Carrying Water
- Thread starter 9lines
- Start date
On long trips/hot days, I usually take two 32-oz bottles. It's probably overkill, but I never run out! That is, unless I'm riding in the middle of nowhere for miles without places to refill. But I'd much rather have too much water than not enough!
Yep, I usually just use one or two old 20-oz soda bottles. You get to feel good about recyling and having some water with you, so that's rad. I have this messenger bag I use, instead of having a dedicated bottleholder attached to my bike.
In the olden times, I always had my small backpack that is replete with my paraphernalia. First is my wallet, my cellphone, swiss knife, and a small bottle of water. But in the recent years, I seldom bring my backpack anymore but just a small bag for the purse and phone. Drinking water is now available almost anywhere so it is more convenient to just buy especially here that we want to drink cold water.
This is the touring forum so am I to assume you're speaking of carrying water while touring? If so then on my touring bike I can carry 3 24 ounce bottles and sometimes throw another in my handlebar bag depending on where I'm going. If you're NOT talking about touring and just riding in general then it depends on how far I'm going, anything under an hour I usually don't bother carrying water, but over that I will carry 1 to 2 bottles depending on time on the road. On hot days you should be consuming 1 bottle every 45 minutes (this doesn't include the first 45 min because you should have drank before you left the house and in 25 to 30 minutes you would be home to drink again); on average days maybe an bottle an hour.
I always carry at least one bottle. I usually have a backpack whenever I am riding, so I just throw a bottle in my backpack.
I always forget about the water. I can definitely bring anything I need but it is so odd that I always leave the water bottle home. Good for me if there are some stores along the way to buy a bottle or two. I had learned my lessons lately and will start being more aware now
I'm glad you learned your lesson; water, and or Gatorade, is important to have on rides lasting more than 60 minutes, rides shorter than that you could drink before you leave and drink when you get back, but after 30 to 45 minutes into a ride that's going to be longer than 60 minutes you need to start ingesting fluids. Buying fluids along the way is a inconvenience not to mention expensive, and what happens by chance you can't find anything? It's always best to have it along with you when you start.Keyan said:
I have a little biking backpack that I always pack with one or two 20-oz bottles.
We do a lot of mountain biking and our usual loop is an hour give or take so it's important to stay hydrated. Sometimes we end up staying out quite a bit longer depending on where we go and some of our trails involve a bit of hiking/climbing, so we make sure to come prepared.
We do a lot of mountain biking and our usual loop is an hour give or take so it's important to stay hydrated. Sometimes we end up staying out quite a bit longer depending on where we go and some of our trails involve a bit of hiking/climbing, so we make sure to come prepared.
Most people will bring some water for shorter rides, or something with electrolytes and a bit of sodium if it's a longer ride. You'd be crazy to go out and ride for any extended period without some beverage or another. On shorter rides, I tend to gulp down an energy drink just for the heck of it. I take the more healthy and replenishing route for longer rides, though.
I tour mainly in the outback of Australia carrying my dog in his trailer. When out their with dog I am usually carrying 20-25 litres in various containers an bladders. You cannot risk being without water in dry areas of Australia. I also take a Sawyer Squeeze, in case I am low and their is dirty water around.
It would be necessary for me to always carry a water tumbler every time I go out because I am the type of person that always take water religiously. I always hydrate myself with water and not sodas or juice but maybe a little but I still always choose water over. Regardless if it's a long or just a short ride I always bring water with me.
I've blindly been drinking 50% diluted Gatorade because I did it for many years because back when I raced that's what the entire team and other teams drank because that's all there was back then. However when Pepsi Company bought Gatorade in 2010 they eventually changed the recipe and added more sweeteners and their not good sweeteners either, like Splenda, then they added even more sweetener in the form of high Fructose corn syrup, and then added 34 grams of sugar on top of it all! This is per serving mine you.
Just how much is 34 grams of sugar, it's like eating almost two cups of ice cream! Even if diluting it, as I have done whenever I used it, still in todays formula is too much sugar which can actually make a person feel tired and perform worse. The original recipe didn't have any of the artificial sweeteners I listed above plus it only had 14 grams of sugar per serving...now you can really see the difference that Pepsi did to the once really good drink for sweat replacement fluid.
Those artificial sweeteners bother a lot of peoples stomachs as will the added sugar, this not something you want to take on a ride. Even when I diluted it 75% it started to bother my stomach a bit, so I made a switch to Gatorade Perform, the Perform drink is now the old Gatorade, it has the same ingredients that the original Gatorade had, it's easy to find and it's cheaper than bike shop boutique drinks.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/the-complete-guide-to-sports-drinks-31549 In this article there is a site mentioned that will show you how to make your own energy drink for far less money then even Gatoraide Perform, if you don't mind spending a little time and making it yourself this is a great direction to go.
