Paul: Thanks for sharing your experience. I also prefer to have quite a bit of weight on the front. Doug Shaker's response details the situation but I'll have to read it while I'm in looking at a bicycle to grasp it (I'm a slow study on these things).
Personally, I'm thinking all the theory about rake, trail, angles, dangles, & dimensions may be over-ridden by riding style & rider weight. But it's always fun to encounter new ideas & get a better understanding of how a bike functions. dougP -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Paul Cooley Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 5:54 AM To: [email protected] Subject: {BL} Front-loading a Rivendell I usually stick to one list-serv at a time, (or else I'd be reading messages all day), so I've missed out on the debate. In the past, I've used a Nitto Expedition front rack with most of the weight on front for short tours. For that matter, my big panniers are the original Baggins Bags, so they sit on top of the rack. (The Arkels in the picture are my auxiliary panniers, and I don't usually need them). So I carry most of my weight high and on front. I figure my butt is putting plenty of weight on the rear wheel. Somewhere, I read also, probably Bicycle Quarterly, that the French cyclotourist carried more weight up front. It seems to handle fine to me, but like I mentioned elsewhere, I'm not an all-out, performance oriented cyclist. I'm a wimp when it comes to taking mountain switchbacks at speed, and the rest of the time I just ease on down the road. I don't think it really matters where I carry my weight. That being my opinion, I weight the front to distribute it more evenly between the two wheels. I am interested in what design considerations go into making a frame more rear-weight than front- weight friendly. Paul B. Cooley Santa Fe, NM http://carfreefamily.blogspot.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Bicycle Lifestyle" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/bicyclelifestyle?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
