Panniers. Front or rear?

[Shep]

I commute year round and carry smaller front panniers on a front (low-rider) rack. My commute is about 12 miles round-trip on the W&OD and via street with both hills and flat. I like how the front panniers keep the center of gravity very low. It’s not hard to balance them side to side. Each time before I mount the panniers, I lift them both and trade a few small (heavy) items like keys, phone, etc… back and forth until they seems about the same on each side — 15 seconds, max… The ride is very stable and great for my commute. I think it even makes the bike ride better overall because the steering is now a larger mass (than without the front panniers) and that larger mass provides a damping effect for bumps, uneven pavement, etc…

@Slosurf 93940 wrote:

I have seen them in both places. Sometimes all four, though the majority of the time I see rear-mounted panniers.

I have heard that panniers work well on the rear when you are primarily riding smooth flat surfaces (e.g cruising the CCT trail from Bethesda to your office in DC or a short commute down 15th street to your job downtown). I have been told that front loads (mounted low and properly balanced around front hub and headset pivot) are more stable and better for climbing, etc. I don’t see many front loaded panniers though. I am guessing most people I encounter on my ride to work are riding short distances and flat surfaces.

I have been bike commuting since May. 50 mile round trip from MD to DC. 2-4 days/week. My inbound route has its share of hills (Esworthy to River to Persimmon to MacArthur to CCT to Georgetown) and my outbound route is about 17-18 miles on the C&O canal and then a nice climb up to River Road. I am thinking of putting panniers on one of my commuter bikes anticipating a bigger load with more clothes, coat, etc as the weather gets colder.

What say you? Front or back?

[ronwalf]

Disclaimer: I ride all the time with rear panniers, sometimes loaded and sometimes not. I occasionally ride with a front load, but it’s a child (~40lbs with seat), not panniers.

I can see the appeal of front loading a bike. It smoothes out the ride, and it balances the bike a bit better for acceleration and climbing steep hills. That said, rear panniers are larger and cheaper, and balance isn’t critical unless the front tire is lifting off the ground on the down stroke.

[Rod Smith]

In my experience, rear panniers effect handling less.

[KLizotte]

Just wanna say, wow, that is one helluva commute!

[mstone]

You see a lot more rear panniers than front panniers because most bikes sold these days won’t easily take front panniers. Basically, most road bikes with a carbon or suspension forks are impractical to use with panniers, and of the remaining steel or aluminium forks, most don’t have braze-ons (though you might be able to use p-clamps.) Low-rider front panniers do affect the steering. If you have a lot of weight there, you’ll steer more slowly. That can actually be a good thing when touring as it makes the bike less twitchy (which translates to less fatigue over time). People who want a racy feeling really on their commute don’t want front panniers. I have front and rear racks & bags. I don’t usually have more than one bag’s worth of stuff on a commute, and I generally don’t want only one bag on the front. I could make a pair of two smaller loads, but that’s one more thing to carry at the end of the trip. Front bags do provide something of a fairing effect, which is fun, and can also keep your feet a little warmer and dryer. Loading & unloading is easier with the rear panniers (no need to worry about the front wheel flopping). Bottom line: for commuting I generally use one trunk bag (with fold-down panniers if I need extra space). For light camping, I use a pair of front panniers and throw large items on the rear rack. For a loaded trip with the kids I look like a refugee with stuff strapped all over the bike, but I try to keep >15% of the load on the front.

[Geoff]

I have only used rear panniers, and will now offer a reason to use FRONT panniers. Which is, I am a twit.

Last week I arrived at home and, while carrying the bike in the back door, I was horrified to realize my pannier was not on the rear rack! No wonder the hills were easier that day.
No choice but to turn around and retrace my steps, scanning the sides of the trail to see if it had fallen off. Eventually I made it back to the bike rack in the parking garage, and the bag was still leaning up against the wall. Something had distracted me and I hadn’t realized I’d left it. But if it were a front pannier, I would have looked down as I started off and realized something was missing.

[jrenaut]

@Geoff 93998 wrote:

But if it were a front pannier, I would have looked down as I started off and realized something was missing.

If you weren’t so ELITE you would have noticed that your ride was easier right away.

[Geoff]

@jrenaut 94000 wrote:

If you weren’t so ELITE you would have noticed that your ride was easier right away.

Um, yeah, that sounds good, let’s go with that!
But I have this mental image of my wife rolling her eyes…
:rolleyes:

[baiskeli]

FYI if you need to carry nice clothes, a bike garment bag that folds over a rack, like this one, is an option. It probably wouldn’t fit on the front.

[Slosurf]

Thanks for all of the replies. Sounds like the benefits of improved control with front panniers may not be enough to offset the hassle factor associated with having to divide the load at the start of the ride and then schlepp two panniers around. I find the easier/simpler it is to get out of the house in the morning the better.

I found riding with a backpack through the summer has not been as uncomfortable as some warned it would be. Perhaps I should stick with that method, though I am eager to play around with racks on one of the bikes in my commuting quiver (Specialized AWOL).

Again, thanks for the feedback. I have found this forum to be a tremendously valuable source of information with a friendly and positive vibe.

[hozn]

This summer has been exceptionally cool, which has made the backpack very comfortable — but in general I agree that backpacks work just great, continue to be useful after parking the bike, and are simpler / don’t require a rack.

[Author]

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