Always take one bottle of clear water though.
Also on long rides you can make your own energy booster drink for pennies vs buying products like GU etc, all those bike boutique boosters use primarily to boost your energy is caffeine, and other added stuff like vitamins etc do nothing, so all you really need is caffeine in small doses spread out over the course of the ride. So simply make black coffee with no sugar or creamer, put it in a GU flask or something similar, and drink an ounce per 1/2 hour starting about an hour into the ride, the flask holds 5.5 ounces. Another trick is drink a 1/2 cup of black no sugar or cream coffee about an hour before you ride.
CAUTION: This caffeine trick won't work if you drink more than a cup of coffee a day as a daily routine, if you're a big coffee drinker you will be immune to the effects that caffeine has! So if you are a big coffee drinker, got to have that Starbucks 18 ounce coffee you need to stop that if you want to realize the benefits of caffeine while riding. I make my own espresso but i only drink a 1/2 cup in the morning and that's it. On long weekend rides of over 60 miles I drink the 1/2 cup of coffee like normal but then I'm going to be riding in about an hour after that and take along my flask of black coffee.
Another caution: I am not an expert at any of this stuff, it's only been from what I've read and experienced by trial and error have I gotten to where I'm at. There may be better methods I'm either unaware of or didn't work for me but could work for you. Everyone's body is different, what works for me might not work for you, so you have to experiment on yourself, and as you get older those things that once worked for you will slowly change.
Just how much is 34 grams of sugar, it's like eating almost two cups of ice cream! Even if diluting it, as I have done whenever I used it, still in todays formula is too much sugar which can actually make a person feel tired and perform worse. The original recipe didn't have any of the artificial sweeteners I listed above plus it only had 14 grams of sugar per serving...now you can really see the difference that Pepsi did to the once really good drink for sweat replacement fluid.
Those artificial sweeteners bother a lot of peoples stomachs as will the added sugar, this not something you want to take on a ride. Even when I diluted it 75% it started to bother my stomach a bit, so I made a switch to Gatorade Perform, the Perform drink is now the old Gatorade, it has the same ingredients that the original Gatorade had, it's easy to find and it's cheaper than bike shop boutique drinks.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/the-complete-guide-to-sports-drinks-31549 In this article there is a site mentioned that will show you how to make your own energy drink for far less money then even Gatoraide Perform, if you don't mind spending a little time and making it yourself this is a great direction to go.
Always take one bottle of clear water though.
Also on long rides you can make your own energy booster drink for pennies vs buying products like GU etc, all those bike boutique boosters use primarily to boost your energy is caffeine, and other added stuff like vitamins etc do nothing, so all you really need is caffeine in small doses spread out over the course of the ride. So simply make black coffee with no sugar or creamer, put it in a GU flask or something similar, and drink an ounce per 1/2 hour starting about an hour into the ride, the flask holds 5.5 ounces. Another trick is drink a 1/2 cup of black no sugar or cream coffee about an hour before you ride.
CAUTION: This caffeine trick won't work if you drink more than a cup of coffee a day as a daily routine, if you're a big coffee drinker you will be immune to the effects that caffeine has! So if you are a big coffee drinker, got to have that Starbucks 18 ounce coffee you need to stop that if you want to realize the benefits of caffeine while riding. I make my own espresso but i only drink a 1/2 cup in the morning and that's it. On long weekend rides of over 60 miles I drink the 1/2 cup of coffee like normal but then I'm going to be riding in about an hour after that and take along my flask of black coffee.
Another caution: I am not an expert at any of this stuff, it's only been from what I've read and experienced by trial and error have I gotten to where I'm at. There may be better methods I'm either unaware of or didn't work for me but could work for you. Everyone's body is different, what works for me might not work for you, so you have to experiment on yourself, and as you get older those things that once worked for you will slowly change.
I always make sure that I have some water when going for a ride, whether it's a long or a short ride.
Whether you are going cycling or not, it is best to carry water with you to keep hydrated. Hydration is very important to our body, specially if we sweat a lot. During cycling it is best to bring a bottle of water and fill it up on the way every time you have the chance. Never go out cycling if you don't have water, it might cause a lot of problems in the long run. If you cannot bring water, make a stop if you see a store on the way and buy. Keep hydrated.
Similar threads
