New to touring...

mask of sanity

Hey guys,

Been cycling for few weeks on a road bike (been using MTB's for years before that) and a mate and I have rough plans to do a short tour of 3 to 4 days (dont laugh :oops: ) just to try it out.

My question is:

What kind of impact to performance do panniers have? Seeing as we won't be going for long we won't be carrying a great deal and are planning to stay in hostels so won't be carrying a tent or cooking equipment. Mostly clothes and food I should imagine. Also is it better to have two half loaded panniers or one fully loaded?

Many thanks,

Rich.

clanton

I'm fairly new to touring so take this with a pinch of salt.

Panniers, depends on how much you pack into them really. You will definitely notice them in cross winds where they catch the wind a LOT. No matter how heavily you load them you will get used to them eventually, to the point where the bike may even feel wierd and twitchy without them. They are certainly more comfortable then a backpack.

Unless the single pannier is very lightly loaded it will be better to split the weight evenly.

MajorPayne

Heya matey,

I'm planning my first road tour too, I'm very inexperienced like yourself but I'd thought I'd drop you another thought about rather then using panniers! Have you thought about pulling a trailer I've managed to purchase a German model from eBay for around £40, I'm still awaiting delivery of this item and I'll let you know how I go around using it and the difference it makes to the handling of the road bike itself.

Because I would be camping out pretty much the whole way there and back I thought panniers would give me too much downward weight on the wheels (maybe saving me some spokes)and opted for the trailer as it would be pulled, the only other offset I could think of is because I'm pulling a bit more weight my speed would drop.

But if two of you are travelling then I guess you could share the trailer, say morning time one of you would pull-it and then afternoon have a swap around, they seem easy to construct and only weighing 7.5Kg does not seem a great deal at the moment but that's something I might have to deal with later on.

All the best on your travels, hope to hear more about them as you build up to leaving.
Kind regards,
MajorPayne

rjh299

Is that the one you ordered?
My brother's mate is looking for a trailer and i had a look at that for him. The 'bob yak' (not sure if that's correct name) is meant to be best but is going for £200.
If this one's any good it's bit of a bargain. If it's right a review would be most helpful please bud. Thanks

rjh299

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0348795796
Image not appearing, think i did it wrong

mask of sanity

Hey Major Payne.

Thanks very much for the input. I've been reading your post about what your plans are and its very interesting! I have to admit I hadn't thought about using a trailer! I'm pretty confident on the road as I've been cycling on it since i was about 8, but not sure how confident I would be when pulling a trailer... Would be worried about side winds and bumps in the road as I can imagine them jumping around like crazy on some of the country lanes in the UK. £40 for one seems like an amazing deal! I was looking at racks and panniers and the cheapest 'respectable' ones I've found totalled about £50.

Would be great if you could let me know how you get on with using the trailer and keep us updated on your travels! Would love to know how it all works out for you! All the best for the proposal as well!

Thanks clanton as well, some useful advice ,
Rich.

Gotte

I've used a trailer in the past, and I have to say, I don;t find them ideal. They increase drag, esp the 2 wheel variety. By that I mean rolling resistance, not wind resistance. Going up hills you feel it most. Also, coming downhill too fast and fully loaded can affect handling badly. Also, they are much less managable when you have to wheel your bike around, taking it into hotels, and are almost impossible to handle if you try and take them on a train (more for foreign tours).
Panniers make the bike feel a little unstable at first, but you soon adjust, and within a few miles you're used to it.
If you've got a lot of stuff, try splitting it between 4 panners, 2 front, 2 back. it makes the bike much more stable, and if anything helps the ride, as the weight is lower and front and back.
Just my own personal observations. I'm sure there are loads of people who love using a trailer.
All the best.

andymiller

If you don't mind carrying a small hydration backpack you could put a change of clothes and washing kit in a small drybag and bungee it to the rack. Alpkit do decent drybags (although they may not be in stock at the moment).

I think panniers (or a trailer or saddlebags etc etc) would be the best long term solution but I can understand why for a first tour, you might not want to splash out. You can certainly get by without them for a short lightweight tour.

nicktheluddite

Like Andymiller said, if you aren't camping then just get a drybag (Ortlieb are the best quality) and bungee it onto your pannier rack. Voila - no out-of-balance from a single pannier. (If you want to spend more money you could get a rack-pack, lots of people like them but I don't.
Get a bar bag for snacks/camera/spare jumper.
I wouldn't use a rucksack/camelbak because I don't like having stuff on my back, but if your MTB habits are hard to shake, then go with what you're happy with.

It adds a bit more weight which is noticeable but you soon get used to it.

A trailer is an altermative to full panniers - you can carry tons in them, way too much for a 3/4 day B&B tour.

Why not have a trial run at the weekend - do one of your normal rides, but loaded up so you can see the effect.

ride_whenever

There is a brand of trailer that has a single wheel and takes panniers, might be a better bet.

will3

PLenty of info here:

http://www.carryfreedom.com/downloads/T ... cience.pdf

I would note that not all trailers affect the handling in the way Gotte suggests.The Carry Freedom, trailer I have is very neutral, other than pushing and tugging a bit if you go over a speed bump or similar. It is also rock steady at speed, doesn't snake or boss the bike around or anything. In short, apart from the extra weight you wouldn't know it's there.
I use mine for camping trips and general shopping duties, for which it is very well suited. It is also great for touring by tandem, as the tandem wheels are already plenty loaded without luggage on them!

If, as you are, you are more lightly loaded, then panniers would seem a better choice. Put the heavy stuff in the bottom of the panniers.

Regarding the one vs two pannier thing, I've never noticed any effect from having a single pannier on the bike once you're rolling. It doesn't pull to one side, or lean the bike in any noticable way. OTOH when you're pushing the bike around or trying to lean it against a wall etc, it can be a pain.

will3

PS i forgot to add:
the downside to a trailer is that because it can carry an insane amount, you can be tempted to take things with you that you would otherwise leave behind. This then causes you to curse when you're half way through the peak district.

crafty

For light touring/days out, I use two small panniers on the front (Carridice Super Cs).
The only negative aspect of this is riding at speed in the wind can be a little unpredictable due to the sail-like quality of the front panniers.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angliatv/3 ... 9/sizes/l/

For longer camping jaunts, I use two 56l Altura Orkneys on the back as well.

Ed

crossborderreiver

If you use panniers it would be better to have two to give a balanced ride. A bit of spare space is useful for when you stop to buy food.
If I'm not carrying camping stuff I sometimes strap a small rucksack on the top of the pannier rack. This comes in handy if I want to leave the bike for a bit and maybe go for a walk.