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#1
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Hydration and Camelbak
I'm seeing more and more Camelbaks on the trails and am wondering what the
consensus is here. My training trail has a lot of water stops available so it is not a major problem. I usually ride 80 miles daily with a century + on the weekend. I use two water cages and a fanny pack that has dual bottle carriers. I start the day with water in the cages and a 20oz bottle of diet Mountain Dew in the fanny pack. The MD is for the caffiine, I don't drank coffee. The remaining bottle carrier is for a bananna and heavy duty surgical gloves for roadside repairs. The fanny pack itself holds protein bars, clear glasses, serving size powdered Gatorade in baggies and a well stocked first aid kit. (I'm prone to road rash) My rain jacket rides under my seat with spare tubes and my tool kit. I've sorta become accustomed to this setup but am thinking maybe someone in the NG has a better idea. I'm thinking of moving into double centuries this year and am wondering if a Camelbak would improve my ride. I've looked at 3 versions. The Rocket looks sleek and has improved air flow but holds the least amount of liquid. The Lobo is quite nice, slim, more water capacity, but lite on serious storage. The Mule holds 100oz and appears to be the logical choice with a net to hold leg warmers and a long sleeve shirt but is it too big and bulky? I don't know if I want something this large hanging on my shoulders for a long ride. |
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#2
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Hydration and Camelbak
While I can't say I ride anywhere near a double century, I do use a Rocket
on a regular basis. I live in Florida and two large bottles just don't cut it in our tropical humidity. I keep my minitool, keys, spare tube, gloves, wallet, and other assorted stuff in it and it's quite bearable. It's not very heavy, and the Coolmax back keeps cool. It's kinda Fredly to wear one on the road, but I like it. |
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Hydration and Camelbak
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#4
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Hydration and Camelbak
"whinds" wrote in message
... I'm thinking of moving into double centuries this year and am wondering if a Camelbak would improve my ride. Here's the issues: One, is, if you have a camelbak, you're more likely to drink more often. So, in that sense, having a camelbak will improve your ride, if you don't drink very regularly otherwise. Somehow it's easy to take little sips all the time with a camelbak, but it's a hassle to reach for your water bottle. Second, if you're doing a very long ride and it's unsupported, you might want a camelbak so you'll have enough water between water sources. I remember one long ride I took in unfamiliar territory, and I very sharply remember there being an espresso stand (yeah, Seattle area) in the middle of a small town. The woman at the stand very kindly filled my camelbak with ice and then cold water, just out of complete human kindness. This really helped me out, as I otherwise wouldn't have had easy access to water for the next thirty miles. It's situations like these where having a large water bladder, and not just a couple of bottles, is really helpful. Third, if you're in very hot weather, a camelbak is indispensable. I did a short but very hot ride in the desert outside of Las Vegas one year in July, and my husband and I filled out camelbaks three times in three hours -- I have a 72 oz and he has a 100 oz. That's a lot of water, but each time the bladders were completely drained by the time we hit a water source again. However, a full camelbak is heavy. Because of the weight of those things, if you're planning to do these long rides this summer, the time to start training with a full camelbak is now. Get used to carrying a weight on your shoulders in March, and it won't seem so bad in July. If you regularly hydrate without the camelbak, if you are planning a supported double century, and if you don't anticipate the weather being extraordinarily hot, then I wouldn't bother with the camelbak. That's too much weight to carry on your back for 200 miles. Warm Regards, Claire Petersky Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com Home of the meditative cyclist: http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm Email me the new Tiferet CD (http://www.tiferet.net) See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky |
#5
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Hydration and Camelbak
"whinds" wrote
I'm thinking of moving into double centuries this year and am wondering if a Camelbak would improve my ride. I stopped using a Camelbak for all road rides after using one out of habit for years. For long road rides, they're just too uncomfortable. I use insulated water bottles (Polar, 24 oz.). I have 3 holders on my distance bike, and often use a rear rack to carry extra gear and bottles if the weather is very hot and/or the distances between water stops is large. Getting all that weight off your back makes a big difference, especially for doubles & beyond. I'll often get a big bottle of OJ or similar at stops, drink some, then pour the rest into an empty bottle to drink over the next hour or so. |
#7
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Hydration and Camelbak
whinds wrote:
I'm seeing more and more Camelbaks on the trails and am wondering what the consensus is here. My training trail has a lot of water stops available so it is not a major problem. I usually ride 80 miles daily with a century + on the weekend. I use two water cages and a fanny pack that has dual bottle carriers. I start the day with water in the cages and a 20oz bottle of diet Mountain Dew in the fanny pack. The MD is for the caffiine, I don't drank coffee. The remaining bottle carrier is for a bananna and heavy duty surgical gloves for roadside repairs. The fanny pack itself holds protein bars, clear glasses, serving size powdered Gatorade in baggies and a well stocked first aid kit. (I'm prone to road rash) My rain jacket rides under my seat with spare tubes and my tool kit. I've sorta become accustomed to this setup but am thinking maybe someone in the NG has a better idea. You ought to be able to fit all this stuff in a medium sized saddlebag plus jersey pockets. That's what I do, for about the same amount of stuff. Why the fanny pack? I'm thinking of moving into double centuries this year and am wondering if a Camelbak would improve my ride. I've looked at 3 versions. The Rocket looks sleek and has improved air flow but holds the least amount of liquid. The Lobo is quite nice, slim, more water capacity, but lite on serious storage. The Mule holds 100oz and appears to be the logical choice with a net to hold leg warmers and a long sleeve shirt but is it too big and bulky? I don't know if I want something this large hanging on my shoulders for a long ride. You probably don't. Camelbacks are great for off road riding, where they get the weight off the bike for better handling on technical terrain. They also make it easier to drink. But for road riding, it's definately more comfortable to carry stuff on the bike. If you really need more water capacity, try to find a place on your bike for an extra water bottle. However, there are usually enough places to fill up when riding on the road, especially on an organized/supported ride. In my experience, it's not the weight that matters so much with the Camelback, but the sweat and heat on your back. It affects how your body radiates heat and stays cool. If you're riding in an arid climate out west it doesn't matter as much, but it could really affect you in hot, humid weather with big climbs. Matt O. |
#8
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Hydration and Camelbak
Hey, Folks:
Do you intend to use the word "CamelBak" as a brand name, or merely as a generic reference to a backpack water carrier? LONE PEAK PACKS makes many different packs for the bicycle and rider, including hydration backpacks. http://www.lonepeakpacks.com/h2o.html Regards, Nicholas Grieco |
#9
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Hydration and Camelbak
In article ,
(Nicholas) writes: Do you intend to use the word "CamelBak" as a brand name, or merely as a generic reference to a backpack water carrier? I meant the brand CamelBak. I get turned off by the cross naming methods such as used on eBay. I have yet to see any hydration pack as good as CamelBak's. CamelBaks are more expensive than the others I've seen but I think their bladders are the best. I bought a Platypus a couple of years ago and used the bladder once. LONE PEAK PACKS makes many different packs for the bicycle and rider, including hydration backpacks. http://www.lonepeakpacks.com/h2o.html Thanks for the link Nicholas, they have a lot of nice looking packs. Have you used any of them? What does the bladder look like? Do they have screw on fill caps? |
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