are discussing has a weight capacity of 15lbs, which is stated in the ad. Also, an additional rack and panniers mean just a little more that can go wrong, when two adequately sized rear panniers on a decent touring triangulated rack will do just fine.

Make sure the center of the weight in your rear bags is not behind the center of the rear hub. Otherwise, you could have trouble. Get the weight as far forward as you can without heel strike. Depending on your bike and the length of the chain stays and the size of your feet and the length of your crank arms and the size and shape of your bags, this may be anywhere from easy to impossible.

If you cannot get the center of the weight ahead of or on top of the rear hub, then I would definitely get front bags too.