I did use panniers. Got them cheap from when I worked at Performance (alright for discounts!) and the 40lb rack from there as well. It was interesting getting one of the supports to bend properly to join up on the seatstay around my brake caliper, but it was stable since I didn't put too much weight on it, max about 30lb. All of that goes on the rear rack though and it held up really well. I was surprised by how fast I could go with everything loaded up. We still managed to average around 15.5-16mph, up to 21mph when we were in a paceline because we had to catch up to another group or sprint to the train station. Granted it was only about 75 miles of riding the first day, 50 the second. We did a trip last year and I was on an upright and it was MISERABLE. Well, actually a lot of fun. But the bike itself-pretty miserable.