Testing a loaded bicycle

Yesterday I took a test ride with a loaded bicycle in preparation for the tour. This included two rear panniers, one with mostly clothing, the other with electronic gear (laptop, camera, phone battery pack) and a few person items (wallet, passport, extra glasses, etc). The clothing pannier weighs 5kg and I suppose the other is nor more, but the added weight is clearly noticeable when riding. I was quite concerned when I had done only 15km in 75 minutes, but picked up speed later once I turned out of the headwind and got out into some wide rural lanes with little traffic and no construction work. Early on I was riding slow to judge the feel of the bike with the extra weight and for concern that the panniers might come loose. The back tire was a bit soft and felt better after I found a bicycle shop and had a bit of a top up. In the end I managed 19kmph, just a bit below my average of 21. Still, I need to maintain near 20kmph if I want to get through 100km rides in 7 hours or less. 

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