The ol' reach around...

[4cmd3]

On your folding bike (20" wheels or smaller) ...
Can you reach behind you for a water bottle (from a jersey or rear-mounted bottle cage), drink from it, and then return it to the same jersey/cage?

This is similar to a recent thread about being able to ride no-hands, except that I imagine riding one-handed while performing the water bottle maneuvers.

Comments about how well you can hold your line during this are also appreciated.
cheers

[jur]

I do it all the time on my Swift. I have to time it well since my pedalling legs will push my arm aside. So on fast group rides I put it back it in 2 steps: 1) Position it correctly, 2) put it in, step 2 synched with right leg up. I practised the maneuver so as not to weave my line.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/juried/Brooks/IMG_0383.jpg

[Foldable Two]

I recently moved the water bottle holder from the mono-tube of my NWT to the back of the seat post. May not be quite as easy as before, but I can do it without a problem while riding. It is also easier to fold the bike this way, which is why I did it.

I have a 36" inseam so my seat is way up in the air - luckily I was also issued VERY long arms.

(In case you are wondering - it's 16" from the very top of the bottle holder to the top of the seat.)

[CrimsonEclipse]

Can you do a reach around?

Um....wait...WHAT?

Oh....the bike....right...

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1327/p8lowrezvr1.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/4518/p82lowrezag6.jpg

Yes, I can.

(this was really just a reason to post pics) :love:

CE

[invisiblehand]

I do this on the NWT frequently when bottle #1 on the monotube is empty.

Although it usually requires that I stop pedaling. So I need to pick up a little speed first. Moreover, I generally switch the seat post bottle to the monotube location. I remove the montube bottle, stick it in a rear pocket, grab the seat post bottle, gulp some fluids, stick it in the monotube location, and then stick the empty bottle in the seat post location.

[Bacciagalupe]

I prefer to put a water bottle on the handlepost -- it is SO much easier than any other location, and one of the good things about that type of design IMO. Very helpful given the excessive responsiveness of most 20" wheeled bikes.

Depending on the temperatures I may also use a Camelbak.

[4cmd3]

I tried it yesterday. So far I do not have a rear mounted cage, so they were just in my jersey.
The ability to remove and re-insert in a jersey pocket is very much dependent on the jersey.
I have some LG, Castelli and Nalini jerseys... and wearing the Nalini yesterday it was very fiddly.
But I managed, on both the left and the right. However at this point I am only comfortable doing so on very flat pavement with no cars or riders around.

Eventually I want to get a rear mounted bottle bracket holder... I have two Ciussi gel elite cages ready to roll with it. But they are VERY tight, no chance of an ejected bottle. The question will be if I can actually pull the bottles (Camelback Podium) out on the ride because they are so snug.

I am considering a front-mount bottle holder (like a Twofish) and carrying up to 5 bottles for those really hot epic events. I figure I would sip from the front cage until it was spent, then I would slip the empty inside my unzipped jersey for a moment, pull out the next bottle and drop it in the front cage, and then slip the empty bottle in the slot where the full one came from.

Anyway I found myself drinking far less yesterday than if I was still using my Camelback MULE (3L... vs 1.2L in two bottles). And as a consequence after 4.5 hours I was not dying to ##ss like a racehorse. Which was a plus! :)