Packing Bags
In September I checked off a bucket list item. A tour. Not far by some (probably most) standards, but good for me. I went solo and it was beyond what I had hoped it would be and finished the ride planning my next one. I rode with back panniers, a dry bag on top of the rear rack, and a handlebar bag. The weight I carried in my panniers and dry bag was less than 33 lbs. About 11 lbs in each of the three bags. I tried to save a few bucks as well as weight (more bags leading to taking more stuff) by not buying or taking front panniers. The question I have is one of balance. When I stood up out of the saddle to give either my bum a rest or to climb a bit, it seemed like my bike, for lack of a better description, flexed. I'm wondering if this is just a normal thing on a loaded bike or if I had front panniers and loaded the bags evenly front to back whether or not there would be less flex. Throughout the ride, I'd try moving some stuff around, removing some from the dry bag on top of the rack and noticed some marginal difference. I have a trek 520 and am quite happy with it. Any opinions/suggestions out there?