I've tried them all and the all have pluses and minuses. A front mounted Acorn Rondo bag has absolutely no impact on the handling of my Rambouillet, and I like having the map reader and easy access to food, etc. I have used a Carradice Barley for commuting and liked that too. The Carradice Long Flap is OK if you don't overload it, but by the time I get my Macbook into it, I can feel the sway, especially when I stand up. I have carried near 40 lbs, balanced between front and rear panniers on the tandem and found the steering absolutely neutral. Carrying weight low seems intuitively better, but I like to have as much stuff above the fenders as possible. There's a reason the mountains are Green in VT, and the same reason will leave panniers mud caked.
A while back BQ did wind tunnel tests and came to the surprising conclusion that front bags were more aero than rear, but I suspect the real issue is whether the bag has a wider profile than the rider. Panniers are a definite looser on that score. michael, nursing a strained back in Westford, VT -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/1C3iraQiDRoJ. 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/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
