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Loading Gear On A Bike

Loading Gear On A Bike Is Similar To Packing A Backpack ---- With Similar Serious Considerations For Minimal Gear Count; Less Weight, Less Bulk, And Center-Of-Gravity Item-Location-Configuring.   All This Affects Handling; Balance; Riding Endurance; Riding Satiability, Riding Control; Item Stability, Frame Fatigue; Pannier Mount, Material And Seam Fatigue; Pannier Holding Capacity, Pannier Required Size, And Personal Safety.  The End Results, Should Be A Loaded Bike That Is Easy To Handle, Control, Ride And Feel One With The Rider, In The Dynamic Changing Conditions Of The Riding Environment!

Proper Load Balancing For A Bike Or Backpack Is A Matter Of Life And Death!

On The Trail And On The Road!  The first issue of loading a bike is maintaining a proper center-of-gravity to have a stable balanced bike that is under your complete control!  It is best to experiment with gear configuring well in advanced of any planned tour.  Try and do this months in advanced, giving yourself time to ride a load; the best being short rides of several miles or more.  Think Of Searching For Collapsible Pack-Design Equipment, Packing Methods And Updating Any Of Your Bike Bags To Fit A Specific Tour And Gear!   To Own More Than One Set of Bike bags Is Just A Wise Thing To Do For Many Active Individuals.  After Arranging Equipment, You Should End Up With A Well Balanced Bike That Is Controllable As If There Were No Load!

Load Touring/Expedition Packing | Options Overview

Rear Bags Only Or Front And Rear Bags?

Physics Dictates Spreading The Load Evenly Around The Bike, Both Front And Rear!   By Doing So, The Front End Stays Down On The Ground.

Front Bag Considerations

Front Racks Are Made In Two Types ---  "High" Mounted, "Low" Mounted.  High Mounted Racks Offer More Ground/Obstacle Clearance And More Bulk (Volume-Fitting) Capacity.   Low Racks Give Better View Of The Road And Offer Better Bike Handling.  Low Front Racks Are Dangerous For Off-Road Riding, Where Clearance Is The Major Concern.

For Those Who Want To Show Off Their Front Suspension, Or Who Value A Full View Of The Trail Or Road Ahead Of The Wheel, Must Use Rear Panniers Only!  When Using Rear Panniers Only, Larger Panniers Will Usually Be Needed!   The Intelligent Move Would Be To Add Several Pannier Sizes To Your Equipment Collection And Have Just The Right Amount Of Volume Needed For The Task-At-Hand!  Riding With Just The Minimal Sized Pannier To Pack Your Stuff Is The Intelligent Way To Ride!

Personal Hydration Pack + Rear Panniers With Cargo Top Rack

Also Consider A High Quality Engineered And Designed Personal Hydration System Pack, To Pack Smaller Lighter Items.  This Provides An Excellent Option --- Providing The Rider Maximum Hands On Control Of The Handlebars While Drinking At The Same Time, And Packing The Smaller Lightweight Items -- Tooth Brush, Personal Hygiene Stuff, Rain Jacket, Liner, Cap, Sunglasses....

Basic Load Guidelines

Once you have decided on rear only or rear and front panniers, there are several general rules that apply equally to both systems.

1) Keep Heavier Items Low, inboard and toward the rider. (Fig.1). Heavy items should go in the bottom of the pannier, next to the frame sheet, forward in rear bags, back in front bags. Keep heavier items low, inboard and toward the rider. (Fig.1). Heavy items should go in the bottom of the pannier, next to the frame sheet, forward in rear bags, back in front bags.

2) Pad Hard/Sharp Objects. Put extra clothing in the bottom and sides of bags to act as a cushion to any road hazards or crashes that may occur.

3) Keep Necessities and Emergency Items Quick To Grab --- In Outside Zipper Pockets!

4) Sleeping Bag, Liner, Pad - Only Consider A Ultralight Extreme-Compressing Sleeping Bag With A Temperature Range Of Expected Night Temperatures, And a Extreme Compressing, Ultralight Sleeping Bag Liner With Additional Thermal Property If Needed, And A Ultralight Compressing Low-Bulk Pad.  Outfit Yourself With A Sleeping Bag Liner Designed To Be Used As A Warm Weather Sleeping Bag, And As A Sleeping Bag Liner.  If Colder Nights Are Possible, Use A  Liner That Will Add Additional Necessary Temperature Rating To The Sleeping Bag.  By Using This Layering Method, The Sleeping Bag Can Be Of A Smaller Compressing Model And Lighter, Plus, The Liner Expands The Usability Of The Sleeping Bag In More Environmental Conditions!  The Liner Can Also Be Used When Sleeping Indoors At A Hostile With Nasty, Unknown Clean Sheets, Or Bedding... Or Those Nasty Motels And Hotels Along The Way!  The Liner Can Also Be Used In Warmth Weather And Humid Weather For Sleeping.

5) Tent - Only Consider A Ultralight Extreme-Compressing Tent, Easy To Set Up And take Down With Minimal Parts!   The Tent Should BE Designed For Bike Camping; And All-Weather Conditions.  Consider The Highest Grade Materials, With No-Rip Or Rip-Stop Nylon Technology.  Remember, While Touring Remotely, There Is No Option To Warranty Replace A Tent, Or get It Repaired, Replaced, Or Buy A New Tent!  So Try Not To Be Foolish And Buy Standard Consumer Tent, Which Are Low-Grade Items Made To Just Sell Off a Shelf, For Profit!  A Super Compact Ultralight Pack Tent Should Fit Easy In A Pannier.

6) No Overloading - Do Not Overload Your Panniers.  By Overloading, The Mounts Will Distort And Eventually Fail, Most Panniers On The Market Will Rip Along The Seams, And Drag On The Grown Ripping Along Seams And Opening Holes In The Material Panels --- Leaving You Stranded Or Abandoning Necessary Support Gear!  Pre-Plan Well In Advanced And Purchase The Right Duty-Rated Equipment For The Venture Ahead.  We Are Happy To Provide Our Extensive, Travel-Experienced Expert Knowledgeable Professional Outfitting Services And Touring-Support For A Nominal Fee.  Simply Email For Details.

Conclusion

As with backpacking, experience is the best teacher.  Experiment with different loading methods.  If something doesn't feel right, it isn't; so stop and move things around!  Use a Sheet of paper And Draw a diagram of each pannier and make a list of equipment for a specific trip, tour or trail ride.  After Your Configurations Have Been Decided, Print Out A Clear Copy Of Packing For Each Application, And Have Them Handy On Your Ventures.  Having The Final Plans Laminated Is The Best Plan!  Enjoy!