Quote Originally Posted by bcipam
I am not a fan of either a front bag or a large seat bag. We call the big seat bags "utter bags". They can interfere with leg and pedal stoke motion and it looks really weird from behind.

Do you really need to carry all that stuff? On my road bike I carry 2 tubes, irons, some med. supplies in my seat bag. It's fairly small and tucks up underneath the saddle. I also use a Bento Bag. I can place in it either my digital camera, my keys and cell phone, goodies/snacks. I also have an advantage in that I like to use a Camelbak for water. Even though my road Camelbak is small, I can still out in it a pump, keys, Gu/bars, lip gloss, money, ID etc.
On a double century I start riding somewhere between 4:30 and 5:30 in the morning and it's generally kind of cold. I'm going to want a place for my arm warmers and leg warmers when I take them off. I'm carrying all the stuff you listed, plus enough food to get me through 15 hours of ride time. Yes, these are supported rides, but certain foods work for me. I also bring some extra clothes as well, since most of these rides are not flat, a balaclava, long fingered gloves and a jacket are often neccessary for the descents. I don't like to have anything on my back for such a long ride. I don't even like to have things in my pockets. Personal preference is to put it all on the bike. I don't notice a significant change in the handling.

So it looks funny to you - oh well. I prefer to have what I need. BTW I have a gignatic bag for commuting to carry textbooks. It doesn't interefere with my pedal stroke.

Veronica