frame bag and wind
05-25-22, 10:48 PM
#1
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frame bag and wind
I've been using a full frame bag (Apidura Expedition 6L - GREAT product). I hadn't noticed it before, but on windy days I'm finding the bike gets pushed around in cross winds. This was really pronounced when I loaded the bike down with a rear rack and panniers and 30lbs of gear (NOT a touring bike so stability got worse with more weight).
My question is, is it normal for a road bike with a full frame bag to be sensitive to crosswinds? Seems like a silly question but I really didn't notice this when I loaded down the bike with only the frame bag and not panniers.
I suspect geometry and center of balance are factors
I'm using a Specialized Roubaix btw
My question is, is it normal for a road bike with a full frame bag to be sensitive to crosswinds? Seems like a silly question but I really didn't notice this when I loaded down the bike with only the frame bag and not panniers.
I suspect geometry and center of balance are factors
I'm using a Specialized Roubaix btw
05-25-22, 11:04 PM
#2
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Originally Posted by Symox
(NOT a touring bike so stability got worse with more weight).
...handles far better than this...
...even though the bicycle is carrying far more weight in the first photo.
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05-25-22, 11:04 PM
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ignominious poltroon
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Yes.
I don't like frame bags for this reason, and they don't hold much. Bikepackers like them because they don't stick out.
In my experience, the most stable configuration is two panniers mounted on low riders on the front. It looks like it would be unstable, but it isn't.
Jan Heine provides an extreme example:
I don't like frame bags for this reason, and they don't hold much. Bikepackers like them because they don't stick out.
In my experience, the most stable configuration is two panniers mounted on low riders on the front. It looks like it would be unstable, but it isn't.
Jan Heine provides an extreme example:
Last edited by Polaris OBark; 05-25-22 at 11:09 PM.
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05-26-22, 04:29 AM
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Originally Posted by HTupolev
Even touring bikes can lose stability when rear-heavy. They're usually better at dealing with it than non-touring bikes with otherwise-similar construction, but it's a poor situation to begin with. When I put large loads on my Campeur, I try to put the heavy stuff onto the front low-riders. So for instance, this...
...handles far better than this...
...even though the bicycle is carrying far more weight in the first photo.
...handles far better than this...
...even though the bicycle is carrying far more weight in the first photo.
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06-28-22, 08:08 AM
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Anyone who drove an early VW Beetle can easily realize how much rear heavy weight balance can affect handling in cross winds
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06-29-22, 07:32 PM
#8
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I have a frame bag on my 2022 Checkpoint SL5. Haven's noticed any wind problems but it's tough to get large sized water bottles into the cages.
06-30-22, 02:09 PM
#9
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On my long tours I only use rear panniers but have experienced problems with cross winds or tractor trailer rigs passing by me on the road. There is a section on Hwy 1 in Big Sur known as Hurricane Point and going south from this area I had a gust come down a ravine that moved me and my bicycle a couple feet to the right. It happened so fast I did not have time to worry about crashing.
Windiest in the afternoon hours so better to ride in the morning or at night (if practical).
Windiest in the afternoon hours so better to ride in the morning or at night (if practical).
09-05-22, 07:15 PM
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Update
Originally Posted by pintvideodownlo;[url=tel:22637432
22637432[/url]]Any latest updates?
09-12-22, 05:37 PM
#11
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I do not use front panniers as I do not want the wind to affect the steering of the bike. Even with only rear panniers and my body I was at a place on Hwy 1 in California that is aptly called Hurricane Point and I had the bike lifted up and set down about 2 feet closer to the center of the highway. A lot less wind during the morning than the afternoon hours so it helps to plan accordingly.
09-12-22, 06:05 PM
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ignominious poltroon
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I live about 3 miles up the hill from Hwy 1, and have lots of crosswinds to contend with. Front panniers centered on the front axle won't negatively affect the steering on the bike in a crosswind -- in fact they will help to stabilize it. Panniers up higher on a rear rack can wag the tail of the bike to some extent. If I need only two panniers, I put them on the front only. If I need four, I load them 60/40 front/rear.
