# commute rack...front vs. rear?



## ferday (Feb 20, 2007)

hi all,
did a quick search, nothing turned up...

looking for a rack for commuting, just clothes/shoes/tools nothing heavy or special. is it better to go front rack or rear rack?

i would assume rear as it doesn't affect steering but hopefully i'll get a comment or 2.

thanks!


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

I use a seatpost rack. Mine's not a quick release, but they make them. they're pretty cheap at Performance. I used to strap a gym bag onto it with a bungee, but that doesn't work all that well because it'll wrinkle your clothes in the morning, and the bag will sometimes slide half way off the side. So I attached a Rubbermaid plastic bin onto the rack, and just toss the gym bag into it. Works great. 

Personally, I don't think I like the idea of a front bag unless you're already into heavy touring and know how to handle a bike that has a lot of weight on the forks. It seems to me it would make the steering really weird..


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Figure it's a lot easier to find a decent set of panniers than a decent front bag...


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## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

*well actually...*



buck-50 said:


> Figure it's a lot easier to find a decent set of panniers than a decent front bag...


A decent set of small panniers could fit on either front or rear racks, depending on what kind of rack you're referring to.

Front panniers in the lowrider position make my touring bike very stable. Not at all "weird". And it corners well. But for commuting I usually use rear panniers because I prefer a lighter nimble steering feel with less arm effort in urban situations.


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## KWL (Jan 31, 2005)

Whether to go front low-rider or rear racks really depends on the bike. A bike with low trail will be more stable with a front load than a bike with normal or high trail. Most bikes are not set up for only a front load. Porteurs being an exception.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

ispoke said:


> Front panniers in the lowrider position make my touring bike very stable. Not at all "weird". And it corners well. But for commuting I usually use rear panniers because I prefer a lighter nimble steering feel with less arm effort in urban situations.


Less arm effort? Is there likely a big difference? I recently went from a handlebar bag to a big rear basket when my cargo started getting bigger. Now that I have room for groceries, I find myself taking advantage of that room and I don`t like the handling at all with a high load in back. A gallon of milk and a couple pounds of misc other stuff is all it takes to have me weaving around much more than I`d like. I was thinking that maybe a lowrider front rack would be the way to go. Or maybe just more practice with a heavy back end.


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