Susie front load

[sam.per...@gmail.com]

Any one have experience front loading a Susie for camping. I like keeping an eye on my stuff. Was thinking of a basket and two panniers up front as a set up.
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[Ryan Frahm]

I’m interested in this as well. I think a good part of it comes down to handling preferences. Some have said it handles great with a front load and others said it was terrible. I picked up a Pass and Stow rack for my Susie. I plan to use panniers more than the flat rack but that will depend on handling. Can’t wait to get this frame and put it together to find out!

[Tim Baldwin]

This is the exact setup I have on my Susie. The Pass and Stow is excellent for use with panniers and a basket or just the platform. Here's my setup I used for a long trip last summer. I would say the bike handles best with weight balanced front and rear. Somewhere in the 60/40 or 65/35 range is great. The large saddlebag is an ideal counterweight. If you're not toting a skateboard around on your trips, it's very easy to get a good weight distribution with this setup. Without the panniers, the same setup makes for a great commute bike.

[Doug H.]

Tim,

Your Susie looks like a workhorse ready to travel the world. The skateboard is a nice touch too. I have to think the lowish toptube is a welcome feature after many miles of travel.

Doug

[Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY]

And every barking slappy drops grams! Nice rig.

-Kai

On Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 12:16:23 PM UTC-4 Tim Baldwin wrote:

[Ryan Frahm]

Tim,

Thanks for the the confidence that I will be happy with the front rack! If my bike was as loaded as yours, it would be just about everything I own! Haha. Great looking bike!

[Mr. Ray]

Ideally, the center of the front panniers should sit as close to the center of the front wheel axle as possible.  This provides the most predictable handling.  Two issues with the Pass and Stowe front rack are the panniers sit higher than a traditional "low rider" and the rack is a bit too far forward which means the center of the panniers is in front of the front wheel axle.  

[Ryan Frahm]

I did have a Pass and Stow rack on a Black Mountain Cycles road+ and it was perfectly centered (mounted on lower eyelet). I’ve seen the rack mounted on the lower eyelet on a Susie and it looked good. The upper mount makes it “look” too high and forward from what I have seen. Can’t wait to get this thing and play around!