Originally Posted by
sdimattia
My Surly front rack set up is about 7lbs with a 20lb dog and the front weight feels ok. Albeit, I climb as few hills as possible with the dog but the bike also isn't really geared for it. Steering-wise, the bike feels more stable with that kind of load in the back but I'll see where the weight feels best and where it'll fit. Your point about using front panniers in the rear to save space is a useful tip!
I'm actually leaning more towards a 27.5"/650b wheeled bike if this whole bikepacking thing works out. That's partially why the Niner is appealing, it can take both 650b and 700c wheels. It seems like mountain bike components will be best for that low gearing you mentioned in another post. I'll have to see if either REI or my LBS has some panniers and racks I can play with.
I set up all my families' touring bikes (6) with mountain bike gearing. We all run triples, 44/32/22 cranks, 11-34 cassette, mtn. rear derailleur, and road front derailleur, which will still works well with road brake/shift levers. It takes a shorter bottom bracket to maintain an 45-46 mm chainline. Using the same parts on all the bikes makes things simple for maintenance and parts. Most shops can do that for you.
A couple of my touring bikes.
The LHT was built from the frame up.
