How does it handle with 4 panniers on?

I’m thinking of replacing my Yukon as it’s too wee. I want something that won’t noodle around (mostly commuting but winter training and ideally the odd tour). I had a Pompetamine and thought it was probably too flexy (though didn’t try it loaded).

Any comments or other ideas? An Amazon would be lovely but £££. Must have discs!

What size is the Yukon?

Your size, 56.

I’m hoping it’ll be ok as I bought one for exactly the reasons you’ve just given 😉

Disc Trucker?

I take a 54.

I tour on a pomp and I understand the kaffenback is the same frame with vertical dropouts and a mech hanger. I find it a bit flexible so I don’t load it up too much and only use rear panniers. Might be better spread over 4 panniers though.

Rusty nice but heavy, £££ cf Kaffenbak and the ugliest dropouts known to man.

TBC you’d grow into it.

Swavis I await your report.

How tall are you, Al?
I have a Thorn Club Tour for sale, too big for me.
No discs, though.
On the other hand, it’s not expensive.

I want a 57-58cm top tube. disc tabs could be added I guess.

I’ve just orded a Vaya Al.

They are currently much cheapness..

Click me..

No experience with 4 panniers, but have toured in NZ with two rear panniers a rack bag and bar bag.

With that configuration I found the frame to be have a fair bit of flex, in fairness a set of panniers up front would have probably distributed the weight a lot better but funds were tight at the time.

Really depends how much touring you envisage doing. For fully loaded touring its certainly compromised and it depends whether you can live with a certain amount of flex for a few days riding each year or whether you plan to use it on a more prolonged basis.

If you are prepared to lighten the load a little, the Kaffenback makes a great all round light tourer/commuter/winter hack. The last bit of touring I did on the Kaffenback was Lands End to John O’Groats. In that instance I used a Carradice saddle bag and bar bag and ate up the miles – completing it in 6 days.

Get a dedicated touring bike for heavy touring IMO – they’re built for the job and ride so much better than other bikes when fully laden. I bought an Dawes Ultra Galaxy which really is rather good.

Go for a Vaya Al.

You might wait a while Al, jnr #2 is keeping me pretty busy so I won’t be loading it with panniers any time soon. It is great for my commute along the Speyside way and the smoother doubletrack round here though.

Sorry, Al, the Club Tour has a 56cm TT, C-C.
anyone else?

No experience with four panniers, but I managed eight days touring the Outer Hebs last summer with two panniers, a rather (over)stuffed drybag, and a small bum-bag pressed into service as a bar-bag. No real issues apart from the occasionally unhelpful gearing I’ve got (48/34 x 12-25) and a couple of *exciting* moments at speed, which were probably as much down to pilot error as flexing.

I have to say I found mine pretty damn flexy at the back with only a couple of lightly loaded panniers for the commute on, so wouldn’t have wanted to do a fully laden tour with it

My experience is that 4 panniers is more flexible than 2 so perhaps a no to the K.

Does anyone have a vaya they could measure the top and down tube diameters?

I’ve toured on my pre disc mount version twice. Both times have been with a mini mugsy in a trailer, a tent and a 35l drybag bungeed across the top of the trailer, two rear panniers and a thermarest across the top of the rack.

It didn’t flex to the point of being unrideable and I put up with it.I can;t remember flex being an issue. Pinch punctures were a pain but that’s my fault for running the weight with 25mm tyres…..

However this summers tour was done similarly loaded on my singlespped rigid inbred with 1.5″ tyres. I know which one I’ll be riding for next years tour whilst the kaffenback has been stripped down and replaced with an Uncle John.

I will also say this, Mrs Mugsy on all these trips has taken her road rat. the 1st time (pre micro mugsy)she had 2 rear panniers. The 2nd time a child seat and micro mugsy whilst I had mini mugsy, and this year she had mini mugsy on a follow me tandem and front and rear panniers. She won’t be taking the roadrat next year. I’m supirsed she and the bike managed 10km from our start point…..

So the kaff is flexy, but I think less flexy than a roadrat, and I would concur that 4 panniers will probably cause more handling issues than 2 panniers even with same weight.

…..get a touring bike, or a rigid mtb for touring unless light weight touring.

Thinking about it I reckon I need an Amazon – what I like about the Yukon is it’s light enough to be a fun ride on the road but stiff enough for loaded riding too – a Vaya will not be the former!