Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,221
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 48 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3465 Post(s)
I usually run my front tire at about two thirds or three fourths of the pressure that I have in the rear tire. If you pump up the front too high, handlebar vibration can be brutal. But too low, and you risk pinch flats. Getting the right pressure might take some trial and error, bring a gauge. Handlebar tape that has good cushioning would be good.
If you try a seatpost rack with side panniers, you should try to get the weight in each side as close to identical as possible. I loaded up a grocery pannier on one side one time and had my gym bag pannier on the other side which was much lighter, the rack kept shifting on the seatpost to rub against the rear tire. It was only a few miles home from the grocery store, but I had to keep shifting the rack on the seatpost. Such racks can be great, but if you get any tire rub, imbalanced load would be the first thing to check. I think such racks can't be used on a carbon seatpost.