Switched to a rack and panniers 2 months ago in Portland, still can't get the weight right on my 12 mile ride

Jake Bell · 2026-10-08T18:05:10.82272+00:00

I ride from my place in SE Portland to my job near the Lloyd Center, which is about 12 miles round trip, and for 3 years I did it with a backpack like everyone else. Two months ago I finally put a rack and a single pannier on my commuter bike, mostly because my back was getting sweaty and sore by the time I hit the Broadway Bridge. The problem is I clearly put too much stuff in one bag, because now the bike pulls hard to the left and I feel it the whole way up the incline on 12th. Last Tuesday I weighed the bag at 11 pounds, which doesn't sound like much, but it rides way worse than the backpack ever did. I tried moving my lock and my lunch to the other side with a second small bag, and that helped some, but now the bike feels sluggish and wide. Anyone here run a single pannier and just deal with the lean, or did you switch to a smaller bag up front or something else to even things out?

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Switched to a rack and panniers 2 months ago in Portland, still can't get the weight right on my 12 mile ride | Bike Commute Talk - Topic Shares